Total $336,756—34 projects
Anisalaga Weaving Group—Port Hardy, B.C.
$5,344
Anisalaga Chilkat Weaving
The project will provide a conversant Chilkat Weaver for 10 women of the community to learn the basic techniques of a treasured endangered art form of Chilkat weaving. It will also provide 12 women from the community a conversant Cedar Weaver. (Diocese of British Columbia)
Arrowhead Foundation—Ishaawin Family Resources, Thunder Bay, Ont.
$6,655
Survivors of Abuse Leadership Training Seminar (S.A.L.T.S)
This is a five-day intense training seminar geared towards those who desire to learn biblical ways to walk through the process of restoration from the damage of abuse. The seminar offers training for a comprehensive program which participants can take to their communities. The training is designed for women and men who are interested in becoming small group leaders or learning how to start a small group program. (Diocese of Algoma)
Anti-Racism Training & Education
$5,000
The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada is planning a series of anti-racism workshops to the volunteers, management, and staff of General Synod as a way of introducing racial justice into our structures, behaviors, and practices. The workshops will take place over the 18-month period from the Fall of 2005 to the Spring of 2007. The day-long training modules will take place in the context of regular meetings of the committees, councils and boards of General Synod. The three councils, 6 standing committees, and 2 boards meet twice per year over a period of 3-5 days. They represent a total participation from across Canada of about 250 people. (National Office)
Batchewana Learning Centre-Batchewana First Nation
$13,350
Children & Youth Project—Little Wolf
The project was created and designed as a youth pilot project focusing on youth ages 12-18 yrs. The project will assist youth in the development of self-esteem and leadership skills based on team building. The team meets once a week to play basketball and participate in circle sharing. The goal is to continue meeting on a weekly basis. (Diocese of Algoma)
Brandon Friendship Centre—Aboriginal Mental Health Services Program
$8,500
Returning to the Teachings
The project will provide cultural restoration and healing for residential school survivors, their families and those individuals who suffered the intergenerational impacts resulting from the residential school experience including physical and sexual abuse, loss of language, traditional roles and responsibilities, cultural values and traditions. Elders and traditional leaders will lead the workshops, teachings and activities. (Diocese of Brandon)
Brantford Native Housing—Brantford, Ont.
$7,500
Our Children: Culture Recovery Program will continue offering weekly learning activities for children living in the Brantford Native Housing. The weekly activities will include learning traditional songs, drumming, dancing, and making regalia. Traditional teachings is a component with all activities. (Diocese of Huron)
Diocese of Keewatin—Keewatin, Ont.
$15,000
Special Healing Ministry for those sexually abused by Ralph Rowe, a former priest, scoutmaster, in the diocese of Keewatin. Recently, more charges dating back to 1970’s and 1980’s have been laid against Mr. Rowe. This has reopened the wounds and pains for the victims. Archdeacon Eileen Apetagon, from Norway House, MB will lead in this special healing ministry.
Dze L Kant Friendship Centre Society—Smithers, B.C.
$14,448
Wet’suwet’en Survivors on a Canoe Quest
This is a preparation and participation for an international Canoe Quest 2006 from Kitimat to Bell Bella, B.C. in August 2006. This event may become a bi-annual event that will involve more communities using varied routes. Cultural values and traditional healing methods will be made part of this Canoe Quest. Preparation will include mental strengthening, physical conditioning, spiritual healing and emotional wellness workshops. (Diocese of Caledonia)
E’Keylokwa Healing Inc.—Campbell River, B.C.
$5,000
E’keylokwa Banquet/Feast—Honour Our Survivors
(Celebatory Feast for E’keylokwa Group DR)
The project consists of a congratulatory and commemorative banquet/feast to honour the passage of the first claimants through the resolution process and to begin to mark closure for them. The intent is to further validate the experience of these individuals through a formal observance where members of their community and the broader North Island community may demonstrate their respect and pay tribute to them. A total of 80-100 elders are ultimately expected to take part in this process over the next 18 months. The grant is to support a special banquet/feast to mark the beginning of this process. (Diocese of British Columbia)
First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada—Ottawa, Ont.
$7,500
Reconciliation: Looking back, reaching forward Indigenous peoples and Child welfare
This event will bring together Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people from Canada, the United States, and internationally to build relationships and address the effects of Indian Residential Schools and the subsequent child welfare interventions in Aboriginal communities. The conference program is structured to promote dialogue and healing in the aftermath of the devastating colonial experiences of the Aboriginal peoples. (Diocese of Ottawa)
Helping Spirit Lodge Society—Vancouver, B.C.
$5,575
Prevention of Family Violence—Drama Therapy Workshop
The workshops will provide participants with an introduction to drama as a healing tool to work through unresolved trauma; grief and shame related to family violence. Throughout the program participants will be provided with drama and theatre tools, both traditional and mainstream, that encourage them to gain self-awareness and insight into how family violence impacts the individual, the family and the community. (Diocese of New Westminster)
Homalco Indian Band—Campbell River, B.C.
$12,600
Xwemalhkwu Tribal Journey 2005 Healing Program
Canoe journeys constituted an integral part of the coastal Aboriginal people’s way of life in the past. Thus, the Tribal Journeys were brought back during the 1997 Indigenous Games celebrations in Victoria, B.C.. There had not been any tribal journeys since the times of the potlatch prohibition when it was illegal for Aboriginal peoples to gather. In the canoe journey, the canoe pullers undergo a personal and collective spiritual quest. Part of this quest involves undergoing strenuous physical training and developing a focus on team trust and commitment. (Diocese of British Columbia)
Inner City Aboriginal Society—Victoria, B.C.
$12,000
Inner City Aboriginal Cultural Recovery Project
The society is made up of aboriginal members who are homeless, who have been on the streets and are aboriginal. The philosophy of the group is to move away from a total dependency on charity as well as programs that create the client-counselor dependency. In place of those approaches, the group is looking for ways in which—through program development—transfers power back to the “client”. (Diocese of British Columbia)
Ktunaxa/Kinbasket Health & Wellness Society—Creston, B.C.
$8,766
Cultural Advisors
The Society wishes to establish more Cultural and Tradition into its existing community programs. This will fulfill a much needed service gap in the programming of the Centre. Full-time Cultural Advisors will work with Elders in the designing and implementation of this additional programming. The Cultural Advisors will teach culture and tradition to clients of the Centre. The project is on going and will entail two full time First Nations Culture and Traditions Advisors. (Diocese of Kootenay)
Lac La Ronge Indian Band Health Ser./Hall Lake Health Cttee—La Ronge, Sask.
$10,000
Youth Living on the Land
Twenty-four youth will take part in two canoe trips each lasting two weeks. The youth will learn the traditional knowledge and practices of their ancestors, learn and practice traditional skills of living off the land. The overall purpose of this project is to use land based activities to challenge the youth to discover their own strengths and their own potential. (Diocese of Saskatchewan)
Laichwiltach Family Life Society—Campbell River, B.C.
$8,000
Gathering, Teaching and Reflecting: Reshaping Our Lives
The grant will enable the society to provide peer support training, conduct a series of workshops on residential school experience and provide weekly support circles for residential school survivors, families, community members and those who worked in the residential school system. (Diocese of British Columbia)
Lake of the Woods Ojibway Cultural Centre—Kenora, Ont.
$8,000
Residential School Healing
The former students of the McIntosh Residential School will gather on the site of the McIntosh Residential School in May 2005. The school itself burned down in 1965. The purpose of this gathering is to continue the healing process for the former students and their families. Many fo the participants will come searching out their brothers and sisters from their childhood days as they shared a special bond in which they considered themselves family. The gathering will consist of sharing circles, storytelling, sharing of meals and working on various traditional crafts. (Diocese of Keewatin)
Moving Beyond Foundation Inc.—Punnichy, Sask.
$15,000
Moving Beyond Gathering 2005
The former students of Gordon Indian Residential School and their families will gather in Gordon’s First Nation in August. The event will provide the participants a safe place to share their stories, to validate their experiences and to reclaim their spirits. (Diocese of Qu’Appelle)
Namgis House Steering Committee—Alert Bay, B.C.
$10,500
St. Michael’s Student Gathering
St. Michael’s Student Gathering will mark the beginning of change and renewal for the former students and their families. The organizers have invited over 500 former students to gather in the summer of 2005 and participate in the healing workshops, cultural and social events, ceremonies and rekindling relationships. (Diocese of British Columbia)
National Truth Telling Process
$10,000
The Anglican Church of Canada recognizes the need of many survivors to have safe forums, both public and private, in which to share and have acknowledged their experiences at the schools. The Anglican Church of Canada supports a national, community-based process that will provide regionally and culturally appropriate opportunities for those stories to be told by all those involved in the residential schools and to be heard by larger Canadian society. The process will have as its aim healing and awareness. (Diocese of New Westminster)
Nats’eju’ Dahk’e—Yellowknife, N.W.T.
$6,475
The Sacred Circle Project
The Sacred Circle is a community development project that offers women and their families an alternative method of healing than what currently exists in mental health agencies in the community. In the fall of 2003, two community organizations merged into one and became the Sacred Circle Project. The organization’s services include: weekly women’s traditional talking circle, sewing groups, drumming groups, storytelling, spiritual retreats and traditional skills, such as picking traditional medicines. (Diocese of the Arctic)
Nisga’a Valley Health Authority—New Aiyansh, B.C.
$7,113
A Follow-Up Training Program For Trainers
This Training and Review is for the participants to consider the most strategic and effective ways to deliver the most appropriate services to their own constituents, based on the tools acquired during the original five days training which took place in the spring of 2005. This follow-up training will make it possible to deliver more services to more people, since there is a shortage of trained professionals to assist with the residential school syndrome. (Diocese Caledonia)
Nlaka’pamux Health and Healing Society—Lytton, B.C.
$10,710
Rivers Crossing Family Dynamics
The grant will assist Nlaka’pamux Health and Healing Society to hold a 3-day healing gathering for women and a 2-day family healing community gathering. The women’s gathering will focus on self-care, stress management, life skills and self-evaluation. The family gathering will focus on the family, youth, communication, parenting, problem solving, etc. (APCI)
Preparing For the Future Group/Metlakatla Band Council—Prince Rupert, B.C.
$15,000
Health and Hope
As part of the community’s healing process, the community is seeking to revive the Tsimshian Nation tradition of carving and erecting a community totem pole—a totem pole that will tell the story of the tribe, community and families. The project will provide a series of traditional and cultural learning activities. By continuing these activities the children and youth have an opportunity to ‘rediscover’ their traditional identity, values, roots and language. (Diocese of Caledonia)
Samahquam First Nation Administration—Mt. Currie, B.C.
$8,100
Caring for Our Families—Connecting Generations
The project will provide an 8-week parenting skills training for the five communities in the area. The Elders will share their knowledge on traditional parenting practices and other related family practices and activities. Elders and other interested community members will also learn how to deliver and facilitate the training program. (Diocese of New Westminster)
Sulsila lelum Wellness Centre—Vancouver, B.C.
$7,000
Strengthening Families
The program will use Coast Salish oral traditions of story telling, ceremonies and traditional teachings on how abuses were dealt with in the community and their understanding of forgiveness and healing. The centre will hold weekly and/or monthly cultural healing activities. (Diocese of New Westminster)
Tahltan Health & Social Service Authority—Telegraph Creek, B.C.
$6,000
Healthy Families—Healthy Communities
The Healing Project is intended to develop and promote culturally relevant healing practices in the community, leading to a reconnection to traditional activities and spirituality. The Project will provide training and capacity building to those responsible for the development and delivery of Healing activities, to ensure they have the capacity to successfully manage the programs. The Project will integrate traditional and conventional healing and wellness activities with a formal Health and Wellness training program which involves Elders and community professionals. The delivery will involve healing professionals from both within and outside the Telegraph Creek community. (Diocese of Yukon)
Toronto Urban Native Ministry—Toronto, Ont.
$13,500
Reclaiming Connections Through Healing Journey
The grant will enable the Toronto Urban Native Ministry to hold a series of six healing workshops for residential schools survivors, their families and the inter-generally impacted. Other people or groups interested in learning about the residential schools, the issues and the healing processes will be welcomed to attend any of the workshops. (Diocese of Toronto)
Touchwood Agency Tribal Council—Punnichy, Sask.
$15,000
TATC Ketayak & Kichi-Anishnebek Core Project
The purpose of the project is to promote healing for survivors of the Residential School, their families and community. The elders believe the best approach for healing is to initiate cultural and spiritual teachings. The elders will lead sharing and healing circles. In these circles, the participants will: learn from one another, have the opportunity to disclose, validate the stories, work on personal issues. (Diocese of Qu’Appelle)
Tr’ondek Hwech’in Government Health & Social Department—Dawson City, Yuk.
$6,500
Scrapbook Project
Residential School Survivors of the Tr’ondek Hwech’in First Nation have been meeting on a regular basis for the past four years to support each other through a healing journey towards reconciliation. This support group came up with the idea of creating a ‘Scrapbook’ of photos and memorabilia that will present an historical narrative of their experience and its impact on families and community. (Diocese of Yukon)
Tseycum First Nation—North Saanich, B.C.
$13,410
Paddling into the Future
The grant will allow Tseycum First Nation youth to participate in a traditional canoe-training project. Using the time honoured training traditions of the canoe paddlers; the community will offer a program that will re-instill a lifestyle that is slowly fading from the Saanich people. Based on the belief of a balanced lifestyle that includes spiritual teachings, proper physical training and diet, emotional support, and mental discipline, the community will strive to show that this re-connection with the canoe, the paddles, and the sea can have a tremendous impact on young lives. The qualities of teamwork, commitment, spirituality, and leadership will be put into practice while learning of the heritage that these young people have around them. (Diocese of British Columbia)
Turning Pages Youth Care Home Inc.—Saskatoon, Sask.
$15,000
Victims of Violence & Education Program for Youth
This facility is a long-term residential care for youths with emotional, spiritual, physical and/or mental health problems. The programming of the Centre is geared to provide the youth with structure, and to address the inter-generational impact of the residential schools by assisting each youth with their individual plans that focuses on their goals. The idea is to provide the youth and their families with teachings from the Elders that can bring about positive change. (Diocese of Saskatoon)
Warriors Against Violence Society—Vancouver, B.C.
$9,210
Our Journey of Ancestral Teachings Program
The program will offer urban Aboriginal youth the opportunity to learn more about Aboriginal culture through an experiential, cross-cultural trip. In the spring of 2005, the Elders will lead the following workshops: the Sundance Ceremony and Wiping of Tears Ceremony, the Smudge Ceremony and the traditional way to pick sage, the Medicine Wheel and its importance of Aboriginal communities, and the story and significance of Native Pictographs and Petroglyphs. Then during the summer, 12 youth will accompany the Elders to witness a Sundance Ceremony in Manitoba. The 12-day round trip will include visiting historic sites of significant cultural value in BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan. (Diocese of New Westminster)
Windigo First Nation Council—Sioux Lookout, Ont.
$15,000
Healing Our Spirit
The project will be focused on hosting a gathering of Residential School survivors and their families in one of the Windigo First Nation communities. It will offer services of prayer and pastoral counseling to help those in isolation and despair and those angry at the churches and government. Survivors will be encouraged to come forward through on Wawatay Radio that will reach 42 plus communities in Northwestern Ontario. There will be workshops and sharing of experiences to help break the silence on abuse (Diocese of Keewatin)