Exploring perceptions of Indigenous youth on mental health before and after implementation of a land-based program in rural Saskatchewan schools

Objective To examine how Indigenous youth in rural Saskatchewan perceive their mental health before and after participation in a culturally grounded, land-based school program, contributing qualitative evidence on universal, school-based mental health promotion for an under-studied population. Methods This quasi-experimental pre- and post-intervention sub-study is part of the Smart Indigenous Youth initiative, a digital citizen science project across two First Nations reserve schools in Saskatchewan, Canada. Youth citizen scientists aged 13 to 18 (mean age 15.5 years) participated in gender-separated talking-circle focus groups: 18 youth (11 girls, 7 boys) before the intervention and 15 youth from the same pool (9 girls, 6 boys) after. Transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, guided by Two-Eyed Seeing. Results We constructed five pre-intervention themes: mental health as culturally embedded; school as a site of safety and motivation; anticipatory connection to ancestral knowledge; mental health as active self-care; and practices that sustain happiness. Five post-intervention themes captured reported change: growth in respect and patience through cultural practice; cultural engagement as rejuvenation; accessible cultural learning as stress relief; environmental stewardship as cultural continuity; and school as a site of belonging and personal growth. Conclusion Culturally embedded land-based programming, delivered as a universal school-based intervention, may support Indigenous youth mental health across mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual dimensions. Findings inform equity-oriented mental health promotion and prevention with this under-studied population.