[Toolkit] Honour your strength: our d​iabetes wellness journey

The FNHA created diabetes education materials for delivery in community, called Honour your strength: our d​iabetes wellness journey. The content, messages, and activities were developed with guidance from First Nations people living with diabetes, who shared their stories, and an advisory circle of Knowledge Carriers, dietitians and nurses.

The series has eight sessions for group learning and sharing, that cover wholistic health, food, movement, medications, and many more topics related to diabetes wellness. It blends information sharing with storytelling and hopes to build peer support and knowledge locally. The sessions are delivered in-community across BC. Community health teams can access the materials by reaching out to their FNHA Regional Practice Consultant or by emailing CDSI@fnha.ca.​

The toolkit includes:

• Facilitator Guide that introduces culturally safer approaches to diabetes wellness, planning tools, session outlines and speaker notes.
• Participant Handbook with summaries of the eight sessions, and space for participants to reflect and explore the content in more detail.
• PowerPoint slides with visual aids for all eight sessions.
• Interactive materials for activities and hands on learning.

Other Diabetes Resources:

• Healthy Lifestyle to Manage Diabe​tes (Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreational Council or I-SPARC): Ways to live well with type 2 diabetes
• Healthy Eating on a Budget Cookbook for Diabetes (Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council): Healthy recipes for preventing or living well with diabetes and nutrition information
• Handbook for Indigenous Peoples Living with Diabetes (National Indigenous Diabetes Association): Learn about culture and diabetes, prevention and managing diabetes, mental health and more
• Make it Sacred (Indigenous Diabetes Health Circle): Healthy living resource for those on the path of wholistic health and wellness. Resources include mindful eating, engaging our physical body, peace finding, restoring balance within self and the moon teachings
• Food is Medicine Recipe Book (FNHA and I-SPARC): Accessible and nutritious recipes that celebrate traditional foods