Menu
Building A Safer Community
knxit (help somebody)
Safety isn’t separate from healing. For too many Indigenous families, violence — and the trauma it leaves behind — is part of the inheritance colonization handed down. We believe the same teachings that were taken from our communities are the ones that hold people when they’re struggling: cultural identity, belonging, and connection are not soft comforts. They are protection.
This is the work of breaking cycles. And we believe young people, supported by their elders and their culture, are the ones who will break them.
Lightkeepers
Lightkeepers is our developing initiative for violence prevention and cultural healing, designed with and for Indigenous youth and young adults. It’s built on a growing body of evidence — and a truth our people have always known — that cultural identity is itself a protective factor against violence and despair.
As we build it, Lightkeepers is taking shape around three connected components:
- Connect — an intergenerational space where elders share teachings and youth help shape what’s taught: healthy relationships, conflict resolution, and wellness. Wisdom passed forward.
- Heal — a culturally grounded curriculum for violence prevention, trauma healing, and substance use education, co-designed with the young people it serves. Cultural identity as a protective factor.
- Guide — training for providers and professionals to deliver culturally responsive, trauma-informed support. Systems transformed.
Our Board
These dedicated individuals not only guide our organization but also actively engage with our community to drive positive change.
Ms. Em (spaxʷawlx) Olguin-Abrahamson
Board Chair
Land Stewardship, Arts & Culture, and Events Committees
Chanel Somday
Board Member
Land Stewardship and Youth Advocacy Committees
Deidre Ellsworth
Board Member
Arts & Culture and Events Committees
Rebeka Haynes, PhD
Alternate Board Member
Education, Youth Advocacy, and Development Committees
Dan Gina Graham, M.Ed
Board Member
Arts & Culture and Events Commitees