Episode 2:  Healing Through Teaching, with Virginia Birch

Manitoba First Nations Education & Resource Centre Numeracy Specialist Virginia Birch shares how she blends cultural teachings and her graduate training in counseling psychology to empower teachers in Manitoba's First Nations Schools and explains the intersection between cultural teachings and anticolonial mathematics. She also shares some of the unique realities that face Indigenous educators in Manitoba and how they can support their well-being, as well as how we can all engage in effective allyship. Virginia also discusses the effect of the unearthing of graves in Kamloops-affected communities. Finally, Virginia leads Zach through a visualization exercise called the Canoe Journey (34:46 ). Please note that some of what Virginia shares may be triggering depending on your background or experiences, particularly the canoe visualization. Do what you need to do to maintain safety, whether that's listening to this episode more slowly, listening with a support person, or skipping certain sections altogether.

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Resources

1. Book: Equity-Centered, Trauma-Informed Education by Alex Shevrin Venet


2. Book: The Trauma-Sensitive Classroom: Building Resilience with Compassionate Teaching by Patricia A. Jennings


3. A directory of groups and programs organized by or for First Nations, Inuit and Metis people: https://www.gov.mb.ca/inr/publications/pubs/indigenous-organizations-in-manitoba.pdf


4. Indigenous Cultural Healing Supports: https://sharedhealthmb.ca/files/covid-19-indigenous-cultural-healing-supports.pdf


5. Principles respecting the Government of Canada's relationship with Indigenous peoples https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/principles-principes.htm


6. Coping with Emotional Reactions https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/coping-emotional-reactions.html


7. National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation https://nctr.ca/


8. Truth and Reconciliation, Calls to Action http://trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf\


9. Reconciliation Education http://www.reconciliationeducation.ca/


10. Jordan's Principle https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1568396042341/1568396159824


11. National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, Health Support Services https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1548700698392/1548701361628


12. First Nation Approaches to Traditional Medicine https://www.fnha.ca/WellnessSite/Documents/Traditional_Medicine_web.pdf


13. First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework https://thunderbirdpf.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/24-14-1273-FN-Mental-Wellness-Framework-EN05_low.pdf


14. Indigenous Circle https://www.ccpa-accp.ca/chapters/indigenous-circle/


15. Pathways to healing: A mental health toolkit for First Nations people http://www.shared-care.ca/files/EN_PathwaystoHealing.pdf


16. Indigenous Allyship Toolkit http://ncnw.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/F-HNHB-IHN_Indigenous-Allyship-Toolkit-1-1.pdf


17. First Nation Perspective on Wellness https://www.fnha.ca/PublishingImages/wellness/wellness-and-the-first-nations-health-authority/first-nations-perspective-on-wellness/FNPOW.png


18. We Matter - Indigenous Youth Toolkits https://wemattercampaign.org/toolkits/youth, https://wemattercampaign.org/toolkits/mini-toolkit