The Prince Albert Grand Council is offering a new program for women who reside in First Nations communities throughout Saskatchewan.
The Empowered Movement Workshop will offer attendees a less-than-traditional way of prioritizing their physical, mental and emotional health.
“We really wanted to do something that isn’t as traditional as what was seen before,” said PAGC dietitian Jillian Ottmann. “So, we decided that we wanted to do a workshop for women living in First Nations communities. We are having presenters do demonstrations with self-defense, yoga and meditation, as well as journey-dance.”
Ottmann adds that all of the presenters are First Nation women and that there will be a heavy emphasis on holistic health, which is the driving force behind the creation of the workshop.
The activities will be transferable into day-to-day life and the goal is to use different sorts of physical activity to de-stress and reflect.
“These are activities that women will be able to do in their own homes with their friends and family,” explains Ottmann.
Ottmann says there was an overwhelming positive response and there was a wait list of nearly 50 women. She says she is hopeful that they will have the opportunity to host another workshop in the future.
Attendees are traveling from all over Saskatchewan to take part, including a woman who flew down from Fond-du-Lac.
The workshop runs on January 17 and 18 in Saskatoon.
(Empowered Movement Workshop poster. Photo courtesy of PAGC Facebook page)