The first phase of a three-part program series designed for Indigenous women living in the Okanagan is scheduled to begin on April 8.

The free initiative aims to strengthen the participants香蕉视频直播� Syilx-woman identities, voices and their relationship to the land.

Until Sept. 9, IndigenEYEZ will host 12 香蕉视频直播淩e-Centering Women Through 13 Moons香蕉视频直播� sessions 香蕉视频直播� six online and six on the land. Each land-based session will see 10 women aged 14 and older attend, while an unlimited number of people are invited to participate in the online sessions.

香蕉视频直播淏ecause of the reality of the impacts of colonization and residential schools, the multigenerational trauma, the dislocation from our traditional roles and dislocation from land 香蕉视频直播� all those impacts have been most severe on Indigenous women,香蕉视频直播� said Kelly Terbasket, co-founder and program director at IndigenEYEZ.

Terbasket, who is facilitating the four-hour-long land-based sessions alongside Anona Kampe, said that to strengthen Indigenous women is to strengthen Indigenous capacity.

香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e reigniting; we香蕉视频直播檙e strengthening the relationship with all our relationships. How do you do that? You have to get away from your everyday busy lives, get on the land, be still and silent, listen and feel,香蕉视频直播� said Terbasket.

The in-person sessions will include a pictograph hike near Skaha Lake, where Kampe will share her knowledge of landmarks, plants and medicines and Terbasket will lead interactive land-based activities.

香蕉视频直播淣ot everybody knows our landmarks. We picked those ones to make sure that our own people know our landmarks, that we香蕉视频直播檙e part of protecting them and making sure that there香蕉视频直播檚 no further deterioration or disruption,香蕉视频直播� said Terbasket.

Many of the discussions out on the land, she continued, will revolve around healing, renewing and transformation. Discourse also includes exploring how colonization has impacted the traditional roles of Indigenous women.

She emphasized that the program香蕉视频直播檚 definition of women is inclusive 香蕉视频直播� those who are Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer, transgender or non-binary are invited to participate.

The six online sessions each have their own target audience: there香蕉视频直播檚 an interactive workshop for youth and adults who are part of the LGBTQ2S+ community. There香蕉视频直播檚 also a session on lullabies and stories in Nsyilxcen for women with babies and toddlers and a Nsyilxcen digital art lesson for youth.

香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e strengthening our relationships across the ages, across the youth with the Elders,香蕉视频直播� said Terbasket. 香蕉视频直播淎 lot of those relationships have been disrupted, which is really detrimental to language and culture transfer.香蕉视频直播�

With phase two scheduled to occur on Sept. 23, she said that she hopes participants of the first phase walk away with a feeling of strengthened connection of themselves to each other and the land.

香蕉视频直播淏ecause of colonization, we have an imbalance of leadership. We香蕉视频直播檙e mostly hearing from one part of our community, which is men and certain age brackets,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淲e really need to go back to our traditional models of governance, which is inclusive of feminine, masculine, youth and Elders.香蕉视频直播�

READ MORE: All Indigenous adults in B.C. now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine

READ MORE:Vernon relinquishes Ogopogo rights to Syilx Nation

aaron.hemens@kelownacapnews.com
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