Facilitator
Men's Wellness Workshops
Indigenous men’s mental health and spiritual wellness have largely been ignored. In the old days, we had our own form of mental health and wellness. We went on hunting parties with our brothers, cousins, fathers, uncles, and lifelong friends, talking and joking, working together. We got our spirituality from the land and the connection we had to one another. We butchered the meat we harvested and distributed to our families. We had a role and a purpose in the family and in the community. We were essential to survival, and we were valued.
Nowadays, we buy our food from the store instead of hunting for it. We don't have to build our own tools, we buy them. We are not the protectors and providers we once were. Some of us get a handout from the government, and we get used to it. This loss of purpose, along with the loss of language and culture, lead to crippling addiction, chronic depression, and apathy. It is no wonder we are struggling with our mental health and spiritual wellness.
There is no easy answer to sobriety and wellness. It is a long and arduous journey. Like the leaders of past who lead the hunting parties with their wisdom and knowledge, we need to use those same people in our communities to lead us to sobriety. We are hunting a different animal now called addiction, an animal that is hurting our communities and killing our children. And that animal is inside us.
Using his own experience, Dennis leads men's wellness workshops through the unbroken trail of recovery. He uses his own life story as a guide for others to follow. As men, we need to start admitting that we need help. We've held onto the belief that asking for help was a weak thing. When in fact, it is the most courageous and valiant thing a man can do. When a man admits he needs help, and accepts it, he helps himself, his kids, his wife, his job, and his community.
It is impossible to address addiction and recovery in a workshop, but it will be a good departure point for men to start addressing it. Please contact Dennis for workshop outline, pricing, and scheduling.
Cultural Educator
When people from down south come into our communities, to work or visit, they are often lacking cultural awareness about the Indigenous people here. They are left to make assumptions about our identity and heritage. This puts them at a disadvantage. Dennis offers a full day cross cultural awareness workshop to help people transition into their northern setting. Dennis has an excellent library of films which he has written and directed which serve as a reference for his sessions. Please contact Dennis to discuss his cross cultural workshops.
Healing Workshops
Rankin Inlet, Nunavut
Working with caregivers, Dennis lead a week long intensive on recovery from addiction and helping men transition from the prison system back into society.
The Moccasin Project
Using creative ways to connect to federal offenders, Dennis initiated "The Moccasin Project" while working with Corrections Canada. Donated moccasins helped the inmates connect, some for the first time, with their culture.
Finding Identity
Finding Identity
Working with schools, friendship centres, and organizations, Dennis works with youth on Cultural Empowerment. With creativity and "outside the box" thinking, Dennis connects and influences students on a deep personal level.