Our Approach

We are in the process of gathering stories from people in our communities to ensure our law and services delivery model are based on our traditional ways.  

This story gathering is happening through a number of different ways such as:  

• • Craft and Social Nights with community members 
  • Interviews with elders and knowledge keepers 
  • Reviewing materials in print  
  • Collaborating with other organizations that have previously gathered stories from our communities  

This work will create a better path forward for this generation, and for future generations. The new law will allow our communities to develop a child and family services system that is governed by our people, for our people. 

As we do this work, we adopt a strength-based, community-led, culturally grounded approach. We believe our communities’ have the teachings needed to raise healthy, vibrant, and strong children as we had done so since time immemorial prior to colonialization.  

As a planning organization, our job is one of translation as we take these stories and teachings and draft them into formal legislation and a service delivery model, while being mindful of family and Nation differences and that teachings cannot be written out or shared widely.  

Urban Community  

Since the beginning of this work when Nine South Island Chiefs came together to plan for taking back our inherent jurisdiction over our children and families, the urban community has been included in this work. While under Bill C92- The Act Respecting First Nations, Metis, And Inuit Children, it is only the Nations themselves (as section 35 rights holders) who have been granted the authority to create their own legislation, drawing upon their own teachings, the Chiefs have always maintained that it is their responsibility to not only care for the members of their Nations, but also for the guests upon their territory. We honor this commitment today as we engage with our urban relatives in our planning processes, to ensure they too, will be taken care of through this work and have their unique position reflected within our resulting legislation and service delivery structure.