Braiding Stories to Live By is focused on co-creating Indigenous young women gatherings unique to each community we work with. These five-day gatherings are held in the summer with seasonal call back sessions and create space for young Indigenous women to come together with multiple generations of Indigenous women to create a beautiful circle of intergenerational knowledge. Our future dreams include inviting High School Students (for credit) and Indigenous Preservice Teachers (as part of their program) to join us in this creative collaboration.
About BStLB
The annual Braiding Stories to Live By Summer Gathering is designed for Indigenous young woman between the ages of 10 and 16. Program leaders and Elders braid the wisdom of the Indigenous women, and languages with contemporary wellness practices to focus on wholistic wellbeing. The enriched program will support an additional four call-back sessions to the existing summer gathering, and the expansion of this in-community enriched experience from one to two communities per year.
BStLB–Indigenous Preservice Teachers Collaborative Model: in this new initiative, Indigenous preservice teachers will engage in the co-design of language and cultural programming working in community alongside Elders and intergenerational Indigenous women. Three Indigenous preservice teachers will have the opportunity to apply to be a project assistant for 4 months each summer to work in BStLB communities.
BStLB–High School Course: in this new initiative, a “for credit” high school course will be developed to build capacity and connect local Indigenous young women with a path to university. The course will be offered in each community that participates in BStLB. Potential topics for the course include: Indigenous Knowledge, Identity Negotiations of Young Indigenous Women, and Relational Research & Pedagogy. The number of participants per course/per school per year will be tracked during the five-year project. Participants take part in a variety of experiences that honour their whole beings: emotional, mental, physical and spiritual. From the Elders and knowledge holders, participants learn the wisdom of the grandmothers. From community guests, participants learn about contemporary wellness and wisdom practices. Through a range of social and wellness experiences that build community, participants also have the opportunity to reflect who they are, and are becoming as Indigenous young women.