Workshops

Cultivating Safe Spaces

Facilitated by Elaine Alec

Workshop Description: Cultivating Safe Spaces utilizes indigenous stories, teachings and language to cultivate safe spaces for healing, communication and learning.

Bio: Elaine is from the Syilx (Okanagan) Nation and Secwepemc (Shuswap) Nation and is a member of the Penticton Indian Band in the Interior of British Columbia. She has been a political advisor, Chief of Staff for the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations, Community Planner for her own First Nation, employee for the Province of BC and Federal Government and Entrepreneur. Elaine has spent over 20 years in over 100 communities across Canada to promote healing and wellness. She is a partner of an Indigenous owned and operated planning company called Alderhill Planning Inc. Elaine is a first-time author of “Calling My Spirit Back” a memoir about growing up as an Indigenous girl in Canada and the impacts of colonization. It also provides Indigenous knowledge, teachings on how to cultivate safe spaces for diversity and inclusion.

Expanding on the issue of Violence Against Women

Facilitated by Verna McGregor

Workshop Description: The workshop will commence with an overview or teaching on the issue of violence against women and girls and traditional understandings including our role as humans as caretakers of Mother Earth. A group discussion will follow on ideas on how one can also heal Mother Earth as one is becoming more aware of healing the issue of violence against women and girls. Everything is interconnected. Developing your vision of healing to walk forward after the Moosehide Campaign fast!

Bio: Verna McGregor is from the First Nation Algonquin Community of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg which is approximately 120 kilometres north of Ottawa, Ontario. Ottawa and Gatineau form part of the Algonquin Nation’s traditional unceded lands. Verna has remained firmly grounded in her community and nation by being part of also the group of traditional Grandmothers (Kokomisag) and Elders. This includes the importance of promotion of retention of the Algonquin language and culture which is so important when addressing issues from a cultural perspective.

Indigenous families talking about intergenerational affects

Facilitated by Vince Kicknosway

Workshop Description: Discussing as our family has and have been addressing intergenerational affects/effects with the 7 grandfather teachings / how we as individuals an d families can bring awareness to our behaviours interrelated to the ongoing resilience and love for ourselves.

Bio: Vince Kicknosway – father of 4, grandfather of 13, great grandfather of 1, a member of Walpole Island – Loon Clan. Vince recently retired after 44 years working at the Odawa Friendship Centre.

Lateral kindness and trauma informed lens on lateral violence

Facilitated by Victoria Pruden

Workshop Description: Exploring Lateral Kindness as an antidote to Lateral Violence in our lives, work and relationships. We will focus on tapping into your empathy, compassion, and kindness. Explore nurturing your gentleness in difficult situations. Participants will participate in an experiential “kindness exchange” which always proves to be powerful and transforming.

The Physical and Spiritual Benefits of Fasting

Facilitated by Dr. Lee. Brown

Workshop Description: This workshop will explore the elements of spiritual and health fasting. Principles of healing surrounding the fasting process will be discussed in relationship to the four doorways of health and healing. The goals of fasting in relationship to our spiritual path will be presented in the context of the need to reduce violence in our communities.

The philosophy of well-being according to the Algonquins

Facilitated by Dominique Rankin & Marie-Josée Tardif

Workshop Description: The expression Mino Matisi8in (pronounce Matisiwin) refers to well-being and well-living in the language of the Anicinapek, i.e. that of the Algonquins of Canada. How to achieve it? This is what Grandfather T8aminik tells us in this talk based on the Medicine Wheel and the “Seven Grandfathers’ Teachings”. An Indian Residential School survivor, this former Grand Chief of the Algonquin Nation is a vibrant example of resilience and joie de vivre. Embark with him on a journey to the heart of Canada’s boreal forest. Let yourself be lulled by the songs and words of wisdom of a precious tradition. A deep and simple philosophical teaching at once, to better understand and accept the ups and downs of life, to find harmony with oneself and nature.

Bio: T8aminik (Dominique) Rankin: After a successful career in politics and serving as Grand Chief of the Algonquin Nation, Elder T8aminik Rankin turned his focus to his role as a spiritual leader. He has since devoted his efforts to teaching and healing, as well as preserving and promoting Indigenous cultures, both nationally and internationally. A survivor of the painful era of Indian Residential Schools, he gives a vibrant testimony about forgiveness and reconciliation in the book They called Us Savages. Co-Chair of the World Council of Religions for Peace (an organization linked to the United Nations), Elder T8aminik is a member of the Order of Canada and a Knight of the National Order of Quebec. Senator for the Native Friendship Centers Movement in Canada, he is also the founding president of Kina8at-Together and of the Dominique Rankin Foundation.

Marie-Josée Tardif Bio: Marie-Josée Tardif spent the first fifteen years of her professional career making a name for herself as a journalist and news anchor in Quebec, Saskatchewan, and the UK. Her personal work and journalistic curiosity soon led her to explore our human potential, which in turn led her to meet and interview visionaries such as Eckhart Tolle, Don Miguel Ruiz and the Dalai Lama. In 2007, her existence shifted when the elders of the Algonquin nation offered her to become a Sacred Pipe carrier, which meant she would have to devote her entire life to the study of the traditional medicine and culture of this ancient people. In addition to sitting on several international committees, including the Global Women of Faith Network, the woman now known as grandmother Marie-Josée is the co-founder of the Dominique Rankin Foundation and the non-profit organization Kina8at-Together, two organizations dedicated to the preservation and transmission of indigenous traditions.

Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada – Giant Floor Map

Facilitated by Sheralyn Macrae

Join Sheralyn in a guided session of the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada, a giant gym sized floor map. This Map created in partnership with First Nation, Métis and Inuit organizations shares the stories, perspectives, voices and history of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. Rather than showing political borders, the map is broken up by Indigenous Language groups. The map shows the locations of Indigenous communities, residential schools, treaty information, reserves, timelines and much more.

Turning Fear into Power

Facilitated by Wraven Papik & Stephanie Papik

Co-hosted by Stephanie Papik and Wraven Papik. Join for this in-person session where we will co-create a learning and sharing space for individual and collective growth. Gaining practical tools to ground, center themselves and lean into the uncomfortableness of doing or saying something when the time arises. This experiential session is designed to meet people where they are at and build on existing skills and knowledge. This session includes a fun ice breaker with some movement including walking. Outcomes for this session include a deepened understanding and connection to our individual and collective journeys.

Wraven Papik Bio: Wraven is a certified life coach currently working as an Outreach Worker for local nations. They are two-spirited 24 year old Inuk and Dene from the NWT currently living on the Unceded Territories of the Lekwungen and SENCOTEN speaking peoples. Their work primarily focuses on holistic maintenance of the self in relationship to the Land, the People, and Spirit.

Stephanie Papik Bio: Of Inuit and European ancestry, Stephanie is a Director at the Moose Hide Campaign, a campaign that calls upon Canadians to take a stand against violence towards women and children and take practical steps for reconciliation. Stephanie has worked in the BC Public Service for the last 17 years; including six years as the Program Lead of the Indigenous Youth Internship Program, winning the Public Sector BC Workplace Inclusion Award during her leadership. In 2017, Stephanie was appointed to the Office of the Premier, where she shaped the Collaborative Stewardship Framework enabling Indigenous knowledge to enhance natural resource decision-making. In 2018, she took on the role of Director for Cultural Safety at Emergency Management BC supporting First Nations response through record-breaking seasons of fires and floods.

The Heart of Who We Are

Facilitated by Bradley Dick

Workshop Description: Today, we acknowledge and recognize that there is diversity in who we are. How we walk with one and other, build relations based on personal and professional interests and needs. We often are aware of social expectation of this and what has sparked much curiosity for me is how we approach this with a mindfulness, intentional, and awareness that allows us to host and be hosted in space and time. This Workshop will provide tools on raising our awareness of intent, empowering each other through celebrating our individual gifts and lifting up those we walk with, while honouring our diversity of Identity.

Kairos Blanket Exercise

Facilitated by Tina Savea, Niu Savea

Workshop Description: The Kairos Blanket Exercise is an interactive workshop which takes participants through more than 500 years of shared history as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. Participants step onto the blankets representing the land, and into the role of First Nations, Inuit and later Métis peoples.

Tina Savea Bio: is Saulteaux/Cree from Peepeekisis Cree Nation on Treaty 4 territory in Saskatchewan. She resides on traditional WSÁNEĆ territory with her husband Niu and their three children. Hilarious & vulnerable, Tina Savea has a unique gift to make you cry one minute and laugh out loud the next. She has a strong desire to see others embrace healing through understanding the true history of her people in Canada. Tina loves facilitating the Kairos Blanket Exercise and is committed to sharing the freedom she has found through forgiveness and personal responsibility. She Shares openly about the pain of losing her father as a result of the residential school system and how finding her voice was the beginning of her healing journey. Tina is passionate about breaking down judgments that destroy relationships and building strong communities where every person is valued and equipped with the leadership skills they need to move forward in life.

Niu Savea Bio: is Samoan from a tiny island in the South Pacific. He resides on traditional WSÁNEĆ territory with his wife Tina and their three children. Niu takes pride in his Polynesian roots. He knows the importance of his connection with his Samoan language, culture and traditions. Married to his Saulteaux/Cree wife Tina, Niu has had the strong desire to learn the true shared history of the Indigenous people and the rest of Canadians. As they raise their three children together he feels the urgency for people in Canada to also learn that same truth. As a result, Niu has joined his wife in facilitating the Kairos Blanket Exercise and joining her in the efforts to build bridges of understanding. He is also committed to raising his children to understand their deep strength and value they carry as Samoan, Saulteaux and Cree teenagers.

Namwayut – We Are All One

Facilitated by Shelley Joseph

Workshop Description: This highly interactive session will help you begin learning our shared Canadian history, how it affects us today and why it matters.  We also cover pre-colonial Indigenous History that aides in gaining a personal understanding of reconciliation.  Each trainee will have action plans moving forward to grow reconciliation and grow Namwayut.

A Touch of Healing

Facilitated by Don Beacham, Anneli Twan and George Jeffrey 

Don Beacham Bio: My name is Don Beacham, I am Cree from the Norway House First Nation in Northern Manitoba but I have been living in BC since 1971. I am married to Anneli Twan, a member of ?Esdilagh First Nation. I have followed Na-tive Spirituality for almost 40 years, walking the Red Road, no drinking or drug use. My Cree name is Wapun Muskwa, which means White Bear, it was given to me in a Shaking Tent ceremony. I am a Pipe Carrier and a Sweat Lodge man, earned through many fasts /vision quests by myself on a mountain for four days with no food or water. I have had many respected Elders over the years, many here in BC and some from other territories. On Jan 25, 2022. I celebrated my 38th year of sobriety. My journey began, again, when I started out in AA which eventually led me to the traditional path that I walk lightly on today.

Anneli Twan Bio: My name given by my mother and father is Anneli Twan, and I am a member of Esdilagh First Nation which is near what is now known as Alexandria BC, in between Wil-liams Lake BC and Quesnel BC. My late father was Lyle Jack Twan, he was born in Quesnel, BC and was a mem-ber of the Esdilagh First Nation. My late mother, Wanja Twan came to Canada from Sweden in 1954, and lived in the Okanogan where my parents met in 1967. I also carry a Coast Salish traditional name and a Cree name. The teachings I bring to the Cultural Support Team are over 40 years of Reiki hands on healing, which I learned from the woman who brought Reiki from Japan to the western world, who my mother met in 1978. With the years of practise of Reiki, comes the gift of knowing and I use this in my work with people. I am also a trained Family Counselor and a Pipe Carrier. I have been work-ing with my people doing cultural support and awareness for the last 20 years with my husband Don Beacham, who is Cree from Northern Manitoba.

George Jeffrey Bio: George Jeffrey is of Tsimshian and Gitxsan ancestry and a member of the Raven Clan. He was adopted by the Nuu-chah-nulth people and was given the name Hoomiis and carries traditional teachings around ce-dar, spruce and water. George has served on the Cultural Support Team for Tsow-Tun Le Lum Society for the past 9 years.

Recently George has become part of a team that offers training in the area of healing complex trauma, through First Nations Health Authority, a wellness organization driven by the First Nations holistic and traditional perspective of health and wellness.

George is deeply committed to supporting people in their healing journey; and brings a strong cultural focus and personal connection to his work.

He enjoys and honors time spent with his family. He is involved with Ca-noe Journeys, and is an archery enthusiast. Throughout his career, George has worked with all levels of government, First Nations communities and organizations.

Kendra Jessie

Kendra Jessie is a Cree and Ukrainian woman from Sucker Creek First Nation in traditional Treaty 8 Territory in northern Alberta. Kendra has a Bachelor of Sport Management Honors degree from Brock University and she is a fancy shawl dancer, certified fitness trainer, and wellness advocate. Kendra played hockey growing up for 15-years and competed at the university level. Her passion for health, wellness and movement is driven by her experiences as an athlete. Through her work she has goals to inspire the future generations, and reclaim space for Indigenous people and their voices within the wellness and sport industries.

André Bear

André Bear graduated with his Bachelors of Education degree at the University of Saskatchewan and is now in law school. He is the former youth representative of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations and Co-Chair of the Assembly of First Nations National Youth Council as well as Executive member. In 2016, André was appointed as a special advisor to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Canada where he co-founded the Indigenous Youth Voices Network, for the full implementation of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 66.

Fallon Farinacci

A proud Red River Métis, Fallon is a Speaker, Survivor, & Advocate for MMIWG (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls). Fallon has cultivated an incredible community and uses her platform to share her story, give back to the Indigenous community, and raise awareness for causes and organizations close to her heart. She is the very definition of what it means to be resilient and continues to be a source of light both IRL and on the ‘gram.

The Story of the Moose Hide Campaign

The Moose Hide Campaign began as a BC-born Indigenous-led grassroots movement to engage men and boys in ending violence towards women and children. It has since grown into a nationwide movement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians from local communities, First Nations, governments, schools, colleges/universities, police forces and many other organizations – all committed to taking action to end this violence.

Since the Campaign began over 10 years ago along the Highway of Tears, thousands of communities and organizations across Canada have held Moose Hide Campaign events and joined the annual Moose Hide Campaign Day ceremony and fast. People of all ages, genders and backgrounds are invited to take part in Moose Hide Campaign activities.

Storytelling in Drag

Facilitated by Anita Landback

Athanasius “Tanas” Sylliboy, warmly self-proclaimed as “your favourite aunties’ favourite auntie,” Anita LandBack, originates from the Eskasoni First Nation in Mi’kma’ki. As a devoted Two Spirit Lnu (Mi’kmaw) Nurse Practitioner and talented Drag Artist, Tanas/Anita is driven by a passion for fostering acceptance, visibility, and representation for marginalized communities. They masterfully balance their careers in nursing and drag to break down barriers and amplify the voices of Indigenous, Black, Asian, 2SLGBTQ+, and other underrepresented groups. Their inspiring presence infuses a gentle touch of fun and warmth into every space they inhabit

Storytelling through song

Facilitated by Fawn Wood

Fawn Wood is a Cree and Salish musician from St. Paul, Alberta, Canada.[1] She is most noted for her album Kakike, for which she won the Juno Award for Traditional Indigenous Artist of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2022.[2] She is the daughter of Earl Wood, a musician with the traditional Cree group Northern Cree,[3] and the cousin of Joel Wood, a musician who was a fellow Juno nominee in the same category in 2022.

Francophone workshop – Storytelling through song

Facilitated by Sandrine Masse

Sandrine Masse started her career as a violist of classical background. Her love for folk, prog rock and traditional music brought her to collaborate with groups and artists of diverse genres and from around the globe, as a violist, back-up singer and composer. With her musical and cultural baggage, Sandrine records a first ep that blends folk, traditional rhythms and alt rock. Her songs make us travel through atmospheres of timeless soundscapes, that weave into stories that she tells from her perspective as a Wendat and Québecoise artist.

Storytelling as an author

Facilitated by David Robertson

David A. Robertson (he, him, his) was the 2021 recipient of the Writers’ Union of Canada Freedom to Read Award as well as the Globe and Mail Children’s Storyteller of the Year. He is the author of numerous books for young readers including When We Were Alone, which won the 2017 Governor General’s Literary Award and the McNally Robinson Best Book for Young People Award. The Barren Grounds, Book 1 of the middle-grade The Misewa Saga series, received a starred review from Kirkus, was a Kirkus and Quill & Quire best middle-grade book of 2020, was a USBBY and Texas Lone Star selection, was shortlisted for the Ontario Library Association’s Silver Birch Award, and was a finalist for the 2020 Governor General’s Literary Award. His memoir, Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory, was a Globe and Mail and Quill & Quire book of the year in 2020, and won the Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-Fiction as well as the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award at the 2020 Manitoba Book Awards. On The Trapline, illustrated by Julie Flett, won David’s second Governor General’s Literary Award, won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, and was named one of the best picture books of 2021 by the CCBC, The Horn Book, New York Public Library, Quill & Quire, and American Indians in Children’s Literature. Dave is the writer and host of the podcast Kíwew (Key-Way-Oh), winner of the 2021 RTDNA Prairie Region Award for Best Podcast. His first adult fiction novel, The Theory of Crows, was published in 2022 and is a national bestseller. He is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and currently lives in Winnipeg.

Storytelling through journalism

Facilitated by Mike Graeme & Jenessa Joy Klukas

Janessa Joy Klukas Bio: Jenessa Joy Klukas is an Indigenous woman of Xaxli’p and Métis descent. She grew up on the land of the Haisla Nation in Kitimat. She was an intern at The Tyee through the Journalists for Human Rights’ Indigenous Reporters Program. Klukas has a bachelor of fine arts in writing from the University of Victoria. When she is not working, she writes screenplays and memoir. She currently works at IndigiNews as their education and child welfare reporter. Klukas worked in the child-care industry for 11 years and she is passionate about ensuring that children are safe, protected and nurtured fairly and with compassion. 

Storytelling through performance 

Facilitated by Mi’kmaq Heritage Actors

We are Mi’kmaq Legends, Atlantic Canada’s premier Indigenous theatre group, based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Our company began in 2009 with the creation of a piece based on eight Mi’kmaq legends which were turned into a script by director Cathy Elliot. Since then our group has continued to grow and evolve with every new show we present.

We are proud to offer three distinct programs for different audiences in search of authentic Mi’kmaq Culture: Mi’kmaq Legends, Mi’kmaq Heritage Actors and Next Gen Legends. We can provide a wide range of artistic, theatrical and Cultural talent for events such as festivals, workshops, presentations, training and schools. We offer beautiful opening and closing for events including prayer, smudging ceremonies, drumming, singing and dancing. We also provide Traditional Cultural teachings on medicines, the seven sacred teachings, reconciliation and artisans in our Indigenous Community. Join us to learn Mi’kmaq songs, drumming and dances. Book time with our storytellers and learn valuable lessons from our past in a beautiful peaceful way from the stories that have been passed down from generation to generation.

Storytelling through puppetry and dance 

Facilitated by DerRic Starlight (featuring Kendra Jessie)

DerRic Starlight is from the Tsuut’ina Nation west of Calgary, Alberta, and can also trace his ancestry to the Blackfoot Confederacy. He is a comedian, puppeteer, screenwriter, and pro-wrestling promoter. DerRic has created his own cast of Native puppet characters and has travelled all over North America since 1997. He has starred in many different television productions with The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) and has won the prestigious Gemini Award of Canada as a voice actor. In 2021 DerRic became an official puppeteer with The Jim Henson Company.

Traditional Stories

Facilitated by Julie Pellissier-Lush

Julie Pellissier-Lush M.S.M is an actress and bestselling author of My Mi’kmaq Mother, Poet Laureate for PEI, recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 2013, the Meritorious Service Medal recipient in 2017, and the Senator’s 150 Medal in 2019. She grew up all over eastern Canada and spent a number of years in Winnipeg, Manitoba, before coming back home to Prince Edward Island. Julie is a graduate from the University of Winnipeg with a double major in Psychology and Human Resource Management. She writes, acts, and does photography to preserve the history and culture of the Mi’kmaq for future generations. Julie is a talented storyteller and joins us from Epekwitk (PEI) to tell us the creation story of the Mi’kmaq people. This story is open to all ages! Within this resource you will find a primary grades workshop plan and a middle grades+ workshop plan.