First Peoples Wellness Circle

10/30/2025

This week, we held a Grant Proposal Writing Workshop in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia!

The training was facilitated by Collective Results and delivered in partnership with the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat (APC). Together we hosted Indigenous community workers from across the region to learn about effective grant writing to bring powerful community ideas to life.

🫶 A big thank you to Collective Results, APC, and everyone who attended! We were honored to have been welcomed to the territory and to learn alongside the participants!

✨ 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://ow.ly/xoA050XkuSc

10/24/2025

Opportunities at FPWC! 🎉

We are seeking dedicated professionals to support Indigenous mental wellness:

• Policy Analyst
• Peer Learning Coordinator

(Positions open until filled, apply now!)

We are also actively looking for proposals for a Communications Specialist (RFP) to help with content, marketing, and design. Deadline for the RFP is October 30, 2025.

View all details and apply/submit your proposal here: 🔗 https://fpwc.ca/employment/

10/24/2025

FPWC is honoured to share insights from the Memory Carriers Project this week at the International Indigenous Dementia Research Network’s Annual Conference! 🙌

This gathering is an incredible opportunity to connect with Indigenous researchers, knowledge carriers, and advocates from around the world who are leading the way in dementia research and care in communities.

Memory Carriers is a community-driven initiative that supports Indigenous families, helpers, and communities in navigating dementia and end-of-life care. We are currently in the process of developing a culturally relevant dementia care toolkit and training curriculum to assist the mental wellness workforce in supporting individuals living with dementia and their families.

We are deeply grateful to be part of this important conversation and to have been given the opportunity to learn from everyone who has generously shared their stories with us – thank you for the knowledge, stories, and connection. 🤝

10/17/2025

Calling all Indigenous youth!! Check out We Matters Indigenous Youth Rise Grants!

🎉 The Indigenous Youth Rise Arts Grant is now open! 🎨✨
Have an art or media project you’re ready to bring to life? This is your moment to create and share your story. 💫
Indigenous youth ages 13–30 can apply for up to $2,000 for small projects or $5,000 for large projects. 💵🖌️
Applications are open now until October 31, 2025. Don’t wait to show the world your creativity! 💖
Find project ideas, guidelines, and the application using the link below.🔗📲
https://wemattercampaign.org/grants/arts-grant

10/15/2025

FPWC is Growing! 🚀 Seeking a Communications Specialist (RFP) & More!

First Peoples Wellness Circle (FPWC) is looking for talented people to support Indigenous mental wellness across Canada.

🌟 FEATURED: Call for Proposals - Communications Specialist (RFP) – Deadline: October 30, 2025

We are looking for an experienced Communications Specialist on contract to drive key projects, including:

• Website & social media content
• Digital marketing & promotions
• Resource layout & graphic design

Do you have expertise in communications, marketing, or design, particularly within Indigenous organizations? We want to hear from you!

View all postings and RFP details here: 🔗 https://fpwc.ca/employment/

10/13/2025

Please note: FPWC offices will be closed today, October 13th, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

We hope this time brings you rest, connection, and a chance to enjoy the autumn season. 🍂🍁

10/10/2025

Today is World Mental Health Day. 🧠✨

At First Peoples Wellness Circle, we walk alongside communities to strengthen these connections — guided by Purpose, Hope, Belonging, and Meaning. We also recognize and honour the interconnectedness of Physical, Mental, Spiritual, and Emotional wellness.

Mental wellness is not separate from who we are — it is woven through culture, identity, land, and spirit. Healing happens in community, ceremony, and connection.

As the season continues to change, we want to remind you to care for yourselves and each other, and to continue the journey of healing and wellness together.

🪶 Let’s take a moment to honour the Elders, Knowledge Carriers, and helpers who carry this sacred work of supporting mental wellness in our communities every day.

If you or someone you know needs support:

📞 Hope for Wellness Helpline: 1-855-242-3310
💬 Chat online: hopeforwellness.ca

📞 988 Su***de Crisis Helpline — call or text 988

09/29/2025

🧡 As the seasons change and we enter a time of reflection, we pause today to honour the Survivors, the children who never made it home, and the families and communities forever changed by Indian Residential and Day Schools. This day is an annual reminder to carry forward the truths of those living and past, and walk together toward a future rooted in healing, respect, and reconciliation.

Reconciliation is not only about remembrance, it is about action and change. This means actively supporting Indigenous communities and people in their healing journey. From coast to coast to coast, the Indigenous mental wellness workforce – including Indian Residential School (IRS) Resolution Health Support Workers, Mental Wellness Teams, Elders, and community helpers – walks beside Survivors, families, and youth. Their work is vital to Indigenous wellness, intergenerational healing, and restoring Hope, Purpose, Meaning, and Belonging for the generations to come.

At First Peoples Wellness Circle (FPWC), we are committed to supporting this essential workforce with training, resources, and culturally grounded approaches. We also continue to advocate for secure and sustained funding for these workforces, who are essential in helping to support those harmed by these schools.

On this National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, we continue to honour Survivors, families, and the Indigenous mental wellness workforce who continue to carry forward their stories, truths, and strengths. Thank you to all who carry these stories, lived, shared, and remembered.

Resources 📚
To learn more about this day, we encourage you to visit the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR): https://trw-svr.nctr.ca/

To read the FPWC Qualitative Assessment on the impact and benefits of the Resolution Health Support Program (RHSP), visit: https://fpwc.ca/projects/indian-residential-school-resolution-health-support-program-irs-rhsp-formative-analysis/

Supports 🤝
Indigenous peoples across Canada can access The Hope for Wellness Help Line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for counselling and crisis intervention. Call the toll-free Help Line at 1-855-242-3310 or connect to the online chat at https://www.hopeforwellness.ca/

*Please note: FPWC offices will be closed tomorrow, September 30th in observance of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

🔗 https://fpwc.ca/what-we-do/news/national-day-for-truth-reconciliation-2025/

09/23/2025

Today we our proud to share that our Chairperson Denise McCuaig has received the Metis Nation of British Columbia Builders Award for her knowledge, steady presence and dedication to improving the lives of Metis people in BC. Congratulations on this important award.

https://m.youtube.com/clip/UgkxWAgWzU1QN5r001c_-xl5xdYCf0d-VGsw?si=A51I5c2rlJOOwula&fbclid=IwdGRjcAM_brFleHRuA2FlbQExAAEekJNSkpK6ZMousQXrQYV9-AdPIz_kiggpwSdNRGUPttYUoWk0H9QCKNdottk_aem_96Ap_cEGHBjSI7qMhnwStg

60 seconds · Clipped by Denise McCuaig · Original video "Annual General Meeting Day Two | September 20, 2025" by Métis Nation British Columbia

09/19/2025

We're excited to announce that First Peoples Wellness Circle (FPWC) is a proud partner in the ACCESS Open Minds Indigenous Youth Mental Health and Wellness Network! 🤝

This national initiative, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), is dedicated to strengthening mental health and wellness supports for Indigenous youth across Canada.

🌟 This four-year project will focus on:

• Providing high-quality, culturally grounded services.
• Integrating Indigenous knowledge, governance, and ways of knowing into health systems.
• Building a digital library of culturally relevant tools.
• Creating opportunities for current and future Indigenous youth leaders.

Our CEO, Dr. Brenda Restoule, shares, "Indigenous youth voices and experiences are at the heart of creating and building this network... First Peoples Wellness Circle is proud to be a partner in this vital work.”

09/16/2025

🌟 Introduction to First Nations Mental Wellness: A Cultural Safety Resource for Supporting the Mental Wellness Workforce 🌟

This resource, created by First Peoples Wellness Circle (FPWC), is available for use by Mental Wellness Teams (MWTs), specialized Indigenous Wellness Workforces, and those working in mental wellness capacities across Canada. This resource is intended to provide important and foundational information on First Nations mental wellness in an accessible and concise format. It also aims to support MWTs and other Indigenous Wellness Workforces in sharing information with local, provincial, and federal partners.

📚 The Introduction to First Nations Mental Wellness resource includes the following chapters and sections:

• Glossary
• Chapter 1: Introduction: Culture is Health
• Chapter 2: Historical Context and Impact on Mental Wellness
• Chapter 3: Concepts and Context that Support the Understanding of and Care for Mental Wellness
• Chapter 4: Understanding Traditional Methods to Mental Wellness
• Chapter 5: Looking Ahead
• Chapter 6: Summary and Conclusion

To see the resource and to watch a quick video on the resource, go to 🔗 https://fpwc.ca/projects/intro-to-fnmw/

Let’s continue walking together in wellness and community!

09/12/2025

September 12th is Mindfulness Day!

Take a moment to pause and reconnect with the present. We're re-sharing a special resource that promotes wellness through an Indigenous lens:

🧠✨🙇‍♂️ Grounded in Balance: An Introduction to Mindfulness

This toolkit offers practices, journal prompts, and tools to help you slow down and find peace. Download the free resources and start your journey today!

🔗 https://fpwc.ca/what-we-do/news/grounded-in-balance-an-introduction-to-mindfulness/