Family Violence Initiative

COMPENDIUM OF PROMISING PRACTICES TO REDUCE VIOLENCE AND INCREASE SAFETY OF ABORIGINAL WOMEN IN CANADA

HISTORICAL LEGACY

Residential School Healing

Program Name:

Embracing Our Human-ness

Organization/Community:

Healing Drum Society

Location:

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

Website:

N/A

Goals and Objectives:

To assist with the healing of people who have been impacted by physical, sexual, emotional, mental and spiritual trauma resulting from residential school experiences.

Target Group Description:

Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people who have been impacted by the residential school experience.

Program Description:

The program is mobile in nature, responding to the request of communities to come and provide services. The program is a 4 week psycho-educational group program and the goal of the program is to encourage residential school survivors to share and express their feelings about the trauma they have suffered. The program focuses these sessions on survivorship, vicarious trauma and trans-generational trauma. The program follows up with the clients at 3, 6 and 12 months after the 4 week session. There is a strong cultural component to the 4 week session that provides daily prayers and cleansing ceremonies, sacred drumming, singing and the holding of talking circles. Elders assist by providing direction and ongoing support to staff and clients.

Program Successes/Impact:

By the end of March 2012, the 40th "Embracing Our Human-ness" community program will have been completed.

Key Lessons/Challenges:

The challenge of tailoring the program to a community's specific needs.

Program in operation since:

2003.

Program:

Ongoing.