An Indigenous-led community arts initiative — seeking Community Storytelling Partners.
What if one story gave someone the strength to keep going when they felt like giving up?
The Maemae Reflection Storytelling Project brings together storytelling, creativity, reflection, and Indigenous knowledge to support healing, emotional wellbeing, resilience, and cultural connection within First Nations communities.
Made possible through funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, the project is now seeking First Nations communities and Indigenous organizations interested in partnering with Circle Bound Strategies Inc. to host a full-week Storytelling for Healing workshop.
At the heart of the Maemae Reflection Storytelling Project are original reflection stories authored by Arlene Lehto. These stories provide a starting point for facilitated conversations and creative activities exploring experiences that affect individuals, families, and communities.
Throughout the week, subjects may include grief, loss, addictions, trauma, family relationships, identity, belonging, resilience, cultural connection, healing, and hope.
Rather than asking participants to begin by sharing their own difficult or painful experiences, each subject is introduced through a story. Participants can reflect on the story and its themes without feeling obligated to talk about their own lives.
Personal disclosure is never required.
Participants may choose to engage through listening, discussion, reflection, writing, poetry, artwork, games, creative activities, or other forms of expression.
Where cultural teachings or activities are included, the project works collaboratively with local Elders, Knowledge Keepers, cultural advisors, and community-identified people to respect local teachings, knowledge, protocols, and ways of doing things.
Participants may choose to create and submit their own original stories, poems, artwork, reflections, or other creative works during the project.
Submitting creative work is completely voluntary and is not required to participate in the workshop.
When eligible original participant work is accepted for use in the project, an honorarium will be provided.
Participant ownership, informed consent, privacy, and cultural protocols are respected. No participant's story or creative work will be used without their permission.
Storytelling, creativity, emotional awareness, artwork, games, reflection, resilience, and cultural connection through age-appropriate, trauma-informed activities.
Identity, resilience, storytelling, creative writing, artwork, relationships, leadership, cultural connection, and opportunities for youth voice and creative expression.
Storytelling for healing, guided reflection, journaling, creative expression, grief and loss, addictions, relationships, resilience, cultural connection, and community wellbeing.
An important goal of the Maemae Reflection Storytelling Project is to listen to participants and learn from their experiences.
Throughout the week, we will look for recurring strengths, themes, needs, barriers, and gaps that emerge through stories, facilitated discussion, activities, reflection, and participant feedback.
We want to better understand: What is working? What may be missing? Where are the gaps? What do participants tell us they need?
What we learn will help inform recommendations and may contribute to the development of future programs, teaching resources, and supports that better reflect the needs of participants and communities.
Participants receive a full week of facilitated Storytelling for Healing programming, including:
Participants are welcome to participate in the way that feels most comfortable to them. Sharing personal experiences is never a requirement.
Community partners receive:
The Findings & Recommendations Report respects participant confidentiality. Individual participants and their personal stories are not identified.
The purpose of the report is not to criticize or formally evaluate existing community services. It is to share what was learned through the workshop and provide practical information that may help communities plan future programs, resources, and supports.
Every First Nation and Indigenous community carries its own teachings, knowledge, language, protocols, and ways of doing things.
Circle Bound Strategies does not assume that teachings or cultural practices are the same from one Nation or community to another.
We ask partnering communities to help identify appropriate Elders, Knowledge Keepers, cultural advisors, or other community-identified people who can provide guidance when local teachings, protocols, or cultural knowledge are incorporated into the workshop.
Circle Bound brings the stories, facilitation, creative activities, and project framework. The community brings its own knowledge, teachings, strengths, and voice.
We are inviting expressions of interest from First Nations communities, Indigenous organizations, Friendship Centres, schools and education authorities, health and wellness programs, and community agencies interested in hosting a full-week Maemae Reflection Storytelling Workshop.
For northern and remote communities, we ask partnering communities and organizations to assist with travel and accommodations where possible.
If your community or organization is interested, please contact Circle Bound Strategies Inc. with your name, organization, community, email address, and telephone number so we can begin a conversation.
The Maemae Reflection Storytelling Project is made possible through funding from the Canada Council for the Arts.
Circle Bound Strategies Inc. gratefully acknowledges this support, which makes it possible to bring storytelling and creative workshops into communities, support participant creative contributions through honorariums, and develop new reflection and teaching resources informed by community participation.
Miigwetch to the Canada Council for the Arts for supporting Indigenous storytelling, creative expression, and community-engaged arts.
Healing Begins in the Circle.