CENTRETHE

A cut for Cancer:

honouring loved ones

FELIX WALKER TALKS CFS MODEL NISICHAWAYASIHK CREE NATION FAMILY & COMMUNITY WELLNESS CENTRE

A P R I L 2 0 1 5 N E W S L E T T E R / F A M I L Y & C O M M U N I T Y W E L L N E S S C E N T R E

in this issue:

More than a decade ago Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation elders were looking at the number of children in care in the community.

They also looked at the behaviour or the parents and identified it was them that needed rediscovery and education.

The spoke with the NCN Family and Community Wellness Centre and a relatively new CEO. They wanted a new way to handle families.

Now in 2015, other First Nations are starting to borrow the model developed at the Centre, and media organizations beyond Manitoba are taking notes.

APPREHEND the parent

NOT THE CHILD

Felix Walker speaks to the media

Apprehend the parents, not the chi ld. Its a concept thats turning heads in family services branches, in provincial off ices and now in newsrooms beyond Manitoba. The approach started right at the FCWC where Child and Family Services staff look towards parents and caregivers to enrol in programs.

The elders looked at me and said Mr. Walker, why are you removing chi ldren from the home? The chi ldren arent the issue, the parents are the issue. You need to f ind a way to remove parent so that parent can learn to be parents again, said Chief Executive Off icer Fel ix Walker, during an interview with CBC Manitoba.

I t s b e e n i n p r a c t i c e i n Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation for more than a decade. Walker started at the FCWC in 2001, he says it was the death of a 15-year-old gir l later that year that tr iggered changes with how the Centre deals with trauma. The teen d i e d o f a l c o h o l p o i s o n i n g a n d agencies werent avai lable to help the community afterwards.

We brought them a l l together to address that init ial trauma that al l of us were experiencing with the death of this young gir l , said Walker. That became the impetus for a lot of the changes and innovative programming that weve since developed over t ime at the Wellness Centre. Its one of those things where, i f you deal with the init ial trauma, you dont have to deal with it into the future. And most of our cases that we have on reserve are neglect causes.

The practice is now getting national a t t e n t i o n . A l o n g w i t h t h e C B C interview, Walker has spoken with The Winnipeg Free Press and The Globe and Mail about the practice that has seen 65 parents removed from the home. When the decision is made to remove pa ren ts , band Cons tab les ass is t in apprehend ing them. The pract ice is legal on reserve where Chief and Council essential ly act as landlords and no one owns their own property. Walker points to a couple who were removed and spent a month in a retreat before their family was brought in for a week.

We got to watch the in te ract ion b e t w e e n t h e p a r e n t s a n d t h e i r chi ldren, we got to see them be a family. It was very enl ightening, very rewarding to see that. And we uti l ized our own tradit ional l i festyle practices, which is l iv ing off the land, gathering medicines, f ishing with the gi l l nets, e tc . , where you ac tua l l y l ea r n to r e d i s c o v e r w h o y o u a r e a s a n Aboriginal person, said Walker.

Theyre now the FCWCs model family, a n d t h e c o u p l e m a n a g e s t h e Rediscovery Program. In 2010, 455 NCN children in permanent care. Last year, there were 324. There have been n o a p p re h e n s i o n s o f c h i l d re n o n reserve since October, 2013.

-this art icle includes quotes from a CBC Manitoba feature Revamping Manitobas foster system by taking away parent which aired Apri l 10, 2015. Ful l interview: http://www.cbc.ca/radio_template_2012/a u d i o p o p . h t m l ?autoPlay=true&clipIds=2663285156

F C W C N E W S L E T T E R /A P R I L 2 0 1 5

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NISICHAWAYASIHK CREE NATION

FAMILY & COMMUNITY WELLNESS CENTRE

A CUT FOR

CANCER

Cancer rates:- I n 2 0 1 2 , 1 1 , 1 6 7 M a n i t o b a n s w e r e d i a g n o s e d w i t h t h e disease.

-In the same year 2,704 died f rom Cancer. I t s i n f l u e n c e d b y s e v e r a l factors: the age of the population, the size of t h e p o p u l a t i o n , r i s k f a c t o r s s u c h a s u n h e a l t h y l i v i n g ( including smoking, poor d i e t , i n a c t i v i t y , s u n e x p o s u r e ) s o m e e n v i r o n m e n t a l c a r c i n o g e n s a n d a genetic predisposit ion.

Almost anyone can say theyve been a f f e c t e d b y c a n c e r , a n d N C N community members are no different. You l ike ly know a f r iend or fami ly member that s batt led the d isease. Thats why the FCWC held a special event to remember those weve lost.

On Ap r i l 24 , commun i t y membe rs gathered at the Centre to share their stories of loved ones. Cancer may have contributed to their passing, but their memories go far beyond the disease. Some people took the extra step an took more than a tr im off their long longs in a hair cutt ing ceremony.

Cancer i s cons idered a s ign i f i cant h e a l t h i s s u e i n M a n i t o b a . R a t e s incidences in both men and women in the north are higher than in Winnipeg. Accord ing to CancerCare Man i toba s ta t i s t i cs f rom 2012 , the ra te fo r incidences among women was at 425.2 cases pe r 100 ,000 . The W inn ipeg Health Authority reported a 438.2 rate during that year. Men had a 520.4 rate per 100,000 in the north, compared to Winnipegs 465.3 rate. Its important to note the f igures from Winnipeg also include Churchi l l .

F C W C N E W S L E T T E R /A P R I L 2 0 1 5

-photos from 3 years of successfully preventing illness

F C W C N E W S L E T T E R /A P R I L 2 0 1 5

Draw the curtainThe Immunization Carnival is back!

Theres an easier way to avoid the doctor, just get youre shots. Thats what parents did when they brought their chi ldren to the FCWC during its annual Immunization Carnival.

Public Health hosts the event, but it gets p lenty of he lp f rom the other clowns around the off ice. FCWC staff always look the party for the Carnivals by dressing up, and hosting games and activit ies. It takes a bit of the pinch out of the process of gett ing immunized.

Public Health says preschoolers often fal l behind schedule for immunizations b e c a u s e t h e l a s t s c h e d u l e d immunization is usual ly at 18-months-old. People who missed out can drop by the FCWCs Public Health Clinic from Monday Friday, and phone cal ls are welcome. This is the third year Public Health hosted the carnival.

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NISICHAWAYASIHK CREE NATION

FAMILY & COMMUNITY WELLNESS CENTRE

14 Bay Road Drive Nelson House, MB R0B 1A0 Phone: (204) 484-2341 Fax: (204) 484-2351

AboutThe Family and Community

Wellness Centre was established to support holistic wellness by

providing different opportunities to members of Nisichawayasihk

Cree Nation. The Centre provides services in Public Health, Child and Family

Services, Counselling and other family and community needs

programs. It has sub-offices in Winnipeg, Brandon, Thompson

and South Indian Lake.

Vision Nisichawayasihk Mithwayawin

Mission In unity, we promote community awareness, empowerment, and

a safe environment towards holistic wellness.

***For more information and resources on the FCWC visit us on Facebook and find links to

our website.

NISICHAWAYASIHK CREE NATION

FAMILY & COMMUNITY WELLNESS CENTRE