The YWCA in the NWT has announced that it has hired the organization’s first in-house Elder.
In a news release the “Y” states that Elder Darlene Powder will provide guidance and feedback as the organization works to put the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action in place.
Powder says these are heavy, emotional topics that can be hard to talk about for many residential school survivors. She adds that she has seen true healing when people connect with their culture. Powder says it’s important to give people a chance to vent and provide programs for land-based healing and traditional activities.
For the past several years, YWCA NWT has worked to ensure its programs and services are aligned with the TRC Calls to Action and address the needs of the people it serves. Many of those people are Indigenous and live with the colonial legacy of residential schools.
Powder has been with the YWCA since 2010 when she worked at the Alison McAteer House family violence shelter in Yellowknife.
