Indigenous Cultural Programming
Developed in partnership with our Indigenous Advisory Council, Men & has a number of initiatives working towards establishing restorative and Land Based programming to augment and offer alternatives to mainstream therapeutic support.
Men’s Cultural Helpers Programming
Traditional Ceremonial Helper
The traditional role of men from the Indigenous Community was as provider or helper in the family and community contexts historically. The lost role of men and masculinity in modern society and historical trauma have changed and impacted the roles men hold.
The Men’s Cultural Helpers Programming is an experiential learning approach offering active participation in community-based, on reserve ceremonial activities aimed at a physical engagement with elders’ wisdom and teaching. Designed to augment or be an alternative to mainstream settings, this community based approach focuses on how to rediscover a sense of community and reclaim our lost roles as Father, Husband, Brother, Partner and Son in a way that is positive and healthy.
Areas of focus include:
- Creating a vision of what a community free of family violence would look like, make connections with Traditional programming
- Gaining a sense of self/reclaiming – Fathering / Husband / Partner / Brother / Son
- Identifying what a respectful relationship would look like
- A focus on the man and what it means to be a healthy man.
- The role of the man as a helper for himself/family/community