Dedication keeps women's centre going

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Minwaashin Lodge, an Aboriginal women's support centre, operates several essential programs that aim to meet the needs of Ottawa's Aboriginal families, including those who feel isolated in the city or those who may just want to connect socially with other Aboriginal people. Many of Minwaashin's friends and clients are Inuit and Metis.

Deb Storry, co-ordinator of the Sacred Child Program, which has been operating nine years at the Lodge, talked about the many kinds of outreach they offer to the Aboriginal community in her city.

For instance, the culturally based Sacred Child Program encompasses many services for both parents and children. It reinforces the value of healthy Native families, and shares knowledge that helps parents provide an optimal childhood and encourage their children to blossom. Activities are offered that reinforce social skills and co-operation, as well as numerous games, ceremonies, crafts, drumming, regalia-making, medicine walks, feasts, storytelling and visits from Elders. They also have a community kitchen, offer brief respite child care, and one of the most important benefits is that parents find friends and gain ongoing support from other parents who attend programs with them.

Nobody's Perfect Parenting classes support parents with children up to five years of age and expectant mothers. The next group is expected to run on Thursdays starting Jan. 24, for six weeks. It needs a minimum of six parents with children in this age range to run and can handle at least 12.

"It's a parent support group. It goes through all the different stages. There is a series of five books that they get, and they're on mind, body, behaviour, safety, and one for parents. And it goes through developmental stages and what to expect."

Storry emphasized that, "We're not teaching the parents anything. We're trying to build on their strengths. So giving them the information and hooking them up with other parents-and I just kind of facilitate the group and get them involved, so that they're basically helping each other.

At a different location, Minwaashin Lodge also operates Oshki Kizis Lodge for homeless and abused Native women and children. It is the only place of its kind in the city that is specifically run for Aboriginal women in crisis, said Storry.

"Lots of our women don't feel comfortable other places," she said.

Nineteen-bed Oshki Kizis Lodge near the downtown core opened more than three years ago and operates on per diem funding from the city of Ottawa. It has no core funding as of yet, but it never turns away an Aboriginal woman and her children who need help.

Storry pointed out that because of funding cutbacks, shelter workers took a $4 an hour pay cut, and they lost funding for their children's program worker, yet the staff stay on.

Oshki Kizis provides advocacy, counselling, referrals, legal advocacy and support, help with housing and transition, cultural and spiritual programs, and children's programs to help broken families.

Shiningwater Diabo is Oshki Kizis' director, but she was away the day Birchbark telephoned. Diane Ethier, an Algonquin from Maniwaki, spoke in her absence. Ethier was one of the original committee members who got Oshki Kizis started.

"We take Aboriginal women first," Ethier said, but if there are available beds "we also take non-Aboriginal women."

If all beds are occupied, they refer non-Aboriginal women to other shelters, but they never turn away an Aboriginal woman in need of a safe place. That's because "some of our women will stay on the street before they will go to mainstream shelters," said Ethier.

She said most of their referrals are by word of mouth, but they are getting more referrals from non-Aboriginal agencies now that the existence of Oshki Kizis is more widely known.

Eight support workers trained in trauma, addictions and crisis interventions, as well as possessing CPR knowledge and the cultural aspects, staff Oshki Kizis in shifts.

"We get women comingout of detention centres and treatment centres-as far away as North Bay and Maniwaki," said Ethier.

Ethier said from her point of view, the greatest challenge in helping displaced women and their children is "dealing with mainstream agencies" which sometimes are "not patient" or culturally aware in dealing with women who may come from remote areas and who may have the shock of big city living to deal with on top of their other problems.

Her greatest reward, however, is "seeing the guard come down in their eyes," as they realize some people really care and as their plans for a better life start to take shape.

Apart from these important crisis services for women, Minwaashin Lodge offers a culturally based program, training and employment services, and crisis counselling if needed.

Other youth programs and services offered by Minwaashin Lodge include the Spirit Movers program for girls and the Fire Keepers program for boys. These programs for youth aged seven to 18 include life skills training, health and nutrition components, Elders' teachings, ceremonies including sweat lodge, and powwows. They also have a volunteer mothers program for mothers who want to assist.

Minwaashin also has a grandmothers' group, cultural group, and offers cultural days and short workshops to help parents and families bond and stay healthy.

Storry said Minwaashin Lodge is "something like" a friendship centre, but they try not to duplicate the friendship centre's services.