AYDA

As a mother of 4 - I had to learn to rewire my brain on how I responded to my children. I had to let go of my trauma responses, I had to let go of “when I was young we could not do that” as we don’t live in that time any more.

I had to tell my children everyday “I love you and God bless you”as I was not told this very often. I wanted to make this a normal statement so they were not scared to say it.

I had to show them what is healthy:
- gambling is not healthy, binge drinking is not healthy (when these practices effect you peace, family, income, etc negatively there is a problem)
- holding food from a child is not healthy ( everyone deserves food it should not be used for punishment)
- forcing them to hug family and friends is not healthy, (every child has the right to say no and if they feel uncomfortable that is their boundaries.)
- silence is unhealthy at times (I had to teach them to find their voice and use it)
- holding back tears is unhealthy (we were given tears for a reason you can use them)
- holding them back from what they want in a career and making them do what we think is the right career( I told my children to get a job that they love, that they want and enjoy doing, as long as it is a honest income that makes them happy)

Let’s break those generational chains that hold us down and hold us back. Let’s hold our children up to become the best versions of themselves. ❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜 as parents we can walk the journey with them. when they need a walking stick we can hand it to them!

The Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples is inviting First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth aged 18 to 35 to share their lived experiences and ideas. Selected participants will be invited to travel to Ottawa to testify before the committee and take part in other special events

Learn more: https://sencanada.ca/en/committees/appa/misc/voices-of-youth-indigenous-leaders

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day! Each year on June 21, we open applications for our Entrepreneur Growth Program.

The Entrepreneur Growth Program is a seven-month business education and mentorship journey designed for Northern Indigenous entrepreneurs who are ready to strengthen their business, grow their confidence, and invest in themselves as leaders.

This year's cohort theme is The Next Chapter, open to entrepreneurs across all sectors who have already started building and are ready to take things further. Participants travel to all three territories, connect with elders, local business leaders, and potential funders, and gain access to mentorship, coaching, a wellness fund, bursaries, and more.

The Next Chapter represents a defining moment in an entrepreneur’s journey.

It's the stage where passion becomes strategy. Experience becomes confidence. A growing business that becomes a sustainable livelihood.

This cohort is designed for Northern Indigenous entrepreneurs who already have established customers, sales, or have witnessed a growing demand and are ready to shape the future of their businesses.

The Next Chapter isn’t about changing who entrepreneurs are, it’s about giving them the confidence and tools to embody their wholeness.

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Applications are open now to Indigenous entrepreneurs residing in NU, NT, YT.

The deadline to apply is July 3, 2026.

Apply at www.entreprenorth.ca/growth-program

📣📣There is much more to be done!
June 3 marks the 5th anniversary of the National Action Plan and the Inuit Action Plan on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People.
Developed in response to the Final Report of the National Inquiry into MMIWG, these plans were created in 2021 to drive transformative change, providing a clear road map to address systemic racism and violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. The Inuit Action Plan, released by Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), reflects Inuit-specific priorities and outlines a distinctions-based path forward through the 46 Inuit-specific Calls for Justice.

Pauktuutit calls for the implementation of all Action Plan recommendations. These commitments are critical to closing the social, economic, political, and cultural gaps that continue to impact Inuit women, girls, and gender-diverse Inuit within Inuit Nunangat and in urban settings.

While progress has been initiated or is underway in some areas, few have been fully completed. Five years later, the urgency remains, and so does the responsibility of all levels of government and partners to move beyond commitments to concrete results.

Pauktuutit continues to call for:
• Governmental responses to MMIWG2S+ and gender-based violence that guarantee meaningful leadership roles and decision-making power for Inuit women, girls, and gender-diverse Inuit.
• The incorporation of Inuit-Specific Gender-Based Analysis+ (ISGBA+) into all responses to the Inuit Action Plan on MMIWG.
• The establishment of clear and transparent accountability mechanisms to track implementation of the 231 Calls for Justice outlined in the Final Report of the National Inquiry into MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People, with regular, publicly accessible progress reports.
• All levels of government to recognize and respond to MMIWG2S+ as an ongoing crisis, not a historical one.
• The federal government to fund new distinctions-based, gendered research on violence against Inuit women, girls, and gender-diverse Inuit, that is conducted by Indigenous Women's Organizations, to support and inform evidence-based prevention efforts.
Our recommendations are here https://pauktuutit.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PAUKTUUTIT-Brief-05-MMIWG-Policy-Brief-EN-FINAL_web-1.pdf

The Gwich’in Tribal Council Health & Wellness Team will be walking together at the MMIWG2S+ March this Tuesday, May 5th.
The march begins at East Three School at 3:45 PM and will conclude at Aurora College.

We invite all Gwich’in families who have been impacted to join us. You are welcome to walk alongside us as we honour our loved ones, stand together, and support one another.

If you know of an Elder who needs a ride to the starting point or a ride home afterward, please reach out — we would be honoured to assist.

Let’s walk together in remembrance, strength, and unity 🧡

Mahsi Cho to IRC for organizing this important event!