Program Overview

We want to provide you with the tools and skills to pursue further education or employment, to help support your family. The Honouring Gifts program accepts Indigenous single mothers between 18 to 29 years of age.

Are you a young Indigenous single mother living in Winnipeg? Contact us.

We will help you:

  • Understand your career options
  • Develop your skills through training, employment or education
  • Increase your exposure to a wide variety of workplaces, careers, and educational options by engaging in an on-site work internship
  • Become familiar with and learn how to access support systems that are available to you
  • Participants will have the opportunity to receive certification in a variety of areas such as:
    • Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS);
    • Food Handlers;
    • First AID/CPR;
    • Manitoba Service Excellence;
    • Suicide Intervention

Through setting and achieving goals, women may aspire to enter into the workforce, pursue continued education, or further explore their options on the road to lifelong learning.

Program Focus

All Educational Programs are designed to create a safe environment that provides culturally authentic opportunities for women to become connected to their history, themselves, their community, and their nation. Traditional knowledge is woven throughout the content; based on principles of belonging, generosity, independence, and mastery as described by Dr. Martin Brokenleg in the Circle of Courage. The focus is to build upon women’s assets, resources, aptitudes, abilities, skills, and knowledge. Women have the opportunity to develop their interpersonal skills. The curriculum includes the development of communication skills, conflict resolution, and developing a code of conduct which supports their learning environment. Women are provided with learning opportunities to become self-directing and begin to set goals as well as discover options.

Funders

  • Oshki Annishinabe Nigaaniwak (City of Winnipeg Aboriginal Youth Strategy)
  • Centre for Aboriginal Human Resource Development (CAHRD)
  • City of Winnipeg
  • Government of Manitoba

To download a copy of the Honouring Gifts Brochure please click here.

To fill a copy of our online application form please click here.

View the Oshki Annishinabe Niganniwak webpage by clicking here.

For more information, please contact:

Dianne Barron, Facilitator
Pronouns: She/Her
Phone: 204-560-7784
Email: dbarron@kanikanichihk.ca

Honouring, Honouring Gifts

By Candace Horseman

Being accepted into this program has been an amazing experience for me. I have learned so much about myself, about my culture and my community. I have received the skills to venture out into the world with my head held high with pride, determination, love and respect for myself. This program has taught me to get to know someone before I make any assumptions about them. That I am NOT better than anyone and that all of us women are equal and we are all starting at the same place. It has also taught me that being early for things is better than being on time. Even being up every day and getting dressed to look good, just for school, taught me that; to get success you have to dress for it.

I have learned to have more patience with people. Also to open myself to new friendships that I have formed and I am hoping that they are for life. Meeting some of these ladies has been a blessing for me, some I still don’t have friendships with, but that’s life. One lady that I have formed a friendship with is someone that I can see myself being friends with for a long time, if not for life. Sabrina is now my best friend. She is a strong woman and I believe that she can and will teach me a few things.

Being a part of this program has taught me how to be a better parent through the Nobody’s Perfect Parenting course. When I came to this program I was a good mother and the skills that the program has taught me have made me an even better mother. With Nobody’s Perfect, I obtained the skills to deal with my daughter with love and patience.

I understand my career options now and where to begin one by developing my skills. I am setting goals in my life that I plan to pursue. I have made myself a great savings plan that I am so proud of with the budgeting skills that were taught to me through the Honouring Gifts program.

I am teaching my daughter that life is what you make it, that there is no “I can’t do it,” or “I am stuck.” Both my parents raised us children on their own, so I know that being a single parent is a major struggle. I am looking forward to each and every single hurdle that I am going to have to jump through. I want my daughter to know that the more you work, and the harder you work – the greater the rewards. I want to raise my daughter with a work ethic that will make my grandfather proud; that is, of course, after I learn it myself first.

I am empowering myself as a single aboriginal mother and teaching and raising my daughter to be one too. And I have to say thank you for giving me that chance to become a better person, mother, friend, daughter, and citizen in society. This program just made another strong aboriginal woman, stronger and smarter. When I look back at this moment in my life 10 years from now, I am going to say, “I did it,” and it’s all thanks to Honouring Gifts.

I have always known what I wanted to do when I moved here and Ka Ni Kanichihk has given me the tools, motivation, and understanding, to truly know what I want to do for the rest of my life. I now know what exactly, where, how long it’s going to take me and what route I am going to take to get there.