Shäwthän Näzhì:Healing with the Land Society

Province: Yukon

Community: Whitehorse 

Date: 2024-2025

Shäwthän Näzhì: Healing with the Land Society launched a 12-month land-based pilot project to support 10–12 Yukon First Nations individuals through their recovery support journey.

The programming was grounded in Yukon First Nation language, culture, and traditions in a land-based environment. Weekly circles, frequent weekend-long land-based programs, and support through counselling, various healing modalities, and wrap-around services were provided as needed.

The Society drew on four years of experience running Yukon First Nation family programs in land-based settings—focused on healing through diverse modalities—to address the root causes of intergenerational trauma.

In collaboration with the Council of Yukon First Nations, the Society aimed to include representatives from as many of the 14 Yukon First Nations as possible, to ensure a broad range of perspectives and to establish community-based partnerships for the pilot.