NEW INITIATIVES • ISSUE 07 • FEB-MAR 2022
The impact of COVID-19 on virtual Elder-led supports
NWAC developed the Resiliency Lodge in direct response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girl’s (MMIWG) Calls for Justice. The lodge offers Elder-led, land-based, holistic healing services. Programs include Elder-led support and ceremonies, navigation services, land-based activities, and agriculture and food-based programs, workshops, and training.
The advent of COVID-19 necessitated a new model, with the lodge offering virtual programming for its arts-based expressive workshops. Elder-led support and navigation services are also offered online.
Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), NWAC’s Executive Policy Team and Resiliency Lodge Policy and Research Unit are working on a research project that will:
determine the impacts of COVID-19 on Elder-led support services
examine how Elder-led services have adapted during COVID-19
outline steps forward in developing, refining, and evaluating Elder-led support services
To this end, we hosted four sharing circles with NWAC’s Elders, Resiliency Lodge staff, and Indigenous women, Two-Spirit, transgender, and gender-diverse people who have attended virtual Elder-led support services during the pandemic.
Preliminary research analysis is already showing quite clearly that Elder-led support services are essential— and yet many barriers to accessing support continue to exist.
Over the next month and a half, our teams will continue to work diligently on this research project. We look forward to sharing research findings with you soon!
General Inquiries: 120 Prom. du Portage, Gatineau, QC J8X 2K1
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