Culture of Healing event

The inaugural Culture of Healing conference took place on May 9. This event was a time to connect and discuss the potential for different ways-of-knowing to come together; western medicine and traditional indigenous ways of healing. The feedback has been outstanding. So much work went into preparing and planning the event. Francine Douglas organized Stó:lō Service agency with help from Lauralee Campbell, Sue Griffin, the Qwí:qwelstom team in collaboration with Joanne Jefferson, and the Fraser River Lodge with Lisa Morphy. There were great moments taking place all day; in the wellness rooms, cultural spaces, and breakout sessions. So much gratitude for all the work that went into the event.

There was a recording made and it is on Youtube with time stamps for specific activities: find the Culture of Healing video here

It was a fantastic day and here’s hoping the next one is just as fantastic!

Highlight of 2023

In September of 2023, the Stó:lō Resource and Research Management Centre (SRRMC) team shared their findings about the treatment of children at St. Mary’s residential school. It was part of the Xyólhmet ye Syéwiqwélh (Taking Care of Our Children) project, and the event was called Qwōlqwel Swáyel (Talking together Day).

Thanks to some careful consideration and planning, it turned out to be a healing event. Part of Winchester’s role was to provide a trauma informed lens on the presentation. The knowledge that the SRRMC team shared was definitely heavy and sad. But the event provided space for people to safely feel their strong feelings. The Indian Residential School Survivors Society was there to help, so was the Qwí:qwelstóm team, and Stó:lō Service agency. By making it possible for people to safely feel their grief and sadness and anger, many people’s hearts were picked up and cared for in ways they’d never experienced.

The SRRMC team plans to conduct more sharing work like that again. It is something to look forward to as indigenous and non-indigenous people heal from the legacy of residential schools.

FNHA Health Education Forum 2022

Winchester has been graciously given the opportunity to speak at a conference for First Nations Health Authority. The conference is called the Interprofessional Health Care Education Forum (HEF). What will be the topic of the talk? It’s about learning the language of the body. Bodies have ancient, instinctive ways of communicating their wants and needs. In a world where the dominant culture focuses largely on making rational sense of things, understanding what the body is saying sometimes takes a hard shift of perspective. It is heartening to be asked to share some understanding of that perspective.

The conference is for nurses who work on reserves from around BC.

Thanks to FNHA for bringing this opportunity to connect with health care professionals who work with indigenous people.

Winchester is changing careers

This is a big announcement. Winchester is pursuing a career in somatic trauma therapy. Working as a registered massage therapist has felt like a sort of training.

Sadly this means that Winchester will no longer be available for massage therapy work.

Meeting everybody and working together has been very fulfilling and rewarding for him.

COVID-19

There is still a pandemic happening.

Thank you for all you have done to keep yourself and the community safe. For now, we’ve got to keep it up. Some things you can expect when visiting Winchester at Sto:lo Health are:

-COVID-19 screening survey. This has to be done every time. I do it daily on my way in to work.

-Temperature reading. It’s quick and painless.

-Mask. Just like everywhere else, wear a mask. Sto:lo Helath rules say you’ll need a medical one, which can be provided if you haven’t got one.

-Physical distancing. Again, just like everywhere else

It is very much appreciated. We are all doing our best for ourselves and each other.