(submitted photo/Woman Warriors)

By Nicole Reis

Women Warriors

Women empower women at Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation

Jan 27, 2020 | 5:01 PM

First Nation communities in the region are invited for an evening of empowerment and community support at Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation.

Shelley Wiart, co-founder of Women Warriors told meadowlakeNOW, her program underwent four years of research at the University of Calgary and is designed to engage Indigenous women to be leaders in their community.

“We want to show the community that we care what’s happening to them and that we’re willing to help,” Wiart said.

According to Wiart, Dr. Paul Naude will conduct a presentation on safe pregnancy before she presents the Women Warrior’s Eight Weeks to Healthy Living program and Indigenous Women’s Digital Health Stories.

“We’ll discuss what the program entails and we’ll help participants become leaders in their community, share success stories and strategies to empower Indigenous people,” she said. “It’s been a really healing experience for Indigenous women to have a safe space to come together and talk about their health issues.”

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Wiart said her program has been successful in Lloydminster, Onion Lake Cree Nation and in Calgary over the last four years.

“There’s been a lot of surveillance of Indigenous woman and sometimes it’s a societal surveillance. We’re talking about child welfare, or even the medical system or racism experienced in these institutions,” she said. “Sometimes women are scared to be vulnerable and sometimes they’re scared to really talk about what’s really going on in their lives. This is a safe space for them to come and be supported.”

Wiart added the program will guide attendees to access resources in their respective communities to be the “best they can be.”

(submitted photo/Women Warriors)

“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, it’s not something that just popped up,” she said.

Wiarton says her program is adaptable and can be tailored to the needs of a specific community.

“I’m excited to train local facilitators because this program is about building up community capacity and that means training people to do their own work, it also means being responsive to community needs,” she said. “What worked at Onion Lake, maybe something different will work at Makwa Sahgaiehcan.”

The program is free and takes place on January 28 at 5 p.m. at the Simon and Alma Community Hall.

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nicole.reis@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @nicolereis7722