In June 2020, Coady Institute launched the Circle of Abundance – Amplifying Indigenous Women’s Leadership bringing together the institute’s work with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit women leaders. The Circle of Abundance provides educational opportunities, learning events, and nurtures partnerships across the country. Our approach is informed by more than a decade of working with Indigenous graduates, mentors, and Elders and emphasizes the abundance of gifts, talents, and contributions that are alive in all Indigenous communities.
We use a Two-Eyed Seeing (or Walking in Two Worlds) approach, meaning that teaching and learning practices are grounded in Indigenous worldviews, values, and teachings while sometimes using western tools and methods that align with those practices. Working alongside a Circle of Abundance Advisory Group, our team continues to look at ways to decolonize our programming both within the Circle of Abundance and across Coady while supporting Kiknu, StFX Indigenous Student Affairs.
Our flagship Indigenous Women in Community Leadership program is grounded in relational practices and mentorship opportunities that will build upon their trusted leadership capacities for community-led, community-driven work. IWCL’s approaches to community building and social change are rooted in individual and collective responsibility, reciprocity to the community, and relationship to one another and the land.
The Indigenous Women in Community Leadership program includes the guidance and support of experienced mentors who work with program participants.
Our Building on Abundance in Indigenous Communities online course introduces Indigenous principles and practices for community work that build upon strengths and assets so that participants can help meet the needs of present-day Indigenous families, communities, and Nations.
We also have partnered with the Saugeen First Nation, AB; Further Education Society of Alberta, the Urban Aboriginal Voices Society, Red Deer, AB; Native Communities Cooperative Development; and Wapna’kikewi’skwaq, Women of First Light, for various online and in person workshops, training sessions, and educational sessions.
7 Principles of Community Building in Indigenous Communities
These principles have emerged from examining a cross-section of approximately 40+ Indigenous graduate stories over the last twelve years and by reviewing and integrating the ABCD principles of the ABCD Institute and Tamarack Institute. These are just some common principles that emerged to help explain how Indigenous peoples successfully built and engaged their communities in the past and the present.
#1 Every Indigenous person and community has gifts within:
Individuals are assets. Each individual already has unique gifts and talents to bring to the table: skill sets, visions, perceptions, passions, etc. Answers to community challenges can begin with building on what we already have. One arrow can break easily, but it is difficult to break a bundle of arrows together; their strength comes from collectively being bound together.
#2 Starts with what we already have:
#3 Starts with spirit:
#4 Relationships/connections are central:
#5 Asking, listening, and sharing our stories is key:
#6 Indigenous leaders involve others:
#7 Decision-making, future generations & shared vision:
Adapted from Building on Abundance in Indigenous Communities Course Manual Spring 2021. – K. Paul & B. Peters
Vision
Indigenous women* thriving in abundance
*any human being embracing the roles and responsibilities of women, ex. Seed carrier, caregiver, teaching culture
Mission
Indigenous women awakening, reclaiming, revitalizing and re-matriating who we are as leaders.
Values
- We welcome any human being embracing the roles and responsibilities of women and acknowledge their unique contributions.
- We all carry gifts that are needed in our communities,
- We lead guided by the wisdom of our Ancestors, which includes spirit,
- We strive to use a good mind and good heart in all relationships,
- We are mindful of our responsibilities to future generations and the land,
- We honour and seek to integrate Indigenous knowledge, languages, and ceremonies where appropriate,
- We are community-based and community-driven focused and strive for community-based program delivery,
- We build capacity for like-minded community lifelong learners,
- We ground ourselves in Indigenous worldviews, teachings, and laws,
- We use a holistic approach,
- We honour shared Indigenous values,
- We foster connection, friendship, and support
Programs include:
Celebrating National Indigenous People’s Day
Today, June 21, is the summer solstice and the 25th National Indigenous Peoples Day, a day for all Canadians on Turtle Island to recognize and celebrate the culture, heritage, and contributions of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples just as Indigenous peoples have for generations. Read more…
Event: Indigenous Women Leaders and the Economics of Abundance
June 29 | In celebration of the Circle of Abundance one-year anniversary, join us for a discussion and celebration amplifying Indigenous Women Leaders and the Economics of Abundance.
A Statement regarding the Mass Grave Discovery at Kamloops Indian Residential School
We share in the grief of this most recent discovery; and we acknowledge that this grief is unequally carried by those directly targeted by the historical and ongoing violence against them as Indigenous communities across Turtle Island continue to experience intergenerational trauma from these experiences at the hands of Canada’s governments and church officials.
Event: Paddles Up! with the Indigenous Innovation Initiative
June 15 | The Indigenous Innovation Initiative and the Circle of Abundance at Coady Institute have partnered to host a summer virtual celebration of Indigenous Innovation Leadership. This will also be the launch of the Indigenous Innovation Initiative Paddles UP! fundraising campaign. Each component of this celebration will acknowledge, amplify, and tell the story of Indigenous innovation leadership in Canada.
Celebrity-Backed Initiative Amplifying Indigenous Women Leaders Reaches $1M Goal
Karri-Lynn Paul, Indigenous Program Teaching Staff, announced in an online event November 19 that the Circle of Abundance – Amplifying Indigenous Women’s Leadership initiative has reached its one-million-dollar fundraising goal.
The Coady Connection Newsletter – August 2020
Read the August edition of The Coady Connection. We are pleased to share with you this collection of stories, accomplishments, and news from the past three months. We value your connection, support, and dedication toward Coady International Institute. Please continue...
Amplifying Indigenous Art and Culture through Storytelling
Lynda Fox Trudeau is an Anishinaabe-Odawa woman from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory located on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada. A graduate of Coady’s Indigenous Women in Community Leadership program (2015), she is the General Manager for the Debajehmujig Theatre Group.
For Future Generations: Supporting Indigenous Women Leaders through Mentorship and Advocacy
Karen MacKenzie is a proud Cree-Métis woman, business owner, knowledge keeper, community supporter, and a program Mentor for Coady Institute’s Indigenous Women in Community Leadership (IWCL) program.
Sharing Our Knowledge: Mentor Dedicated to Advancing Indigenous Education
One of the key components of Coady Institute’s Indigenous Women in Community Leadership (IWCL) program is connecting program participants with the guidance and support of experienced Indigenous women mentors. Gaya’do:węhs Lu Ann Hill-MacDonald is a Mohawk woman of the Bear Clan from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, Ontario, Canada. As an Education Consultant, she is dedicated to advancing Indigenous education programs.
Change is Transpiring says Indigenous Women’s Leadership Graduate
Wyanne (Kiya) Smallboy-Wesley is a graduate of the Indigenous Women in Community Leadership program at Coady Institute. As an Indigenous Facilitator for the Calgary Public Library and the Further Education Society (FESA), she works with a diverse network of communities in the Calgary-area to “build a bridge of safety” between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and community members.
News and Events
Circle of Abundance Participant Motivated by Decolonizing Approach to Learning
After hearing about the course from a friend, Ashley Sheppard decided that enrolling in Coady Institute’s Building on Abundance in Indigenous Communities course would be an excellent opportunity to connect with other Indigenous women leaders from across Turtle Island while learning about community leadership.
“My Spirit was Awakened” says Circle of Abundance Grad
When Deidre Lavallee-Tootoosis signed up for Coady Institute’s Indigenous Women in Community Leadership (IWCL) course, she thought it would be about “hard skills” like project management and...
National Indigenous People’s Day 2024: Uplifting Indigenous Women Leaders through Mentorship
For many generations, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people have celebrated their culture and heritage on the summer solstice – the longest day of the year. We join in celebrating the diverse cultures of Indigenous people across Turtle Island with the intentions of solidarity, community, kinship, and reconciliation.
Today, we highlight some of the invaluable Mentors for the Indigenous Women in Community Leadership (IWCL) program.
“The Circle of Abundance is something I support because I believe that there’s no stronger advocate for a community than those living within that community. I believe in women. I believe in their power to build local economies. I believe in their power to build resilient communities. It’s incredibly exciting to be working with Indigenous leaders at Coady, learning from their lived experiences, and of course their collective wisdom.”
– Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively