Indigenous Cultural Supports - Yes!

*Sample invitation for an Indigenous celebration organized by Kyle Campiou, GSS Indigenous Cultural Helper*

has it only been two years…

since Kyle Campiou joined us as Indigenous Cultural Helper? It seems longer because of all the ways Kyle has enriched our cultural supports since coming on board in September 2022.

From his base in the Clinical Access Team, Kyle has organized activities like these for clients and staff:

Smudging with individuals or groups has helped grow Indigenous support and awareness across
programs.
Weekly circles have been held at the Medical Detox Unit and Balwin, with circles planned for the new Westmount site.
End-of-life processes and memorial events have helped clients and staff at George’s House and Balwin with challenging, special life experiences. Attendance has ranged from 3 to 20 people at circles and up to 20 people participating in the three memorials held at Balwin. A monthly community fire evolved as a natural way to honor people in care who have been lost.
With pandemic restrictions easing, leaders, program staff, and clients have been invited to attend Teepee raising and lowering ceremonies, and community sharing opportunities at the site. Summer is a special time when medicines are grown and this year, medicine picking took place and Kyle could begin organizing sweats.

Kyle has also organized ways for individuals to experience spirituality and culture in their own time and place. Over the past year, he worked with sites to create a permanent spiritual/cultural space at each location enriched with items like medicines, spiritual/cultural articles, Indigenous art, and symbolic decals.

A particularly powerful way Kyle has raised awareness of Indigenous culture and experience has been using his videography talent. The videos he created to honor the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and Canada’s first Orange Shirt Day are profoundly meaningful and moving.

Amid these rich and varied supports, Kyle has had to balance the core GSS principle of accepting clients where they are at regarding drugs and alcohol, with the need for participants in Indigenous ceremonies to be alcohol or drug free. That’s where Kyle’s decades of cultural guidance and experience have been vital. He’s been able to support individuals on their journey in different ways, while respecting ceremonial practice protocols.

Looking back, Kyle acknowledges the challenges: “I didn’t know what this would be like and there were daunting moments.” Amid the challenges, how did Kyle achieve so much in two years—with a pandemic happening most of those years? “Lots of support was key,” he says, particularly from Robynn Strikwerda, Manager of the CAT program, the CAT team members, and Lorette Garrick, our CEO. With that support, Kyle has made invaluable contributions to our clients, our staff, and our agency in his short time at GSS. Thank you, Kyle! Aiy Hiy ᐊᕀ ᐦᐊᕀ (Thank you in Cree).