Welcome to our Winter Newsetter!
This season our whole team got headshots done by Simon Rochfort. We have updated our website with new photos and bios:
If you are interested in learning more about ways to work with us, book a discovery call with Angie.
Moving Together in the Ways of the People: Winter Update
In our second season (Winter) we were honoured to share time with Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Knowledge Carriers, Elders and educators taking part in this year’s Moving Together in the Ways of the People cohort.
Sharing time together at the Squamish Ocean Canoe Family clubhouse, honouring the traditions of the season we gathered to hear stories often shared in the quiet, darker months. In circle we were joined by Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Knowledge Carrier Chiaxsten (Wes Nahanee) who shared tales of paddle journeys, sea creatures, Ancestors and adventures.
Participants worked on carving their traditional paddles with curls of cedar peeling away from the wood, leaving the sweetest smell behind. Staying warm around the fire, with gentle guidance from master skipper and paddle carving teacher Shukswaysum (Shucks)- Larry Nahanee, good progress was made towards each project. Sharing good food, hot coffee and warm hugs we reflected on teaching, learning, process, relationship and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh language and traditions.
Always grateful to spend the time together on this learning journey to transform relationships in community, institutions and beyond.
GOM Educational Webinar Series – Sharing Indigenous Knowledge
The Gathering Our Medicine team has created a bundled series of educational webinars designed to highlight and share Indigenous knowledges in meaningful and accessible ways.
This series offers a unique opportunity to engage with knowledge holders, cultural leaders, and educators in discussions that inspire reflection, learning, and growth.
PROMO Cost of the webinars $135.45
Wisdom Corner with Tselkxáliya Denise on lateral kindness
Gathering Our Medicine: Lateral Kindess Training with Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Staff
We were deeply grateful for the opportunity to spend time with the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Daycare staff during our recent Lateral Kindness – Gathering Our Medicine training. This time together offered space to reflect, learn, and strengthen relationships in ways that honour both culture and the essential caregiving work carried out each day with children and families.
Rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing, the training explored lateral violence through a relational lens—understanding harm not as personal failure, but as something that emerges when togetherness, care, rest, and emotional expression are disrupted. Conversations emphasized how frustration, and stress often arise from separation and overwhelm, particularly in caregiving environments where hearts are deeply invested.
The staff brought a genuine openness and willingness to learn, engage, and reflect together. Their thoughtful participation, honest dialogue, and respect for one another created a climate of safety and warmth—conditions that are essential for healing and growth.
Teachings around attachment, kinship, and ceremony resonated strongly with the values already present within the daycare, reinforcing the importance of relationship as the foundation of well‑being for both children and adults.
We were especially moved by the care staff showed for one another and by their curiosity about how restoring dignity, softening hearts, and supporting emotional expression can reduce harm and strengthen teams. The readiness to consider how ritual, story, and relational practices can support both staff and children speaks to a deep commitment to community wellness.
We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Daycare staff for welcoming us, for your openness to learning, and for the critical role you play in gathering and holding children within your circle of care. Healing happens in relationship, and it was an honour to walk alongside you in this important work. We look forward to continuing the conversations online with the community!
Gathering Our Medicine - Community Wellness Gathering (Williams Lake)
The Gathering Our Medicine team was honoured to take part in a powerful community wellness gathering hosted by Xatśūll First Nation (XFN) and Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation (SXFN). This event brought community members together in a shared space of learning, reflection, and connection, with a focus on wellness, trauma awareness, intergenerational healing, and cultural strengthening.
During the gathering, wellness practitioners and community supporters spoke to the incredible work currently unfolding in Williams Lake. The turnout was strong, and the atmosphere was filled with hope, openness, and meaningful engagement. Community members participated with courage and care, demonstrating a growing movement toward healing grounded in relationship, cultural identity, and collective responsibility.
This gathering was a beautiful reminder that healing is not meant to be done alone; it is carried through community, culture, and a shared commitment to moving forward together well.
Gathering Our Medicine at Skylene Child Care Centre
Skylene Child Care Centre operates four programs serving children from birth to 12 years of age, supported by a dedicated team of staff who care deeply for the well-being of children, youth, and families in the community.
Gathering Our Medicine was honoured to spend a day with this kind and generous group, coming together in a shared space of relationship, reflection, and learning. The time was grounded in connection and mutual respect, with a focus on strengthening capacity through relational practice, wellness-based approaches, and culturally rooted ways of supporting children and families.
This gathering was a meaningful reminder that strong programs are built through strong relationships, and that the heart of community care lives in the everyday work of those who show up with patience, compassion, and commitment.
Join Us Online to Continue Learning with 4Paddles
4Paddles is our self-paced eLearning platform:
- Indigenous Pedagogy
- Lateral Violence Trainings (Relationships are Medicine)
- Reconciliation and Decolonization
- Healing the Kinship Circle
- Leadership Development
- Team Building
- Members Only Resources
- Growing Resource Library of online presentations, recommended reading and more
- GOM 101 For Practitioners Webinar (8 session recordings at your own pace)
