Elder Robert

Pathways to Healing

Part of the solution

A lot of them have been in institutions all their lives, through residential school and now in prison, and seeing them want to make that change and knowing that some of them go home to their communities and they become part of the solution and not part of the problem.

Robert Bourdon
Indigenous Elder

Culture Intensive

I'm working with the men from La Macaza Institution, what we call the Pathways Group. It's a culture intensive group of men who have decided to make changes in their lives. And what we're doing is accompanying them, we’re walking beside them, we’re not carrying them. And we're working through ceremony, through culture, through feasts, but all of that to help bring back self-worth, bring back their pride in who they are, who their people are. What I enjoy most is being with the men, listening to their stories, talking to them, sharing. You know, when they come into the prison, they're coming in, some of them think they're coming in to the enemy.

Self Worth

And what we're trying to do is, "No, you're coming home, let's talk." So what I really enjoy is hearing their stories, where they're from, and before getting into their criminal path, it's where are they from, what have they done, who are their people. So that's really the pleasant thing, it’s just visiting.

Visiting

They need to walk beside the Elders who have already walked their healing path. We have a big influence on them. Sometimes we're the fathers that they've never had, the grandfathers they've never had. We can make sure that we're sending people back into the communities that are healthy. We're guaranteeing a healthy future for our children, our grandchildren, and for the generations to come.

Healthy Future

Changing lives.

Protecting Canadians.