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<\/a>The Indigenous Community Wellness certificate is essentially a revamping of the Indigenous Family Support certificate that ran for roughly 20 years. Saulnier explains that members of the community were consulted regarding what the new certificate should entail.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore it was geared more towards family support social services,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd now this is more holistic, all-encompassing, Indigenous community wellness. What we know is that we need more than just family support\u2014we need wellness in our community in various aspects: language, land-based access to traditional foods, regalia. So, that is kind of what informed the changing of the program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saulnier says that there are healing-centred aspects of the program, so students will have the opportunity to leave the classroom to participate in Indigenous practices.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy motto is \u2018Nothing about us without us,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve worked in the field for about 20 years. So, I\u2019m coming off of the frontline and going more into teaching people how to work in our community in a good way now. And so, the healing component is woven throughout the course in the program. So, we\u2019ll go on medicine walks, we may do a sweat, smudging will be part of it. So, it\u2019s kind of like embodying it and practicing it ourselves. And also, just like helping people step into their gifts and powers that they hold as Indigenous people and the teachings from their family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saulnier believes that one of the most important parts of the certificate is the various relationships the program focuses on and how exploring these relations could help inspire balance and healing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is important because I think the most important thing in life is relations, right? Like, relations with yourself, relations with others. And I think that, as humans, we\u2019ve gotten really far away from that, as well. So, if we can get back to that\u2026 We\u2019re all always trying to be in balance, whatever that looks like, right? And sometimes when things come in, like addiction or mental illness, it\u2019s about being out of balance. So, this is so important because we need healing, we need space to do that, we need to reclaim our cultural ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saulnier wants to encourage students who are hesitant about taking the program to give it a shot and says that they will be welcomed wherever they are in their healing journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say to a student if they\u2019re considering it, then it\u2019s for a good reason,\u201d she says. \u201cSo, they should really just step into that. Often, I find a lot of the time why people get stuck is from shame, right? Like, maybe we\u2019re not in a place where we think we should be when we hear the word \u2018wellness.\u2019 But that\u2019s not the case, because it\u2019s a continuum and everyone is on a journey of wellness. So that\u2019s something that I would want students to hear and just to try it out, because it\u2019s going to be really fun.\u201d<\/p>\n