The FNHA's Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCMO), in partnership with the Office of the Provincial Health Officer (OPHO), is hosting a virtual film screening and discussion on July 15 to launch the findings of our joint research project,
We Walk Together: Exploring Connection to Land, Water, and Territory.
We Walk Together is a project that involved three gatherings in 2019 and 2020 in the Fraser Salish, Northern, and Vancouver Coastal regions, where we spoke with First Nations Elders and youth to learn about their perspectives of what connects them to their lands, waters and territories. The name of the project is based on the Indigenous approach of humble listening and experiential learning, to form a connection with others by walking together in that journey.
The goal of the project is to inform the development of a new wellness-based indicator measuring connection to land among First Nations people in BC, a foundational aspect of First Nations health and wellness that has not previously been captured in health reporting in BC.
We're all reflections of the land that we come from. Whether it's the mountains, or the lakes, or the rivers, or the ocean, we reflect that in our language and what we dress ourselves with and with our understanding 'cause that all came from the earth. - Tsets Waunexw (Gabriel George), Tsleil-Waututh Nation
To mark the public release of the We Walk Together film series, FNHA Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Evan Adams, FNHA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nel Wieman, and Deputy Provincial Health Officer Dr. Danièle Behn Smith will be co-hosting the virtual film screening and sharing key insights from the project. First Nations people in BC who attend this film screening will have the opportunity to share their feedback on our connection to land indicator ideas.
People need to know how our community breathes and where we came from. Our video shows what we went through and what makes us resilient, and how we are getting through that and how to go forward. We are teaching staff who work at Children and Family Services and staff at other related services that they really need to know where our people come from…This [video] would be a great tool for communities who are ready to take some action for their healing. – Siyamex (Virginia Peters), Sts'ailes Nation
