Programs & Services
Listening to the needs of youth helps us to plan a variety of programs and services that connect and inspire. Over time, we use the feedback we receive to adjust existing programs and services, as well as adding new ones.
Traditional Wellness Therapy
Anishiative is honoured to collaborate with experienced facilitators who bring forward Traditional Wellness Therapy (TWT).
Traditional Wellness Therapy (TWT) is a culturally grounded healing approach developed and facilitated by Shane Patterson (B.A., MDP, Dakota Sundance Chief, Medicine Man) and Jason Binkley (B.S.W., M.S.W., Cree/German Knowledge Keeper). This work is rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing and being, and guided by Dakota kinship teachings that emphasize living as a good relative.
Through TWT, Shane and Jason support participants using a holistic approach that brings together therapeutic, spiritual, and cultural practices. Sessions may include the respectful use of plant medicines, smudging with an eagle fan, healing songs, prayer, and ceremony.
TWT offers a space not only for healing and release, but also for learning, cultural connection, and spiritual growth. It provides an opportunity to deepen one’s relationship with spirit, reconnect with cultural teachings, and be honoured in a meaningful and supportive way.
Land-based
Summer Camps
We take Indigenous youth from inner-city Winnipeg to the land to learn and heal from the residual effects of intergenerational trauma. This is supported through sharing circles, smudging, traditional somatic breathing techniques, and sweat lodge ceremonies. By building and living in tipis, making drums, playing traditional games, and practicing survival skills, youth reconnect with their ancestral ways of life and deepen their connection to the land.
Mihkiwahp Program
The Mihkiwahp Program is a culturally grounded wellness and life skills program created by Matriarchs Ivana Yellowback and Raven Hart. Rooted in the 15 Tipi Pole Teachings, this program offers a safe and supportive space for young people to learn, grow, and reconnect with traditional knowledge and ways of being.
Over 15 weeks, participants will take part in weekly in-person sessions focused on holistic learning that supports the mind, body, spirit, and hands-on skills. The program is designed to build confidence, strengthen identity, and support participants in rebuilding their home fires while deepening their roles within family and community. Participants will also have the opportunity to earn six recognized certificates.
Childminding is available.
Topics explored throughout the program include Indigenous life skills, trauma resiliency, ceremony as harm reduction, decolonizing parenting, grief and loss, healing the inner child, healthy relationships, substance use awareness, conflict resolution, time and money management, colonization and the Indian Act, and human trafficking awareness.
The Mihkiwahp Program continues to welcome new participants into future sessions, offering an ongoing space for healing, growth, and reconnection through culture, community, and shared learning.
Workshops in Your Space
We also offer mobile, community-based workshops that can be brought directly into schools, organizations, and community settings:
- Traditional Games
- Medicine Bag Making
- Ribbon Skirt Making
- Drum Making
- Traditional Teachings
- Storytelling
- Presentations & Speaking Engagements
Youth Community Foot Patrol
As capacity allows, Anishiative facilitates a variety of community projects focused on youth, wellness, care for our unsheltered relatives, and land-based education. One such initiative is a youth-led litter patrol, where groups travel through neighborhoods collecting garbage and sharps, connecting with neighbors, and distributing donated water, juice, snacks, and backpacks filled with hygiene products.
Community Ceremony & Cultural Wellness
At Anishiative, healing, learning, and leadership begin with connection—to our culture, our land, and each other. Through ceremonies, land-based retreats, and wellness programs, we provide safe spaces for Indigenous youth, families, and Elders to come together, share knowledge, and strengthen community ties.
Our programs include Sweat Lodge and Full Moon ceremonies, Cedar baths, pipe ceremonies, plant medicine walks, medicine bag making, drum making, tipi building, traditional games, storytelling, and workshops led by Elders and knowledge keepers. We also host community care initiatives, youth mentorship, Life Skills programs, cultural camps, and leadership programs that empower young people to reclaim their identity, heal intergenerational trauma, and grow as community leaders.
Healing starts now. We create safe, judgment-free spaces for youth to learn, practice ceremony, and belong—guided by mentors, Elders, and peers.