Finding the tools to fight trauma

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/05/2024 (522 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Turning your life around and healing from addiction, trauma, and sexual exploitation are undoubtedly the hardest things one can imagine. Tia Parmeter, 39, spent 20 years trying to overcome her drug addiction and heal from trauma but never found the right kind of support to get on a new path and build a better life.

That all changed one day through her own grit and determination and a chance encounter with an extraordinary group of women known as the Clan Mothers. In case you’ve never heard of the Clan Mothers before, they are dedicated Indigenous grandmother elders who created the Clan Mothers Healing Village and Knowledge Centre. Their focus is to help others break the cycle of generational trauma through land-based healing and Indigenous knowledge. Founded over 25 years ago, they are now in the process of building a healing village on a patch of land on the waterways of Lake Winnipeg after receiving the 138 acres from Réseau Compassion Network.

Construction is underway on this healing village, but what’s most extraordinary about the project is that they are hiring their own trained employees from their social enterprise called Mother Earth Construction to do the work.

Launched in September 2022, this unique carpentry training program offers a ten-month initiative for any Indigenous woman or two-spirited individual who, like Parmeter, has experienced addiction, sexual violence, and exploitation. During the 10 months, attendees receive counselling, elder teachings, and healing workshops in addition to classroom skills and hands-on carpentry training from a skilled, certified instructor.

“It made all the difference in getting my life back together,” Parmeter told a packed audience last week at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights who’d gathered to celebrate the 90^th birthday of Clan Mother co-found Elder Mae Louise Campbell. “I can’t ever imagine going back again. I have so much love and support, it’s unbelievable.”

Being surrounded in compassion and culturally appropriate healing while overcoming trauma and learning a skilled trade not only changed Parmeter’s life, but also many others who were part of the first cohort of trainees in the carpenter training program in 2022. She, along with 15 others from the training program, are now employed by Mother Earth Construction. The full-time construction jobs provide these women with an income, self-esteem, and a group of friends walking on similar recovery paths.

A second intake was held last year with another group of trainees currently learning the trade while healing from trauma. The Clan Mothers hope to train many more, helping provide skills, self worth, healing, and stability to these women who’ve lost so much.

While there is no shortage of applicants wanting to get into the carpentry training program, funding remains uncertain. After two years of operating funds from the province to run the carpenter training program, they are waiting for confirmation from the NDP government about its future.

Seeing the construction progress on the healing village while watching the women carpenters find new purpose is what encourages the 90-year-old matriarch to continue pursuing her dreams. Campbell, whose birthday celebration at the museum last week attracted upwards of 350 people, said she first envisioned building a healing village more than 50 years ago and is overwhelmed with gratitude to see it coming to fruition. The Clan Mothers plan for construction to be completed in the coming year.

Their capital campaign has so far raised over $8.6 million for the build, including a $3-million investment from the province in December 2021.

Inarguably, the healing village is much needed, as addiction, trauma and sexual exploitation are pervasive issues in Manitoba. According to the Clan Mother’s own statistics, more than half of all young people who are sexually exploited are Indigenous, even though they make up only five per cent of the population. I would argue the number is even higher, considering the amount of ‘hidden’ or underground sexual exploitation that occurs.

Equally important is the carpentry training program. Statistically, the workforce in Manitoba needs more skilled trades. Carpenters are in high demand, giving these trainees a lifetime of work and opportunity. Housing Minister Bernadette Smith, who attended the 90^th birthday celebration last week, congratulated the women builders in attendance and spoke very highly of the successes of the program.

It gave everyone in the room much reason to feel hopeful, optimistic, and even more reason to celebrate the legacy and life’s work of the cherished Elder Mae Louise Campbell.

Rochelle Squires is a recovering politician after 7 1/2 years in the Manitoba legislature. She is a political and social commentator whose column appears Tuesdays. rochelle@rochellesquires.ca