CAMH x Indspire – Indigenous Youth Health Resources
Scope
Whiteboard animation | Community-informed storytelling | Harm reduction & mental wellness media
Overview
This national, multi-year initiative brought together CAMH and Indspire to develop a suite of culturally grounded mental health and harm reduction resources for Indigenous youth. Over the course of 2.5 years, our work focused on creating accessible, youth-driven tools that could be used across community settings, education platforms, and healthcare systems.
Creative Roles
As lead director and producer, I assembled and guided the full creative team responsible for content development, illustration, animation, and post-production. This included remote collaboration with Indigenous artists, youth leaders, and harm reduction experts. We adapted our approach in response to the COVID-19 pandemic — developing low-touch, community-safe workflows that allowed Indigenous youth to record stories from home and contribute meaningfully to the process.
Approach
Every piece was designed in consultation with youth, Elders, and community partners — centering lived experience and Indigenous knowledge systems. We produced whiteboard animations, illustrated brochures, tip sheets, and self-recorded video stories addressing ceremony, wellness, substance use, and identity. Visuals were warm, human, and often hand-drawn by Indigenous artists. The tone was honest and hopeful, designed to meet youth where they are while honouring traditional teachings and lived realities.
Outcomes
The final materials included a five-part video series for Indspire’s Rivers to Success platform, whiteboard animations rooted in ceremony and lived experience, and a suite of illustrated harm reduction tools designed for national distribution. We also developed a custom animated logo to support the campaign’s visual identity. All illustrations were purpose-built for versatility, allowing elements to be repurposed as clip art, web assets, and design features across future materials. The resulting toolkit continues to support Indigenous youth, educators, and health workers across Canada — offering culturally grounded, community-informed content that fosters healing, safety, and connection.
