Program, Teaching and Ceremonies
Triple P Helps parents learn and practice strategies to deal with their children's (0-12) challenging behaviours constructively.
Positive Discipline Increases parents' knowledge of children's (0-17) rights, and provides them with constructive and concrete tools for resolving parent-child conflict.
Nobody's Perfect Educates and supports parents of children 5 years and under. Themes include safety, behaviour, mind, parent, and body.
Circle of Security Participants will learn the balance of being nurturing and protective while promoting a child's independence. Parents will begin to understand what emotional needs a child may be expressing through negative behaviour.
Parent-Teen Series Allows parents and teens to work alongside each other as well as individually by working on their communication and problem solving skills through various group activities and discussions.
Caring Dads Focus is on fathers' accountability for abuse, countering the attitudes linked to abusive and neglectful behaviours and on promoting healthy relationships between fathers and their child and child's mother. The group program runs one evening a week for 16 weeks.
Traditional Parenting Focuses on well-established parenting methods and ceremonies utilized by Indigenous people for centuries. The last session includes Pipe Ceremony Teachings.
Healthy Relationships for Men Educates men about the impact of intimate partner violence on the mind, body, emotions and spirit, as well as the impact on children.
Healthy Relationships for Women Increases women's knowledge about the impact of intimate partner violence on the mind, body, emotions and spirit, as well as the impact on children.
Managing Your Anger Provides participants with knowledge, skills and alternative ways to resolve personal anger.
Managing Your Stress This program offers a safe and non-judgmental environment for individuals to learn various strategies for managing their stress in healthy ways.
Overcoming Addictions Provides participants with the knowledge of different types of addictions, motivation to change, triggers, relapse prevention and self-care strategies.
Red Road to Healing Is designed to address issues in regards to domestic violence from an Indigenous perspective for women. The program will offer teachings on Pipe and Smudge ceremonies.
Grief & Loss Focuses on understanding Grief and Loss and its effects on the individual. The program uses Indigenous methods of healing. The first session includes Pipe Ceremony Teachings and the last (on-site only) session there is a sacred fire.
Mino-Pimatiziwin (to live a good life) focuses on sobriety by utilizing the 7 sacred teachings recognized by many Indigenous People. The last session includes Pipe Ceremony Teachings.
Nanaandawi Odizowin (Self Healing Teachings-Addiction) This program applies contemporary relapse recovery methods by blending them into the teachings of the Medicine Wheel.
Nurturing Families Drum Group Will bring drum teachings to parents and children in a group setting. The intent of the program is to reunify and nurture parent and child relationship with a focus on drum teachings. Program ends with a celebration of drumming and singing to others. Parents and children welcome.
Women's Drum Teachings Is a program that will provide education on the history of the drum, hand drum and the big drum with protocol and songs. Participants will be creating a drum. The teaching of reciprocity.
Crescent Moon Teachings for Men- Tibiki Giisisiwin Ininiiwag The vernacular use of the Crescent Moon teachings is an appropriate title for describing how the Anishinaabe viewpoint of the seven teachings originated. In the Anishinaabe religion, it is common practice when initiating Midewewin incumbents the recounting of the seven teachings. The warrior spirit has always been to stand as the protector, by utilizing the teachings and philanthropy "Ziidooshkaagewin" meaning the love of all people within the community. Canada's colonial past, systemically traumatized Indigenous families and the inter-generational impacts continued into each succeeding generation without healing. Young boys who became men, brought this learned behaviour home to their communities, such as self-loathing, anger and self-abuse through alcohol and drugs which then led to corrections, gang life or unhealthy life choices. The embodiment, of the Anishinaabe teachings, is contemporized as to help men to look deep within themselves in finding the change from unhealthy life choices to adopting the positive principles found in the Crescent Moon teachings.
Full Moon At the Full Moon Ceremony, women ask for healing and guidance. They will have an understanding of the full moon ceremony and how to practise this ceremony in their own way. The Women are invited to bring their children along for the ceremony to aid in the healing and passing on of cultural teachings.
Pipe Ceremony Conducted at the beginning of each month. The intent for the pipe ceremonies is to offer prayers to Creator, Mother Earth, Grandfathers, Grandmothers and our guides to help us with the work we are doing for the community. Pipe carriers will ask for healing for the helpers that support families and offer prayers for the families. Each pipe carrier will have their pipe teachings to follow and will sit in the direction. Water, tobacco and drum songs are offered at the Pipe Ceremony. The pipe carriers will end the Pipe Ceremony with gratitude to Creator, Mother Earth, Grandfathers, Grandmothers and guides.
Sweat Lodge The Sweat Lodge is a part of the cultural and purification practice that the Indigenous People's of Minising Mikinaak (Turtle Island) have been using since time immemorial in preparation for curing, healing, and teachings. Prayers and songs are sung as the sweat bath brings healing to the body. The basic construct of the lodge is generally the same, but each Elder, depending on their teachings like turtle, star, buffalo, or bear, will conduct their lodges according to their individual teachings.
Spring Equinox
The Spring Equinox for Indigenous peoples vary from region to region, however all are nature centered and follow a natural cycle coupled with ceremonies and teachings. Tobacco flags, Tobacco and Cedar ties are made and blessed at a Pipe Ceremony for 627 Erin Street and at 835 Portage Avenue. The Tobacco ties signifies the seven teachings from the four directions and the Cedar hung over doorways provide protection from vexations to positive energy. The old ties are taken down and burnt at a sacred fire. A feast for the community is shared as part of the festivities in acknowledging hope for new things to behold.
Summer Solstice
The Summer Solstice is considered an important and vital event for Indigenous peoples. It marks the longest day of the year. A Pipe Ceremony with invited pipe carriers provide the reverence to this very special day. The Snow bird Lodge team work on Tobacco flags, Tobacco and Cedar ties which are made and blessed at a Pipe Ceremony for both 627 Erin Street and at 835 Portage Avenue offices. The old tobacco and cedar ties are taken down and burnt at a sacred fire. A feast with speakers, dancers or drum singers are invited to partake in the special event and as part of those ceremonies a Spirit dish is prepared and blessed for the ancestors.
Fall Equinox Indigenous communities celebrate fall by having a Feast. Fall Season is important to acknowledge the gratefulness to Creator and for the harvest from the plant life. Pipe carriers will offer the prayers, new tobacco ties and cedar are hanged by the Cultural Team in both 627 Erin Street and 835 Portage Ave and the old ones are offered in an on-site sacred fire along with new tobacco ties. All in attendance will partake in the sharing of food.
Winter Solstice Winter Solstice Indigenous communities celebrate the winter season with a feast. A pipe ceremony and sacred fire is lit. New tobacco ties and cedar are hanged by Cultural Team in both 627 Erin Street and 835 Portage Ave and the old ones are offered in an on-site sacred fire along with new tobacco ties. Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year due to the limited sunlight and this is when families would do storytelling. At the Centre, we will gather and share food, stories and build community with each other.
