The Gitlaxdax Nisga’a Terrace Society will be establishing an outreach program to help their community members in partnership with the All Nations Outreach Society.
Following an outreach walk earlier in the month, members of the Gitlaxdax society met with James Harry Sr., the founder of All Nations, to discuss starting a program to help at-risk Nisga’a people in Terrace.
All Nations was established by Harry to connect with Haisla people in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver to offer them help and the chance to go home to their families. Harry, who currently resides in Vancouver, was invited to attend the outreach walk in Terrace and help get the program up and running.
Indigenous families are still dealing with the results of residential schools and colonialism to this day through intergenerational trauma. Reconnecting to culture and tradition is something Harry feels is the most important cure for helping people face their trauma, and showing them that their communities still care for them.
Similar to how the program runs in the Downtown Eastside, outreach workers will make connections with Nisga’a members in Terrace who are struggling and approach them in a way that makes them feel comfortable. Harry described the approach as going to their comfort zone and forming a connection to help them out of their situation as opposed to pulling them out of where they feel safe.
Gitlaxdax is currently in the process of planning out their practices and protocols.
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