Creating Supports for Kermode AHS Community
Facilitating a Conference: How Kermode Daycare Centre AHS and Kermode AHS are Working to Create Supports for their Community
Kermode AHS, Kermode Daycare Centre AHS, and Kermode Friendship Society had a recent victory. In collaboration with the Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) centres, Kermode facilitated and hosted an ECE Conference in Terrace, B.C. in March of this year.
“This is always something we’ve wanted to do,” Charmaine, coordinator for Kermode Preschool AHS, says.
“Every time I go away to a conference, I always learn so much. You always feel inspired when you go home, that you want to host one yourself,” Charmaine continues. “That’s always been my goal since I’ve been going away…there really isn’t a lot of stuff in the northwest.”
Initially, the conference was planned for a few years ago – but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented this dream from becoming a reality until this year.
The conference was hosted at the Kermode Friendship Centre and divided between one of the Friendship Centre’s rooms and one of the Kermode Daycare Centre AHS classrooms. (Kermode Daycare Centre is based inside of the Kermode Friendship Centre.)
The conference was opened up to the northwest area and had attendees from Prince Rupert, Nass Valley, and Terrace.
This conference had two workshop components – Drum Making with Lisa Lawley, and Trauma-Informed Care with Ashleigh Martinflatt.
If the name Ashleigh Martinflatt is familiar to you, and you are part of the larger AHS in BC circle, you might remember she ran the same workshop for AHS via Zoom back in December.
“I sat in [Ashley Martinflatt’s workshop with AHS]…it’s not an enjoyable topic…but it’s one that we need to have brought to our educators because it’s really important,” Charmaine explains.
“A lot of the families we work with have intergenerational trauma, and we need to realize that the children that we’re working with, are living with families with trauma to increase the awareness.”
Ashleigh describes this workshop as a way to learn about what trauma is, how trauma affects children from the ages of 0-6, and how to navigate and create a trauma-informed space for the children.
Ashleigh is from Nanaimo, B.C., and is a professor at Vancouver Island University and the University of Victoria. She is a registered Social Worker and Clinical Counsellor.
Lisa Lawley works as the Circle of Life Coordinator at Kermode Friendship Centre, and guided Educators through the process of making a drum. Supplies (frame, hide, etc.) were all provided, and pre-soaked for workshop participants. This workshop explored what drums mean in Indigenous culture, how to build and care for the drums, as well as the sharing of a few songs. Lisa also took time to show a few items that belong to the Friendship Center that are used for cultural practices, such as Eagle Feathers, Eagle Fans, rattles, etc.
When asked why drum-making for this conference, Charmaine says that she still remembers the process of making her first drum and how exciting it was. “I really, really, enjoyed it and I want other people to have that experience.”
On top of the workshops, lunch was provided, and there were opportunities for Educators to purchase supplies and goodies for there center or for themselves. From books, felt boards
and felted stories, games, to coffee mugs, hoodies, and candles, there was a little bit for everyone to experience.
“We [Kermode and the CCRR] are a great team.” Charmaine concludes.
If you are part of the AHS community and would like to share your successes, or things your center is doing, please feel free to reach out! You can email storyteller@ahsabc.com