New Pilot Program Empowers Young Women & Girls
A new pilot program, supported by Homeward Trust, has empowered several Indigenous young women and girls between the ages of 7 and 17 with the skills to achieve greater independence and housing stability.
The program, Preparing Young Women for Safe, Secure Housing, is a prevention-focused intervention for young Indigenous women developed in partnership between the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW) and the Bissell Centre as a response to the high number of missing and murdered Indigenous women. The off-site program supports young women who face a multitude of barriers, including loss of identity, lack of confidence or hope, a limited Circle of Support or mental health issues.
Structured as a four-day camp in a serene location at Wabaman Lake, participants were provided information related to housing stability, personal safety, independent living, cultural education and ceremony.
“For these young women, the camp instilled a sense of cultural pride and empowered them to imagine the kind of home and community they want to create.”
Participants learned about the housing supports that they and their families can access through the Bissell Centre. Survivors of violence said that having safe and secure housing was important to their personal success. This focus prevents young Indigenous women from experiencing homelessness in the first place, supporting them in their rights as tenants, types of programs available to them, how to appropriately budget, and other important skills they may not otherwise have access.
For these young women, the camp instilled a sense of cultural pride and empowered them to imagine the kind of home and community they wanted to create. At the end of the program, an Elder presented each camper with a feather, representing their role as “Elders-in-the-Making” who will leave camp and go on to build homes, relationships and communities.
