First Peoples Wellness Circle

04/03/2026

Wishing everyone a peaceful and restful Easter weekend. ☀️🐰

Please note that FPWC offices will be closed on Friday, April 3 and Monday, April 6. We will reopen on Tuesday, April 7.

We hope this long weekend brings opportunities for rest, reflection, and time with loved ones and community.

03/31/2026

March 31 is National Indigenous Languages Day. 🧡

Language is more than just communication; it's memories, traditional teachings, culture, and a living connection to the land and community.

Every time a language is spoken, learned, or shared, the path is carried forward for future speakers and generations.

Today, we honour and thank the speakers, Knowledge Carriers, teachers, learners, and communities who dedicate themselves to carrying these beautiful languages forward.

03/23/2026

The latest episode of Rekindling The Fire podcast is officially out now! 🔥

🔗 https://fpwc.ca/rekindling-the-fire/

In this episode, FPWC’s Knowledge Exchange Facilitator Rachel Robinson meets with Opelahsomuwehs (Dr. Imelda Perley - Wolastoqey Elder, Language Keeper, Ceremonial Leader, and co-founder of the Wolastoq Language and Culture Center) to discuss the profound connection between Indigenous language, identity, and wholistic wellness. She shares her personal journey of reclaiming her traditional name and language, detailing how ceremonies like traditional birthing and naming are powerful medicine for intergenerational healing.

Listen to Reclaiming Language and Identity and Mental Wellness with Opelahsomuwehs now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 🎧

03/21/2026

In recognition of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, FPWC is pleased to share the French versions of our Anti-Indigenous Racism (AIR) Project resources.

The resources are available in both French and English at the link below:

📚 https://ow.ly/Rwiv50YwOlU

We are grateful to the Wolastoqey First Nation Mental Wellness Team and the Oeliangitasoltigo Mental Wellness Team for their partnership in this work. These resources support greater awareness, reflection, and action to address anti-Indigenous racism and help strengthen culturally safe mental wellness services.

03/14/2026

We're growing! 🚀 Join the FPWC team

We believe that work should align with your values. We’re looking for new voices and fresh perspectives to help us grow.

🔗 View roles & apply here: https://fpwc.ca/employment/

Apply now: 👇
• Workforce Development Lead (Parental Leave Coverage)
• Research, Evaluation & Policy Support Officer
• National Implementation Coordinator
• Policy Analyst

What We Offer: 🌟
• Competitive salary and generous benefits package.
• Stipend for remote work.
• Flexible remote work environment.
• Occasional travel within Canada.

03/14/2026

Join to hear from our Vice Chair Dr Ed Tecumseh Connors

Join us in a conversation with Dr. Ed “Tecumseh” Connors about Unity, Community & The Kinship Way.

Free Event!

Create an Account for Zoom link 🔗
https://thekinshipway.earth

03/14/2026

Thunderbird Partnership Foundation is a growing national non-profit organization serving First Nations across Canada in mental wellness. Consider joining our team! Check out our current career opportunities: https://thunderbirdpf.org/category/employment/

03/11/2026

Last week, FPWC held a Grant Proposal Writing Workshop in Sudbury, Ontario!

We were honoured to host First Nations community workers from across the province to learn about effective grant writing to bring inspiring community ideas to life. Powerful grant applications give voice to community priorities and open doors to meaningful, lasting impact. We extend our sincere thanks to the facilitators at Collective Results and to all participants for their engagement!

✨ This training was created based on the Grants and Proposals Toolkit that FPWC developed as part of the Gathering Our Knowledge Bundles project. For more information on the Grants and Proposals Toolkit, please visit our website: https://fpwc.ca/what-we-do/news/grants-and-proposals/

03/07/2026

On February 16-18, 2026, First Peoples Wellness Circle and Wapan Centre partnered together to co-host Weaving Wellness Together: A Regional Gathering on Mental Wellness and Addictions. 🪶

This gathering brought together Mental Wellness Workforce members from across Quebec, creating space to strengthen relationships, uplift the essential work of front-line helpers, and share wise practices rooted in community-led healing. Through meaningful conversations and shared experiences, participants explored collaboration and pathways to wellness and recovery.

Thank you to everyone who contributed their voices and knowledge to make this gathering impactful and inspiring. 💛

03/05/2026

We are proud to share “What Justice Looks Like: Understanding Inuit and Indigenous Scholars’ Experience”—an added report to the Anti-Indigenous Racism (AIR) Project—a First Nations-led initiative advancing cultural safety within healthcare systems.

🔗 https://fpwc.ca/what-we-do/news/what-justice-looks-like-new-insights/

Indigenous voices, particularly Inuit and Scholars, were centred and highlighted, as stories and knowledge were amalgamated into actionable recommendations to improve cultural safety and to support meaningful, respectful care of Indigenous peoples. This includes within mental wellness care, as well as the Universities that are responsible for supporting and training those providing care.

This work contributes to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action and supports the creation of safer, more equitable healthcare systems for First Nations people from coast to coast to coast.

03/04/2026

We continue to value our Sisters, our partners in our work to support the workforce.

Over the past two days, four Indigenous-led organizations came together at the new FNHMA Ottawa office with a shared purpose: strengthening the future for First Nations health professionals.

It was an honour to host leadership from the Thunderbird Partnership Foundation, First Peoples Wellness Circle and the Youth Substance Addiction Committee (YSAC) for meaningful conversations, relationship-building, and coordinated planning.

Together, we shared knowledge, aligned our visions, and explored how we can better support the current and next generation of First Nations health leaders. When we gather in this way, grounded in collaboration and community, we lay the foundation for a stronger, healthier future.

The work continues, and we move forward in unity. 🤝✨

03/02/2026

Three episodes are LIVE! 🎙️🔥

We are excited to share that the first three episodes of the Rekindling The Fire podcast series are now available:

https://fpwc.ca/rekindling-the-fire/ 🎧

Hosted by FPWC’s Knowledge Exchange Facilitator, Rachel Robinson, this series explores what it truly means to sustain wellness in roles rooted in care. Through thoughtful conversation, cultural knowledge, lived experience, and practical tools, each episode creates space to reflect on how healing and balance can be nurtured while doing deeply meaningful work.

Episodes Available Now:

🔥 The Journey Begins - Centring Wellness and First Nations Care with Dr. Brenda Restoule
🔥 Honouring Ancestral Strength, Cultural Resilience in Care with Tina Armstrong
🔥 Strength in Peer and Collective Care with T'anchay Redvers

At the heart of these conversations are the foundational outcomes of Hope, Belonging, Meaning, and Purpose. These are not just values. They are what wellness feels like when culture is alive, our identities are honoured, and we feel connected to something greater than ourselves.

Hit play, subscribe, and let us know which episode is your favourite!