empower
2025-2026 Grant Recipients
Walking Alongside: Unceded traditional territory of the Quw'utsun' people (Duncan, BC)
This project acknowledges that palliative care supports are not culturally safe and don't affirm the Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing. Approaching Indigenous patients to have goals of care discussions currently follows a colonized model. This project hopes to partner with Lakehead University’s Indigenous Peoples Health and Aging Centre for education and research on aging and health to use their tools for local Indigenous communities. The communities of Quw'utsun, Stz;uminus, Halalt, Penelakut, Malahat will be approached and asked if there are Elders interested in contributing to this work, to tailor the tools to community needs. The goal of the project is to develop culturally appropriate tools and have an understanding of culturally sage language around goals of care conversations for physicians, home care nurses, and community support workers to help our indigenous families care for their loved ones on their last journeys in their own communities.
Revitalizing Connection of Urban Indigenous and Western Healthcare Clinic to Land-based Healing Practices and Traditional Medicine Teachings: Unceded traditional territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations (Vancouver, BC)
This project acknowledges that we exist in a system with colonial legacy that does not recognize equitable value of traditional healing practices and land-based experiences in contributing to overall health. The work of the Vancouver Aboriginal Health Society, and the Women’s Mobile Primary Care Outreach Team uses a Two-Eyed seeing approach to care but has identified a gap in knowledge and connection to traditional medicines and land-based practices. xʷc̓ic̓əsəm (meaning ‘the place where we grow’ in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓) has been located at the UBC Farm, in the traditional, unceded, and ancestral territory of the Musqueam since 2007. It is an interdisciplinary and multidimensional space that addresses the spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and physical needs of Indigenous peoples through land access and Indigenous land-based wellness. The aim of this project is to partner with the xʷc̓ic̓əsəm team to provide opportunities for our family physicians, residents, allied health workers, Knowledge Keepers and patients to learn more about traditional medicines and how they can support the health of our urban Indigenous patient population. This project aims to enhance agency within urban Indigenous communities, explore the effectiveness and impact of Indigenous land-based health and wellness practices in urban Indigenous settings, create a learning tool for Coast Salish traditional medicine teachings, and develop a Traditional Garden space in which Knowledge Keepers can harvest medicine and pass on learnings to patients and community partners.
Learning in Good Relation: Building Cultural Safety and the Good Relations Care Pathway at REACH: Unceded traditional territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations (Vancouver, BC)
This project aims to strengthen trust, cultural safety and healing relationships between Indigenous patients, physicians and the wider care team and REACH Community Health Centre through collective reflection, leaning and relationship-building. It will establish an ongoing Community of Practice (CoP), Learning in Good Relation, that provides physicians and staff with a structured, relational space to reflect on Indigenous-specific racism, colonial impacts on health, and culturally safe approaches to care and will be co-led by the REACH Indigenous Health Promoter and a staff ally. It will strengthen relationships through co-designing of the learning process by partnering with Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Indigenous leaders from Britannia Community Centre’s Indigenous Programs and Indigenous patients from the community. Through consultation with Indigenous patients, their health care team and the REACH Indigenous Health Promoter, there will be creation and implementation of the Good Relations Care Pathway which will centre cultural and relational safety, and strengthen engagement, trust, and dignity in care. Teachings, reflections and co-created resources will help to develop a facilitation toolkit which will sustain the CoP and support replication by other CHCs or teams. The impact of this project will be evaluated through pre/post surveys with participant physicians and staff, and reflections from Indigenous partners and patients will be gathered so that they can be shared with BCCFP and other community health partners.
“Seeing Ourselves Well”: Honouring Tsleil-Waututh Cultural Knowledge & Ways of Knowing (hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ title to be added with Elder/Knowledge-Keeper guidance): Unceded traditional territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations (Vancouver, BC)
This project aims to create culturally grounded educational and visual materials that honour Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s thousands-of-years-long presence on these lands and bridge medical and traditional understandings of health and healing. Materials will be created through engagement with Tsleil-Waututh Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and the Language & Culture Department. This will include: a bilingual (English + hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓) “Seeing Ourselves well” booklet which will link common medical conditions to Tsleil-Waututh teaches on health and wellness, design and installation of a permanent visual display within the clinic, facilitation of circles guided by Elders and Knowledge Keepers to gather teachings, language and permissions rooted in community storytelling and lastly, a reflection tool for clinicians to embody Two-Eyed Seeing in daily practice. By pairing land-based imagery and traditional language with medical concepts, “Seeing Ourselves Well” intends to respect, recognition, and balance between clinical practice and Tsleil-Waututh teachings and culture.
Walking Together: Indigenous Teachings for Family Physicians in Foundry Centres across British Columbia: Unceded traditional territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations (Vancouver, BC)
This project intends to host a half-day Indigenous led gathering in Vancouver, bringing together family physicians and primary care providers from Foundry Centres, including those from rural and remote centres. Across BC, Foundry Centres provide integrated services for young people aged 12-24 and their families. Family physicians are central to these services, yet many seek deeper understanding of Indigenous perspectives to better support Indigenous young people and families. The planned gathering will include ceremony, circle dialogue and a medicine walk, all guided by Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Indigenous youth and an Indigenous physician. This will strengthen physician capacity for culturally safe, youth-centered care in a primary care setting, offer physicians with practical guidance for supporting Indigenous youth using an integrated Western and Indigenous approach, offer experiential learning and build relationships with Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers, youth and physicians. It is the hope of this project that relationships built through this session will continue to inform future Foundry learning initiatives and centre-level engagement across the province.
Healing Our Spaces, Honouring Our Stories: Unceded traditional territory of the Haíɫzaqv People of the Heiltsuk Territory (Bella Bella, BC)
This project aims to make ƛ̓uxválásu̓ilas Heiltsuk Hospital and Bella Bella Medical Clinic a place that feels grounded in Heiltsuk identity, language, and belonging. The initiative will bring community voice into the design of the hospital environment through Heiltsuk art and the renaming of the building using language that reflects healing and respect. A community consultation event with Elders, Knowledge Holders and community members will be held to share ideas for culturally meaningful artwork and a new building name. A Heiltsuk artist will be commissioned for artwork for the hospital’s entrance and common areas, and the “Mental Health and Substance Use” building will be renamed using Heiltsuk language or values-based wording that reduces stigma and promotes belonging. Through this work, it is the hope that relationships between the hospital, physicians, and the Heiltsuk community will be strengthened through collaboration that is grounded in respect, reciprocity and relationship.