Circles of Care - Circles of Courage

The CMHA-CVB Circles of Care- Circles of Courage girls’ program at Malahat Nation has concluded. This program ran until August 2024. At this time Malahat Nation began operating this program independently of CMHA-CVB. CMHA-CVB will offer expertise and consultation as requested. 

Our program participants were fortunate to participate in many unique opportunities to bond with elders from the Malahat Nation community including traditional drum making, excursions, elder and youth gatherings, and hosting an elder tea party. On average there were 10 participants with a total of 15 registered per session. This number remained consistent throughout the years as participants aged out of the program and new members aged in.

Building on the experience we gained over five years, we focused activities and programming around 5 areas related to building resiliency. This included: Communication, Critical Thinking, Culture, Self-Confidence, and Connection. We used these concepts to direct our discovery of what it means to nurture resiliency in girls during early adolescence. Our facilitation team was comprised of a Child and Youth Care Worker and an elder from the Malahat community. Together they were able to provide programming that was culturally strong, academically informed, and participant-centred.

We were honoured to receive continued funding from the Canadian Women’s Foundation. With this funding, we were able to expand the program to include a mentorship component that focused on working with participants who aged out of the girl’s program to help build their leadership and mentoring skills. 

This program would not be possible if not for the close partnership between CMHA-CVB and Malahat Nation’s social programs department and funding from the Canadian Women's Foundation. Huy ch q'u