Our Vision
To acknowledge and celebrate the diversity both between and within our local urban and rural indigenous people, based on our unique histories, relationships, geographies, cultures, practices, languages, and interests.
Our Mission
Our mission is leading the development of services, programs, and other initiatives to support the urban/rural indigenous population with cultural safety and humility awareness and supports for family members. We have multiple roles to be involve in urban health and wellness, as a service provider, a partner, and an advocate for the systemic transformation of Quesnel’s indigenous services system(s) to support the wellness journeys of our indigenous people, the programs and services are also focused on improving the lack of processes and resources to connect with indigenous family’s community isolation.
As we seek to enhance programs and services for the broader Indigenous population, we continue to learn and align with the wholistic Perspective on Health and Wellness, through engagement and participation from our local community. The social determinants are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live and age as well as the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. These are obstacles in our community for our children, youth and family’s development and include:
Culture and Language
Social Support Networks
Income and Social Status
Employment and Working Conditions
Physical Environment
Personal Health Practices and Coping Skills
Early Childhood Experience
Access to Health Services
Genetics, Gender, and Social Exclusion
This is a concept for ECHEN Healing Society to work on, even before we can look at evaluating and setting metrics of success for basic services such as education. The vision is largely determined by broader social, cultural, institutional, economic, and environmental factors. Each child's and family’s situation are unique. Needs based supports can help with a wide range of health, social and educational needs, including the unique needs that children and youth and those with disabilities may have.
Need Based Goals
Facilitate Partnerships and Capacity Building
Facilitate partnerships, collaborations and capacity building. The context of Indigenous Peoples' health and wellness is complex with many institutions. It requires working together to make positive change. We recognize this and work to facilitate and support partnerships and collaborations between communities, organizations and sectors. We also recognize that building capacity both within and outside of Quesnel Indigenous population is important.
Build on Community Strengths
Build on the strengths of communities. We look for supports through a number of communities granting streams that support our community to identify priorities and undertake initiatives.
Enhance Indigenous Representation and Coordination
Review current initiatives and opportunities for enhancing urban and rural indigenous representation, and coordination with mental health and wellness and social determinants to services, supports and programs.
Plan for Long-Term Programs and Services
Comprehensively plan for long-term and coordinated programs and services. Yet Nations do not always represent the urban and rural population, there is an opportunity for urban Indigenous service organizations in a similar way, through long-term sustainable funding models, rather than short-term grant-based funding through multiple sources.
Collaborate for Systemic Solutions
Work with BC’s Ministries for Social Development and Poverty Reduction on systemic solutions to the multiple and interlocking crises of homelessness, poverty, substance use and mental health and wellness.
Coordinate Services Across Social Determinants
The social determinants are typically viewed as being too broad in scope, and too expensive or complex, and outside of the mandate of any one ministry or organization. Coordination of services across the social determinant’s spectrum, however, can have significant positive impacts.
Expand Services to Indigenous People in Quesnel
To expand services to local urban and rural indigenous people residing in Quesnel.
- Primary Health Care
- Chronic Disease Prevention
- Community Support Services
- Mental Health and Addictions
- Traditional Health and Healing
- Land Connection/ Education
- Traditional spirituality
