Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child & Family Services

The holidays may look and feel a little different this year but we wish you, your families, your communities and Nations love, health and happiness. Happy Holidays!

Alternative Care provides family-based care for First Nations, Inuit and Métis children and youth that is rooted in cultural values and beliefs. Interested in becoming an Alternative Care Provider? Alternative Care Providers, Veronica and Beedahsiga, share what makes this program so special in the video below. Visit https://www.binnoojiiyag.ca/service/family-service/ to learn more.... https://youtu.be/TGqfHdyXW_A

We are so proud to partner with Raven Reads Books Ltd. This partnership ensures children and youth in alternative care and customary care receive culturally relevant reading materials while supporting and promoting Indigenous content and authors. Chi-Miigwetch to one of our supervisors, Erica Knott, for leading this special project.

Do you have space in your home and hearts for an Indigenous child or youth? Are you interested in joining a circle of care to support Indigenous children and youth? Hear from Shelley and Gaylord, Alternative Care Providers, in the video below to learn more about Alternative Care. Call us at 1-844-523-2237 to speak to one of our amazing staff about how you can become an Alternative Care Provider.... https://youtu.be/HH5crQf0S6w

We are currently recruiting and looking to bring on an experienced Health Nurse for a 1 Year Contract Salary Range $ 71,015.00 - $ 86,981.00 For More Information on this position and others, please check out our Careers Page: https://www.binnoojiiyag.ca/careers/

We are so excited to introduce a new volunteer services program - Volunteer Drivers. Become a part of Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag and support children, youth and families in your community today! Interested in becoming a volunteer or learning more about the service? Email us at [email protected] binnoojiiyag.ca/services/volunteer

Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child & Family Services is looking for an Experienced Health Nurse to join our team for a one-year contract! Give back to local communities while doing the job you love. Your new adventure starts now. https://www.binnoojiiyag.ca//Health-Nurse.JP-11.12.2020.pdf

Nya:weh/Chi-Miigwetch/Thank you for joining us today on #OrangeShirtDay as honoured the residential school survivors and those children who did not return home. In closing, we invite you to watch Cultural Resource Advisor, Julie dance in honour of our ancestors, children, youth, families, communities and nations as we continue our healing journey. Julie is dancing to the Jingle Dress Song performed by our brothers, Northern Cree.

Use this child-friendly handout to guide important conversations with children and youth about their rights, needs and wants. Children and Youth deserve to be #SeenAndHeard. National Child Day is November 20. https://nationalchildday.org//UN-Convention-on-Rights-Post

Today is National Child Day! Looking for fun ways to celebrate with your children? Tune in CBC Kids to learn about diverse subjects in a fun and safe way. Download the image below (it's a colouring page)! Because children and youth deserve to be #SeenAndHeard. More details: https://www.canada.ca//childhood-a/national-child-day.html

September 30th has been declared Orange Shirt Day annually, in recognition of the harm the residential school system did to children's sense of self-esteem and well being, and as an affirmation of our commitment to ensure that everyone around us matters. Why the Orange Shirt? Read Founder, Phyllis Webstad's story: "I went to the Mission for one school year in 1973/1974. I had just turned 6 years old. I lived with my grandmother on the Dog Creek reserve. We never had very muc...h money, but somehow my granny managed to buy me a new outfit to go to the Mission school. I remember going to Robinson’s store and picking out a shiny orange shirt. It had string laced up in front, and was so bright and exciting just like I felt to be going to school! When I got to the Mission, they stripped me, and took away my clothes, including the orange shirt! I never wore it again. I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t give it back to me, it was mine! The color orange has always reminded me of that and how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us little children were crying and no one cared." Learn more at orangeshirtday.org

From our offices, homes, communities and nations, our staff wore their orange shirts today in honour of residential school survivors and those children who did not return home. From all of us at Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child & Family Services, we commemorate the legacy of the residential school system and continue our work in honouring the healing journey of the survivors, their families, communities and nations because #EveryChildMatters.

A few words from Knowledge Keeper, Hilton. "Acknowledging the past is what is going to keep us moving forward." #OrangeShirtDay #EveryChildMatters ... https://youtu.be/LIWF_cimKgc

A few words from Knowledge Keeper, Blaine. "#OrangeShirtDay is a day set aside to honour former residential school students. This special day recognizes and understands the devastating effects the forced attendance of the school era has had on the students, their families, communities and their nations but more importantly, it recognizes the resiliency of our people!" https://youtu.be/PKY6BPAn-YU

Today, we honour residential school children, their families and communities. We first want to welcome all of you in a good way with drumming, prayer and song. #OrangeShirtDay #EveryChildMatters We conclude this morning's opening with a song...

Tomorrow is Orange Shirt Day. Our staff will be wearing their orange shirts proudly in honour of residential school children, their families and communities. Check back tomorrow for a full day of educational videos, photos of our team, and the story behind the shirt featured below. #everychildmatters

We continue to celebrate Kinship Awareness Week. This is time to acknowledge and give our gratitude to all Kin and Kith providers who step up and temporarily care for children and youth. Being a Kinship provider requires love, patience and commitment to the children, youth, family and their Indigenous community. This service is essential to preserve family relationships and to maintain connection to communities. Chi Meegwetch and Nya:weh to all Kinship providers who are helping to keep children and youth safe and connected!

Ooopsey, we got ahead of ourselves last week saying it's Kin Week. It starts Sept. 21! We were just so keen on thanking the extended families who help take of the kids we serve. So, we'll thank them again today and again on the 21st. They deserve it!

It's Kinship Week. Our gratitude goes out to Kin and Kith providers. It requires love, patience and commitment to children, youth, their families and Indigenous communities. It's essential to preserve family community connections. Chi Meegwetch and Nya:weh to all Kinship providers.

It's FASD Day in Canada. Take the time to know more about FASD.

Want to know more about wearing masks in a kid-friendly way? Come visit our website for the latest guide. #COVID-19 https://www.binnoojiiyag.ca/news-e/coronavirus-information/

We are pleased to present our organizational wheel. It is the visual depiction of our agency. It reflects our Mission, Vision and Values. We are part of a wholistic circle of care. MORE: http://ow.ly/bee250B3zEE

Make some time to watch all of the videos from our Cultural Services Team on YouTube - everything from Sage to Hand Drumming to our latest video on Quill Work. https://www.youtube.com/playlist

Follow along with Hayley from our Cultural Services Team while she uses porcupine quills to create porcupine quill, birch bark & sweetgrass earrings. https://youtu.be/4a8CZ-in6iA

Monday is a holiday. That used to mean a lot more than it does now in #COVID-19. Try to enjoy it anyways! Just remember to wash our hands. Keep your distance. And follow all your local health rules.

We applaud the discontinued use of birth alerts in the province of Ontario. Read our full response here: http://ow.ly/OiGr50AyVbv #Indigenous #Birthalert

We've upated our COVID-19 response page with new information about our people and places. Get the latest about our services at our website: http://ow.ly/O9kG50Ayjl3 #COVID-19 #Indigenous

Hey students, take a look at this new program that will give you a grant for volunteering to help your community. Many of our partners could you use your help. MORE: https://www.iwanttohelp.org/en-CA/

Here's an updated version of the Water Song by Hillary from our Cultural Services Team. Enjoy.

We celebrate author Tanya Talaga from Fort William First Nation. She is the author of Seven Fallen Feathers. MORE: http://ow.ly/Dadd50A4khv SEE MORE RESOURCES: http://ow.ly/s95950A4khx

Here's to you Dads. Thanks for everything you do. Enjoy tomorrow! #fathersday #Indigenous

In celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day (this Sunday June 21st) #virtualpowwow and Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child & Family Services my beautiful girl dancing throughout the years!

Couldn't catch Yesterday's #VirtualPowWow? Watch it again at our YouTube Channel. http://ow.ly/cbC050AcOJF

Couldn't catch our #VirtualPowWow on Facebook? Watch it any time on our YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/playlist

Thanks for being with us for our first ever #VirtualPowWow! Enjoy Indigenous People's Day on Sunday.

And that wraps up our first ever #VirtualPowWow. Thanks to the elders, dancers and others who took part. And thank you for watching. Come back to watch it again and please share.

Julie is with our Cultural Services Team and a Jingle Dancer. Listen to her story about how she started dancing and about the Jingle Dance. #VirtualPowWow

National Indigenous Peoples Day 2020 Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child & Family Services Kwey kwey kakina ... I honour and celebrate all my relations because there was a time when our people were not celebrated and unconscionable atrocities happened. They still do happen. And we resist. And we persist. And we celebrate each other and acknowledge all those who came before us, who shined a light who showed us the way back to who we really are. I share my bundle proudly, at the centre of my bundle is a mask made of my face with images of my mother, my grandparents and great grandparents. I see myself in them. They came during a time and space that didn’t celebrate them as anishinabe. We do that now and everyday, in doing so we honour ourselves. I honour me to show my daughter the light and love we are

Our Cultural Services Team came up with this Ultimate List of YouTube Pow Wow music. Take a look at our top picks and add some new favourites to your playlist. http://ow.ly/3QN450Aal5e #VirtualPowWow

We welcome Pilar to our #VirtualPowWow. Hear her talk about Indigenous People's Day and what it means to her.

Some photos and videos of my family at pow wows over the years for our #VirtualPowWow here at Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child & Family Services!

Amber again... some pics of our family (thank you Jade!) My beautiful grandbabies!

We welcome these children dancing the Ladies Fancy Shawl to our #VirtualPowWow

Our Cultural Services Team created this ultimate list of Pow Wow videos from YouTube for our Virtual Pow Wow event June 19, 2020. Watch and enjoy. http://ow.ly/XdKN50AcOaq

The Men's Chicken Dance Style originates amongst the Blackfoot people. The Blackfoot are very proud of this dance. It started out as a society known as the Kiitokii Society. The Kiitokii Society is still practiced to this day on the Siksika First Nation in Southern Alberta. This is the story that is told of how this society came to the Blackfoot. Long ago there was a young Blackfoot man hunting to get food for his family. He heard a noise in the distance. It sounded like some...thing was thumping on the ground. He got very curious and followed this sound. As he approached the sound he saw these prairie chickens dancing in the tall grass. He took his bow and arrow and shot and killed one of these birds. He brought the carcass back to his tipi and his wife prepared it for the evening feast. As the man's family was done eating their dinner, they went to lay their heads down for the night. When this man was sleeping he had a dream that this prairie chicken spirit came to him and asked him "Why did you kill me? My people were doing a sacred dance of my people". The man replied that he needed to feed his family. The prairie chicken had honored this and told this man that he was going to teach him the sacred dance of his people. He was to go out there and teach every man this dance and if he did not do as he was told this prairie chicken was going to come back and take this man's life. This is how the Prairie Chicken Society and Men's Chicken Dance came to the Blackfoot people. Courtesy of whitewolfpack.com. Dancer: Jay Lomax.

Want more? Try watching the videos from our Cultural Services Team on YouTube. Everything from how to use Sage to making a Dreamcatcher. GO THERE: http://ow.ly/OnsK50AaeKs

We celebrate scholar Michael Yellow Bird from the University of Manitoba who writes about indigenous mindfulness and is the author of For Indigenous Eyes Only. MORE: http://ow.ly/HLgE50A4k9K SEE MORE RESOURCES: http://ow.ly/uwoy50A4k9I

Tom Dampier is from our Cultural Services Team. We welcome his words about Indigenous People's Day to our #VirtualPowWow.

We welcome Mary George from our Cultural Services Team talking about what Indigenous People's Day means to her. #VirtualPowWow

Ladies Fancy Shawl is the newest form of Native American Women's Dance, and is quite athletic! Fancy Shawl is often called Northern Shawl, as it does come form the Northern Tribes along the U.S. and Canadian Border. This is very similar in dancing and the bright colors to the Men's Fancy Dance. The ladies wear their shawls over their shoulders, and dance by jumping and spinning around, keeping time with the music. They mimic butterflies in flight, and the dance style is quite graceful and light. Emphasis is paid particularly to the shawls, with elaborate designs, applique, ribbon work, and painting. Long fringe hangs from the edges of the shawl, and flies round. In addition to the shawls, the other key piece of the outfit is the beaded cape. #VirtualPowWow

Hey everyone, this is Amber, I hope you are finding and enjoying our posts and videos today. I wanted to share a funny story with you... I created my welcome video a couple days ago and was trying to do it between meetings. But I thought my next zoom call was at 2pm but really it was at 1pm (Katie is on holidays lol). It was a meeting with over 40 people and at least twenty from the Ministry. When I realized my mistake I attended the call like this... it was awesome! (And Miigwetch to my sister Becki for my braids! )

We welcome Tim Smoke from our Culural Services Team to our #VirtualPowWow.

We welcome Shantelle Diamond to dance for us at our #VirtualPowWow.

We welcome Elder Nora Sawyer to our #VirtualPowWow to speak about what Indigenous People's Day means to her.

These are some of the Pow Wow pictures we have. What about yours? Share them for our #VirtualPowWow this afternoon!

We welcome this dancer from our Agency who sent us this video for our #VirtualPowWow

We welcome Hillary and her words about Indigenous People's Day to our #VirtualPowWow

We welcome Shirleen Casmir to our #VirtualPowWow.

We welcome Susan Hoeg, an Elder from Georgina Island First Nation, talking about what Indigenous People's Day means to her.

Hayley is a Jingle Dancer and a member of our Cultural Services Team. #VirtualPowWow

We welcome Pat Green, an Elder from Six Nations, to our #VirtualPowWow. Thanks for your message to our children, youth, and families about Indigenous People's Day

We welcome John Rice, an Elder from Wasauksing First Nation, speaking about Indigenous People's Day this weekend. #VirtualPowWow.