Family Violence Initiative

COMPENDIUM OF PROMISING PRACTICES TO REDUCE VIOLENCE AND INCREASE SAFETY OF ABORIGINAL WOMEN IN CANADA – COMPENDIUM ANNEX: DETAILED PRACTICE DESCRIPTIONS

INTERACTIONS WITHIN COMMUNITIES

Healthy Relationships: Children and Youth

Program name:

Seven Generations Mentoring

Organization:

Métis Family Services

Location:

Surrey, British Columbia and surrounding area

Target Group:

Youth ages 10 - 24

Contact Name:

Virgil Awasis, Coordinator

Phone:

N/A

Email:

vawasis@metisfamilyservices.ca

Website:

www.metisfamilyservices.com

Program Overview
History:

The program was started in 2007 as a "Community Mentorship Program." The name was changed to "Seven Generations Mentoring" to reflect teachings that this is the seventh generation and is looking seven generations into the future. This name was changed to make the program more inclusive for people from all different cultures.

Program Description
Goals & Objectives:

To connect Aboriginal youth with healthy mentors to provide them with opportunities to develop positive relationships with members of their communities to reduce vulnerability to violence and abuse.

Traditional/Indigenous ways:

The program supports creating modern day warriors, breaking through fear, learning through cultural teachings and using culture and history as a frame of reference to develop a strong identity. Through traditional teachings, protocols, and Elders, youth can become immersed in culture and ceremony, learning from the past, acknowledging the future and staying engaged in the present.

Components of program:

Seven Generations Mentoring provides support and understanding to youth dealing with abandonment issues, physical and emotional abuse, anger and aggression. The program recruits and connects youth to healthy community members (19 and up) who become mentors and role models in the community. Mentors must agree to maintain their relationship with their client for a minimum of one year and to take their client out in the community for 1-2 hours on a weekly basis. Through these weekly outings mentors actively use life experience as a teaching tool to help guide a young person forward in their growth and development. The program supports mentors with meetings, workshops, community engagement, cultural activities (drum nights, Medicine Wheel, Elders).

Services/How they work:

Services are provided at various locations within participating communities and on site at the program facility.

Funding:

Funding is received from the British Columbia Ministry of Children and Families.

Relationships and Stakeholders
Involvement of Target Groups:

N/A

Partners:

N/A

Other relationships:

Local community resources for youth.

Details of Program Evaluation
Evaluation:

No evaluation has been completed.

Highlights of Evaluation Findings:

N/A

Program Outcomes
Measures of Success:

Success for this program is based on the long term forecast that clients participating in the program will become successful youth with families, jobs and a good connection to their community and culture.

Achievements:

Getting the youth to share their personal stories.

Challenges:

There are limited human resources to cover a large geographic area.

Things to Know to Replicate
Replication Advice:

Program is replicable. No advice given.

Resources:

Community participation (Elders and other mentor volunteers) is essential. Sufficient funding to run program would be necessary.