The Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve is an Anishinaabe First Nation near Roblin, Manitoba, close to Duck Mountain Provincial Forest, making it the perfect place for hikers and those seeking a connection with the land. Over the summer of 2022, the Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve hosted the project “TTR Youth Training Camp” with the help of funding from the NIB Trust Fund. The project trained 17 youths to become registered hunting and backcountry guides. The program sought knowledge from Elders and traditional on-the-land teachings to guide the curriculum. Participants were given the opportunity to partake in the Manitoba Hunting Safety Course, wilderness safety, survival training, wildlife awareness, predator safety training, and on-the-land training.

Edward Martin is an Intergenerational Survivor from Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation who, with the help of an NIB Trust Fund scholarship, is currently studying to receive his Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of Victoria. Edward has had a challenging road to his success but is excited to walk across the graduation stage in fall of 2023, and says he is grateful for the support of the NIB Trust Fund, his mother and family, his “rockstar” husband, his professors, and Listuguj First Nation.

The Saskatoon Survivors Circle (SSC) was founded in 2019 with the principle: “nothing for us, without us” to ensure that, unlike institutions offering similar assistance, the services and activities provided by SSC were not “token or paternalistic.” The SSC is a support network for Residential School Survivors with four main priorities: Cultural Connectedness, Holistic Wellness, First Nations, Métis, and Non-Indigenous Inclusion, and Systemic Change. With the continued support of the NIB Trust Fund, and the hard work of volunteers and Survivors, the SSC has forged lasting cultural connections with their network through traditional craft, ceremony and technology and has become an organized, dynamic support group for its members in the city of Saskatoon.

The Waseskun Healing Centre is a non-profit, Indigenous-led organization focused on the healing of incarcerated Indigenous men and their successful re-entry into their communities. Last year, a grant from the NIB Trust Fund helped Waseskun Healing Centre and The Barbara Monture Malloch Education Resource Centre (BMMERC) offer courses in operating power tools and light construction equipment, as well as preparatory classes for the high school equivalency test (GED). The program also supported a new library, including computer equipment, empowering residents to improve their career prospects. Read more about the BMMERC here.

The Mary Duncan School in Manitoba founded its seasonal land-based learning program in Sept. 2021 in an effort to decolonize public school education. The “Reclaiming Indigenous Knowledge in Public Schools” program, supported by the NIB Trust Fund, was a six-month endeavor to introduce traditional Northern Cree and Metis teachings to students from grades 7 to 12. Young people had the opportunity to earn high school credits while learning in First Nations, Metis and Inuit studies. Activities include drumming, beading, and ribbon skirt making workshops, and taking part in other land-based activities.