{"id":12212,"date":"2024-09-30T08:00:54","date_gmt":"2024-09-30T08:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellspring.ca\/alberta\/?p=12212"},"modified":"2025-03-12T17:19:38","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T17:19:38","slug":"empowering-indigenous-voices-in-cancer-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellspring.ca\/alberta\/blog\/2024\/09\/30\/empowering-indigenous-voices-in-cancer-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Empowering Indigenous voices in cancer support"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), Wellspring Alberta embodies authenticity in its efforts, seizing all possible opportunities to make Wellspring a safe and accessible resource available to all Albertans.<\/p>\n

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Building inclusive practices at Wellspring<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In 2020, Wellspring embarked on a comprehensive diversity and inclusion initiative to examine, guide, and strengthen its processes and practices. Over the course of that year, the organization met multiple milestones outlined in its strategic plan, including working with the Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) to educate and train staff; meeting qualifications to become a CCDI Employee Partner, and providing Indigenous cultural training for Wellspring team members who were interested in helping promote and facilitate Indigenous program engagement at Wellspring.<\/p>\n

That same year, Wellspring worked collaboratively with Alberta\u2019s Indigenous nurse navigator to create and launch Wellspring\u2019s Indigenous Cancer Sharing Circle, a program specifically designed to provide a safe, caring, meeting space for Indigenous Peoples living with cancer and their caregivers. Co-led by Elders, the Indigenous Cancer Sharing Circle continues to thrive<\/a>, meeting monthly and providing support for those who attend.<\/p>\n

Wellspring\u2019s quest for best DEI practices has only gained momentum, including its appointment of a Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Roundtable launched in 2021. The committee, comprised of dedicated individuals with various skills and backgrounds, serves to inform and advise Wellspring\u2019s senior leadership team, and to provide accountability measures as Wellspring continues to move its DEI imperative forward.<\/p>\n

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Internal role to spearhead Indigenous connectivity<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In the fall of 2024, Wellspring\u2019s DEI mandate gained further traction with the appointment of an Indigenous engagement coordinator role, created to formalize work already in progress by a Wellspring staff member with M\u00e9tis heritage. Dakoda Stacey, a social worker with a minor in Indigenous studies, joined Wellspring as a Money Matters coordinator in 2022, and while learning and performing her role as a program leader, she carved out pathways where she could lean into Wellspring\u2019s DEI commitment<\/a> and fuel her personal passion to work with Indigenous communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt started when I attended a CCDI session on land acknowledgments and that led to my helping Wellspring Alberta revamp it\u2019s land acknowledgment,\u201d said Dakoda. \u201cThen I was honoured to represent Wellspring at the Sisika and Tsuut\u2019ina health fairs, where I learned from others that there was a gap between the need and interest in cancer support, and the follow through of these individuals accessing the resources at Wellspring.\u201d While we have a wealth of resources available at Wellspring, Indigenous communities often aren\u2019t aware of them. Wellspring hopes establishing this new role could bridge that gap, but it requires time, systemic change, and strong relationship building.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on her own journey; about what it means to be M\u00e9tis, and quietly taking in the stories of those she has met along the way, Dakoda became impassioned to overcome these barriers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWellspring\u2019s vision is to ensure that no one has to go though cancer alone, and yet it is evident, especially on reserves, that not only are people not accessing the resources that are available to them \u2013 they are<\/em> going through cancer alone,\u201d she said, emphasizing that this is a complex issue. \u201cSome Indigenous people will not speak of their diagnosis\u2013 so they might live through cancer privately, not even telling their families.\u201d This is often connected to systemic racism, generational trauma and a healthcare system that is not culturally aligned.1<\/sup><\/p>\n

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The path forward<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Now given the green light to make meaningful inroads, Dakoda has formed an internal Wellspring Alberta Indigenous Engagement Committee, joined Wellspring\u2019s DEI Advisory Roundtable, and is designing an Indigenous engagement framework that she hopes will serve as a roadmap for 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe framework will be heartfelt and authentic, but still an official document. An enmeshment of reconciliation, the 94 calls to action, and decolonization. It will capture Wellspring\u2019s shortfalls, where we\u2019re stepping up, and our plans and commitments for the future,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

While the work of reconciliation is the work of all staff and volunteers at Wellspring, for Dakoda, having it in her job description serves as a platform to launch her long-held belief that through relational and collaborative community connection, she might play a role in elevating the voices of Indigenous community members.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing M\u00e9tis, I have lived experience, authentic knowledge, and a multilayered perspective of both the Indigenous and settler mindsets. In drawing on both, I will work to foster that collective responsibility piece,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

As she lays the foundation for Wellspring\u2019s Indigenous engagement mandate, Dakoda underscores her intent to mindfully approach this work in a good way, incorporating the Indigenous world view with Wellspring\u2019s compassionate intentions.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy personal vision is to have Wellspring\u2019s priority be connection to community and relationship focused, with an emphasis on consistency, reliability, and humility. I see us entering the reciprocity process with grassroots community conversations initiated with respect, genuine interest, and no agenda. I think it\u2019s essential to bring authenticity and humility; to listen, ask questions, and learn. We start with community connection and keep going from there,\u201d said Dakoda.<\/p>\n

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The need<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The drive for Wellspring to turn its focus toward Indigenous communities comes with facts that indicate a pressing need:<\/p>\n