Honouring Our Little Spirits

Description

Honouring Our Little Spirits

Duration: (To be determined by conference, typically 60–90 minutes for a workshop)

Description:

Indigenous youth are not only the future, they are a vital part of our present. This workshop addresses the urgent need to cultivate leadership and provide culturally grounded support for Indigenous youth, particularly those within the child welfare system. I, a survivor of the Sixties Scoop who dedicated 25 years to social work and Indigenous teaching, will share my profound personal and professional experiences within the foster care and adoption systems. My insights will illuminate the critical need for change, particularly when considering that thousands of Indigenous children in care are often disconnected from their heritage.

The session will explore how social work practices can better honour and integrate Indigenous worldviews into their work with youth. We will focus on the vital importance of recognizing Indigenous spiritual experiences, dreams, and visions which are often dismissed or misdiagnosed in conventional settings.

Exactly What I Will Offer (Workshop Flow):

The session is designed as a deep dive, blending personal narrative, professional analysis, and practical application.

• 1. Personal Narrative and Foundational Context: I will present a short talk, drawing on my lived experience as a Sixties Scoop survivor, to frame the historical and ongoing impact of colonial child welfare systems on Indigenous youth and their Indigenous Identity.
• 2. Deconstructing Systemic Challenges: We will examine current statistics and discuss common professional challenges, focusing on the often-dismissed role of Indigenous spiritual experiences in youth well-being and how this can lead to inappropriate interventions.
• 3. Strategies for Culturally Grounded Support: I will introduce and lead a discussion on practical, decolonizing approaches for social workers and support staff. Specifically, we will explore:
  • Methods for safely building meaningful connections between youth and their culture.
  • Strategies for fostering the youth's inherent leadership potential.
  • Creating safe professional spaces where youth's spiritual experiences are respected and understood.
• 4. Actionable Commitments: Participants will engage in a guided reflection to identify one immediate, practical step they can take to integrate a decolonizing approach into their professional practice with Indigenous youth.

Benefits

Key Benefits for Participants:

• Enhances Professional Empathy and Perspective
  • Gaining essential perspective from a Sixties Scoop survivor and professional MSW to better understand the systemic trauma and lived experiences of youth in care.
• Increases Cultural Literacy and Confidence
  • Participants will gain confidence in applying decolonizing approaches and integrating Indigenous worldviews into their professional practice.
• Fosters Ethical Alignment and Motivation
  • Provides concrete strategies for social workers to ensure their practice aligns with ethical standards related to cultural safety, fostering a renewed motivation for effective, respectful intervention.
• Develops Resilience in Indigenous Youth
  • Participants learn practical methods for supporting youth to build resilience by fostering their inherent leadership potential and establishing strong connections to their Indigenous heritage.
• Supports Systemic Team Relationship-Building
  • The session encourages a collaborative approach to change, fostering team relationship-building by uniting participants under the shared, urgent goal of improving outcomes for Indigenous children in care.

Additional Experience Info

For the conference abstract, Honouring Our Little Spirits, a suitable price range is \$3,000 – \$5,500 CAD.

This fee reflects the high value of a specialized workshop that integrates my unique personal narrative as a Sixties Scoop survivor with my expertise as an MSW and Indigenous educator. The session addresses a critical, high-demand need for professional development in decolonizing child welfare practices, offering essential ethical training and systemic insight to professional audiences. This pricing ensures the fee aligns with the profound expertise and significant social impact you deliver.