MKO 22nd LEGISLATIVE GOVERNMENT HOUSE Annual General Assembly Opaskwayak Cree Nation September 9, 10, 11, 2003

Background

Across Canada, from the mid 1800's until the late 1980's, First Nation Children attended Residential Schools. The Canadian Government funded 88 residential schools that were administered by the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Presbyterian/United churches. There were approximately 8 residential schools operating in Manitoba. The residential schools were situated in Guy Hill (Roman Catholic), Cross Lake (Roman Catholic), Dauphin (Anglican), Teulon (United), Birtle (Anglican), Mackay ( Anglican), Portage (United) and Brandon (Anglican). Many First Nations children from Manitoba were placed at residential schools in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Over 5500 children from Northern Manitoba were removed from their homes and placed in residential schools. The Schools represented an attempt by the Federal and Provincial governments to assimilate First Nations people into mainstream society. The legacy of residential schools has had a profound impact on First Nation individuals, communities, and culture. The assimilation policies of the government and the churches have resulted in emotional, physical, sexual and spiritual abuse to many First Nations people.

The residential school experience continues to plague First Nations people today. Many First Nation people who attended residential schools, now parents and grandparents, have found that their way of life, culture, language and traditions have been effected. The policy of assimilation carried out by the Canadian government and the churches has affected at least seven generations over the last 150 years. First Nation people want and deserve recognition as a result of what was done to them in the residential schools. They are striving to promote healing in the communities.

In March 2001, the Canadian government designated $350 million dollars in funding over four years to support the development of healing programs and services in First Nation and Inuit communities. This funding is administered and allocated by the Aboriginal Healing Foundation (AHF), a non-profit corporation run by Aboriginal people. The AHF was established to assist Aboriginal people in addressing the physical and sexual abuse issues caused by residential school experience. Its projects are largely community-based and funds are directed towards individuals, families, and communities dealing with the legacy of abuse.

Northern Healing Strategy

The mandate of the Northern Healing Strategy was determined by the MKO Chiefs in Assembly and Executive Council of Chiefs. The project proposes to support the creation of a regional network to offer better coordination of healing services dealing with the Legacy of the Residential School system in Northern Manitoba. Identified goals of the Project include:

a) Improved coordination of healing services in the North;
b) Provide training and skill development to service providers and establish community based implementation teams;
c) Create awareness of the impact of the residential school system on individual, family and community functioning;
d) Assist in the creation of a regional network to support healing processes at the community level;
e) Increase the capacity of communities to address the Legacy through assistance in proposal, program and human resource development; and,
f) Create and coordinate holistic programs and services which reflect and address the needs of survivors and their descendants within the community and regional context.

Project Steering Committee

The Northern Healing Strategy is overseen by a Project Steering Committee which meets six times per year. The PSC is comprised of residential school survivors: Dan Highway, William Dumas, Roxanne Kozak, Jonathan Weenusk, Rodney Spence, Bob Brightnose and Fred Harper (Chairman). All Project Steering Committee members were selected through an individual community process that involved responding to an invitation that MKO extended to their member Tribal Councils and Independent First Nations requesting representation on the committee, and by personal invitation from MKO. All members of the Project Steering Committee hold various positions of authority within their home communities and the broader community. The role of the Project Steering Committee has been to oversee and provide advice to the Project by ensuring reliability, consistency and accountability which in turn will help to ensure the safety of project participants.

Project Staff:

• Project Manager, Philip Michel, Thompson Office
• Healing Process Analyst, Gail Chaboyer, Thompson Office
• Regional Coordinator, Chris Bignell, Thompson Office
• Regional Coordinator, Don McCallum, Thompson Office
• Regional Coordinator, Richard Packo, Opaskwayak Cree Nation
• Regional Coordinator, Saulus Harper, Wasagamach First Nation
• Regional Coordinator/Administrative Assistant, Crystal Cook, Thompson Office

All staff but Richard Packo and Saulus Harper are located out of the MKO offices in Thompson, Manitoba. Richard Packo is situated at the Opaskwayak Cree Nation and Saulus Harper is located at Wasagamach First Nation.

ACTIVITIES:

The NHS Project Staff have been working diligently to complete the workplan activities within the required time frames. To date, the project has successfully completed year one of the three year workplan. Following are the activities completed in Year One.

DRAFT HEALING STRATEGY

The Regional Coordinators have travelled to the MKO First Nations to facilitate focus group sessions with survivors/inter-generational impacted individuals and service providers for discussions and approval of the Draft Healing Strategy. The Draft Healing Strategy is a framework designed to begin the process of developing holistic and coordinated healing programs and services. The Healing Strategy supports the development of comprehensive strategies that recognize the strengths that exist in the communities and has been designed with data collected from the Survivors and Service Providers.

Focus Groups

The Regional Coordinators have each been assigned specific First Nations to schedule, convene and facilitate focus groups with survivors/inter-generational impacted to identify what community based healing programs and services are required to improve the quality and level of service provided to Residential School Survivors and their families. Moreover, to identify service providers who are available to assist in the development of a coordinated and holistic healing strategy. The data collected from the focus groups has been used to complete the Draft Healing Strategy for reference of the MKO First Nations.

Training

Further to the NHS Work Plan, the NHS Project will provide training to service providers in the MKO region to assist them in dealing with residential school survivors ensuring they have the required skills to deal with the many issues that may arise from these counselling sessions or discussions. It was decided at the Project Steering Committee level that the most cost effective way to train the service providers was to initially train the Regional Coordinators who would then travel to the communities and train the service providers. To date the Regional Coordinators have received training in Group Work with Survivors of Sexual Abuse, Dealing with Disclosures of Physical and Sexual Abuse, and are currently scheduled to receive Aboriginal Cultural training in the fall of 2003. Other areas of interest are public speaking/facilitating and Counselling for Survivors of Physical and Sexual Abuse.

Newspaper & Radio Show

MKO has hosted a radio show on the NCI FM radio station for a number of years. The NHS Staff have utilized the radio show to share information regarding residential schools in English and Cree, and to inform the MKO membership about the various Aboriginal Healing Funded Projects available in the MKO area. This method of communication has proven to be effective and NHS staff will continue to utilize the radio show on a regular basis.

MKO also publishes a newspaper entitled MKO Nations which is published six times per year. With a circulation of 5000 the MKO Nations is delivered by Canada Post to each household in the MKO region. This is also a valuable form of communication for the NHS Project as we have published articles on the NHS Project and its mandate, the Aboriginal Healing Foundation and we are currently working on an issue that will include an informative summary of all Residential School related projects in the MKO region.

Networking AHF Funded Projects

The Aboriginal Healing Foundation initiated a networking meeting with all AHF funded projects within the MKO region in June of this year. The meeting was successful as all the participants were able to speak on related issues regarding residential schools and to establish a networking relationship that will assist and improve residential school programs in the MKO communities. A second meeting was hosted by MKO NHS staff in August and by consensus it was decided to continue the networking meetings with the next one hosted by Tataskweyak Cree First Nation in October.

Proposal Preparation for AHF funding

The Aboriginal Healing Foundation established a deadline of February 28, 2003 for all proposals to be submitted. NHS staff assisted many First Nations in proposal writing and preparation. To the majority of proposals have received a favourable response.

Establishment of Community Based Implementation Teams (CBIT)

The purpose of developing a community based strategic action plan is to facilitate a shared group process and to facilitate and support community based implementation teams through program development, developing shared goals, visions and action plans and team building. The CBIT are also anticipated to create and maintain a safety net which will include self-care plans and access to healing services to support survivors/intergenerational impacted/service providers in dealing with personal issues as they arise. Survivors have noted that the lack of a voice in how programs and services are delivered has left them feeling powerless. This activity will provide survivors/intergenerational impacted with the opportunity to take ownership of the healing process and to have an influence over both program development and service delivery. Survivors/intergenerational impacted have an intimate understanding of the impact that the Legacy of abuse has had on their lives and the lives of their families. Consequently, it is imperative that we provide survivors with the skills and training necessary not only to address their own issues but help members of this team support the healing of other survivors in their community. This will result in: building trust and self-esteem, personal empowerment, encourage community based solutions to issues of physical and sexual abuse, letting go and creating healthier relationships between people as they will be learning, sharing and training together.

Service Provider Conference

The NHS Service Provider Conference is scheduled to take place February 24, 25, 26, 2004 in Thompson, Manitoba. Through the use of small and large group sessions the conference is designed to increase the level of information/knowledge regarding ways to address residential school issues (holistic approaches), develop community healing strategies, team building and coordination, community based strengths and weaknesses, improve networking of individuals, agencies and organizations between northern communities, self-care, developing wellness plans, creating trust/maintaining confidentiality. Wellness activities will be included. Additional topics and/or revisions to conference agenda will occur through the planning stages.

Although all are welcome to attend the Conference, MKO can only pay expenses for two service providers per community. Each First Nation will determine which service providers will attend on their behalf.

Conclusion

Much of the work that has begun will continue into the second year of the project. A new task that the NHS Project will be initiating is to explore successful community models for community consideration and to articulate, incorporate and model the integration of community values into a community service delivery model where everyone is working together.

The Northern Healing Strategy has had a successful first year and will continue to work diligently to carry out the work plan along with the Project Steering Committee and the networking relations that have been developed.