13th Annual Connect Event

The Connect Event is an annual gathering that provides participants with opportunities to better understand the strengths and contributions of the Indigenous community in Calgary and surrounding areas.

The theme for this year’s Connect Event is “Aksistooyiipaitapissin (the thing that motivates someone to stay alive – hope).” Conversations will focus on:

• Decolonizing mental health practices
• Reclaiming Ceremony during trying times
• Addressing holistic care models to overcome trauma

Participants of the Connect Event will put these themes into practice so that service providers can experience what decolonized practice could look like in the work they do.

Spurred by the pandemic, recovery of Indigenous children at residential schools, and increasing attention to social justice issues across Turtle Island for Indigenous people, many community members have been called on to provide healing and wellbeing to others. Encouraging new models will increase success and provide greater outcomes for all.

During this one-day event, taking place September 22, participants will have the opportunity to:

• Listen to keynote experts discuss decolonized mental health
• Critically examine the ways we implement mental health models in Indigenous communities
• Participate in learning circles with Elders and community members (archery, purification, art, and challenge courses)
• Implement strategies to make changes and support Indigenous community members in an ongoing way.

Registration for this year’s event is FREE.