MAMOWICHIHITOWIN PROGRAM
Our History
Photo Courtesy of Larissa Delorme
Our Journey to Now
Many years ago, a member of the Hinton Friendship Center’s Youth Group made a courageous disclosure during a group about an experience of intra-familial sexual abuse.
As the staff responded to this youth and worked with her to move through the various systems, it became glaringly obvious that there was a lot of work to do here. Unfortunately for this young woman and her family, things did not end well as many lacked the appropriate training/education to assist her/them, and in the end, she felt punished for having come forward with this information. In response to this situation, the Board of Directors of the friendship center directed Lisa Higgerty to pursue partnerships and create programming so that no individual/family would have to go through something like this again. A community family violence assessment was completed and indicated that there were high rates of sexual abuse in the region and that the abuse was largely unreported, untreated, and normalized.
After much community development and research spearheaded by Lisa Higgerty, the Mamowichihitowin Program was born. In collaboration with the surrounding communities and elders, this program was named, Mamowichihitowin (“All working together”) because it was realized that it would take many people, families, systems, and organizations to make the necessary changes needed to ensure that sexual abuse disclosures could not only be addressed more effectively but also to address the underlying reasons why sexual abuse was occurring at such high rates.
Our first therapist, Shauna Eriksen, was hired in 2002. Shauna and Lisa put their heart and soul into this work to get this program up and running. Shauna attended training with many local Indigenous people/elders and with Tony Martins (who had run a similar program). Relationships were formed with the appropriate communities and partners and by 2003, Shauna started providing services to our first clients (to ALL of the communities within the region). As we followed our clients’ lead and in collaboration with many, a unique model was created to best serve the individuals and families in our communities to address the complex needs related to sexual abuse and colonial trauma.
Over 20 years later, our program has grown considerably, and we now have multiple therapists working in each region. Not only has our team grown during this time, but so has our scope of practice. Although we are still a specialized program that addresses sexual abuse and/or colonial trauma, we now have another program connected specifically to addressing domestic violence. We also have a new position as of 2022 that assists with education, partnerships, and assisting individuals in navigating systems after they have recently made a disclosure. We are grateful for all the support we have received along the way and want to acknowledge many of the partners who helped us reach this point.
Colonial trauma
Colonial trauma is described as “a complex, continuous, collective, cumulative and compounding interaction of impacts related to the imposition of colonial policies and practices which continue to separate Indigenous Peoples from their land, languages, cultural practices, and one another” (Mitchell, 2019).
Lisa Higgerty
The Mamowichihitowin Program would not exist if it wasn’t for Lisa Higgerty. She was the first person tasked with getting this program started. She hit the ground running and began creating this program from the roots up by creating partnerships, surveying the needs of each community, and following the guidance of the communities and their elders. This program was born from her hard work, determination, and deep love for the people we serve. She spent many years contributing to the management and growth of this program. Although she has since moved on to other important roles, we will never forget the spirited energy and care that she put into this program. Hiy Hiy Lisa!
Hinton Friendship Centre
The Hinton Friendship Centre birthed the Mamowichihitowin Program into existence. It has been responsible for responding to the needs of the community and finding the right people to implementing this program. The HFC continues to be a place we call home and the ongoing partnership continues to support our staff and clients. We are grateful for all the ways we’ve worked together over the years. Hiy Hiy.
Gratitude to our Elders
Over the years, we have been deeply fortunate to be supported by elders from within our community as well as from some elders outside of our community. They have provided one-on one support to our therapists, and to our clients and have also provided teachings in sharing circles as well. We appreciate all the teachings, wisdom, and guidance provided to us over the years. This has been a grounding force in our work. All our relations.
Partners of the Mamowichihitowin
Aseniwuche Winewak Nation
Nakcowinewak Nation
Alberta Justice
Child & Family Service Region 7 & 8
Probation
Royal Canadian Mount Police (Hinton, Jasper, Grande Cache and Edson)
Native Counselling Services of Alberta (Hinton & Grande Cache)
AHS Mental Health and Addictions
Yellowhead Emergency Shelter
Edson Friendship Centre
Community Outreach Support Services-COSS (Jasper)
Municipalities
Family & Community Support Services (FCSS)
Alberta Association of Sexual Abuse Services (AASAS)
Photo Courtesy of Linda Delorme
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