Sixties Scoop Survivors: Stories of Hope and Resiliency
What is The Sixties Scoop?
...the term used to refer to a period of time during the 1960s into the mid-1970s when provincial child welfare agencies removed children from Indigenous families and communities and placed them for adoption into white homes. The prevailing practice at that time was to deny adopted children any access to information about or contact with our birth families, robbing Indigenous people like me of our identity and culture, a profound loss that was dismissed as inconsequential. After all, we were being given the opportunity to become white; what could we possibly have to complain about?
We understand from our First Voice Leadership Team, that Sixties Scoop Survivors from Mi’kma’ki have not been given opportunities for Gathering, or resources for much needed healing. We are beginning this process by hosting networking spaces for Sixties Scoop Survivors, their families and descendants in land-based and arts-based events. Cultural supports from Indigenous artisans and cultural knowledge holders will be provided along with opportunities for sessions with qualified Indigenous and Indigenized therapists will be offered.
LIFE as Medicine is a Collaboration of a number of Indigenous people living in the local region (Mi’kmak’i) and from across Turtle Island. Some are Indigenous to Mi’kma’ki and some are of Indigenous Ancestry and currently living in Mi’kma’ki. Some Collaborators are of Blended Ancestries and straddling different communities (e.g., Indigenous and Black). Some of our Nations also include: Metis, Inuit, and First Nations communities such as Cree, Anishinaabe, Apsáalooke (Crow Nation). We all work and play and pray together, and have contributed heartfully to this collaborative process, and will continue to nurture and nourish each other and all participants as we Journey forward together on a Healing Path.
We are a growing Circle of First Nations, Métis, Inuit Creative and Expressive Arts Therapists, Social Workers, Artists, Activists and Community Workers from across Turtle Island who are envisioning and enacting, reviving and promoting, Collaborative Relational Healing Arts with Indigenous Peoples, our Families, our Communities, and our Allies.
We work and play and pray with and in Indigenous communities, ally organizations, and government and educational service structures (like universities, training institutes, service providing organizations, bands and tribal councils, etc.). We encourage ‘play’ as central to all artistic processes and healing opportunities for individuals, families, groups and collectively as communities, reAligning for and with Earth Mother, our Ancestors and our Descendants. All programming is supported through paid registration with a sliding scale, including scholarships for IBPOC Peoples, especially welcoming Mi’kmaw Peoples in solidarity with Land Back. Some of the previous Offerings can be found here.
Events and Initiatives
We invite you to meet and collaborate with us!
You can always learn about upcoming events for Sixties Scoop Survivors on our Workshops & Events Page.
Flowing from our Opening in late September, 2024, there will be future Gatherings, Individual Sessions, Family Sessions, and Group Sessions offered. These will be guided and shaped by input from First Voice Sixties Scoop Survivors.
We encourage all to reach out to us to express your desires to be included in events, your inspirations and questions and to let us know your needs. Please email Kathy or phone 902-324-2884.
LIFE as Medicine Approach to Wellness
We work and play with a combination of Indigenous Mindfullness, expressive healing arts, and earth-based healing strategies to provide Sixties Scoop Survivors, Descendants and Family Members trauma integrating, strength oriented, holistic Opportunities to grow and heal individually and collectively.
Mental Wellness
Participants will be encouraged to share Story in safer communal spaces—to release grief, fear and anger, and to de-stress around dislocations, transitions, crisis and losses experienced. We will support with ongoing identification of strengths, somatic stress reduction strategies, and positive reframing to assist in surviving daily struggles. We will continuously be assessing priorities and identifying supports required for greater sustainability. All will be encouraged to recognize, communicate about, and place current and lifetime experiences in the broader intergenerational, social and historical context of the Sixties Scoop, which includes MMIW, IRS, IDS, colonization and patriarchy.
Emotional Wellness
Participants will be given opportunities to connect with stored Feelings, like Grief and Loss, Fear, Anger and Longing to Belong. We are inspired to strengthen Hope and Resiliency strategies through sharing Story, through Laughter and Tears, and through Expressive Arts. All participants will be encouraged to build more trust in relationships through reaching out for supports, staying in communication with supportive family and community members, and expanding our support networks within the Sixties Scoop community.
Physical Wellness
Participants will be encouraged to continue to practice healthy lifestyles, and to learn and apply stress reduction techniques, including breathing, somatic mindfulness, expressive arts, movement and connection to nature. All will be encouraged to regularly set aside time for rest, relaxation and more conscious self-care in alignment with Earth Mother and All Our Relations.
Spiritual Wellness
Participants will be encouraged to feed our spiritual, cultural and creative selves, to acknowledge our spiritual gifts, and to deepen healing potential within spiritual, cultural and creative practices provided. Engaging in cultural healing available in ceremonies with healers in Mi’kmak’i and in specific local geographic areas will be encouraged.
Funding for Sixties Scoop Survivors: Stories of Hope and Resiliency is made available through a generous grant from the Sixties Scoop Survivors Healing Foundation of Canada.
