ABOUT US

My name is Tele, and my spirit name is Singing Blue Thunderbird Woman of the Turtle Clan. I am Michif of mostly French heritage and a descendant of the Algonquin nation. My ancestors are the original voyageurs of this region: les familles Prévost, Chartier et Manitouabeouich. I also honor my Irish, Scottish, and Finnish ancestries.

My family lost a lot of our heritage avoiding the stigma and discrimination that being mixed heritage carried. My grand-mère was a fierce woman, a healer, and so generous that she gave her whole heart away to others and passed away when I was just a year old. I feel I carry her with me on my journey, she helps me listen to my intuition and open my heart to others.

I dance Sundance for her, for everyone that was lost during those times, for my family that has left us due to symptoms of their trauma, for the culture and heritage we lost, and for the new generations of Indigenous people, so that they may not feel so alone.

I have always had a passion for helping people. When I was homeless I helped my peers, when I made it out of that life I still helped those people. I went to school and got my BA honors in Psychology, I went back to school to Red River College and got my Child and Youth care Diploma (which is an amazing course by the way). I have since worked in the social service field specifically around mental health, counselling, and connection to resources and services. I excel in advocating and working to break down barriers for people who need supports.

I am currently in school for my Social Work degree and hope to continue my studies after this. I always want to be a more effective healer, a better support, and learn more ways to make space for people who need to have their voices heard.

I have a lot of hope for this project, I hope we can bring healing to families, restore hope, facilitate belonging, support independence, and connect people back to the land and each other.

We will be putting a big focus on Indigenous people as this is our community and the people dealing with the most trauma due to the history of this country.

Chi Miigwetch

Tele

TELE LAFERRIERE

RENE HINCE

My name is René Hince, my spirit name is White Otter of the Otter Clan. I am Métis and my ancestry traces back to the birth of the Red River Métis Nation (and before that to the Ojibwe Nation). Concurrently, my arrière-grand-père was one of the original settlers of St-Claude, Manitoba where I grew up near the family farm (and where my love of exploring nature was born). Like so many, I share ancestry with the original occupants of this land, and with the wave of European immigrants that eventually displaced them. As was common at the time, my family's indigenous ancestry was downplayed and hidden or explained away. I've been fortunate enough that in my lifetime, our family has reconnected to its roots and I've had the opportunity to explore and celebrate my culture—however awkward, unsteady and disjointed the process has been. With so many of our families still carrying deep wounds from being disconnected from their culture and identity, there is a great need for culturally competent, opportunity-laden, integrative approaches to mentorship.

I am invested in cultivating community health by weaving strong relationships guided by the insight and wisdom of Sacred Teachings, and prompted by a commitment to the principles of harm reduction, Indigenous cultural resurgence, and social justice—all while embracing learning through play. I have over 20 years experience working with youth (since the age of 15) teaching practical life skills. Over the course of my career I've been a swimming instructor, business coach, educational assistant, alternative education facilitator, workplace mentor and land-based education/recreation coordinator as well as having work experience in yard care, landscaping, carpentry, tourism, senior care and adult education. I am also a performance artist and musician. My formal education includes a Diploma in Business Administration and a (partially completed) Bachelor of Education with Industrial Arts Teaching Certificate.

I have a proven track record of engaging participants (especially youth) through unconventional learning with a focus on hand-skill development and land-based learning. I'm passionate about providing compelling opportunities for healing and growth that can provide a stronger framework for thriving families and communities. So much of what we do to equip our young adults—whether by flaw or design—falls short of truly empowering them to build a fulfilling life and brighter future. Yet they are the demographic with the greatest potential for bringing about meaningful change, given appropriate and effectual support. My wish is to build a foundation upon which that support may be provided in an impactful, self-amplifying way that can be sustained into the future for many generations to come.

My sincere thanks for coming along with us on this journey, and for contributing to our growing community of care.

Miigwetch,

René