June 2021 Community Newsletter

​Dear Community,
It is with a sore heart I write this newsletter. My desire is to not further traumatize any survivors and individuals experiencing intergenerational trauma, yet to remain silent is also not an option. We believe every child is sacred. The inequity of child protection and treatment are at the forefront of our thoughts. We stand in solidary with the Indigenous, Métis and Inuit Nations. We support any, and all steps, towards real actions of Truth and Reconciliation. Each child on this earth deserves equality of access to a safe and loving upbringing free from undue influence, violence, and damage inflicted by governmental and/or any other institutions. Children belong with their families. We bow our heads in love, support, and respect for the lost children, they need to come home to their families.
Resources: National Indian Residential School Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society (IRSSS): 1-800-721-0066 If you are interested in donating to IRSSS, please click here. Kuu-us Crisis Line Adults: 250-723-4050 Youth: 250-723-2040 Toll free: 1-800-588-8717 For youth: Trained crisis responders and counsellors are available by text and phone, 24/7, and a texter can request to speak to an Indigenous crisis responder. Call 1-800-668-6868 and text 686868.

​As part of our ongoing efforts to provide safe and inclusive family support and childcare services, we will be before Saanich Mayor and Council on June 21 to seek final approval to open our newly built Child and Family Services Centre on the unceded lands of the W̱SÁNEĆ and Lkwungen-speaking Peoples. We remain committed to providing expanded childcare and family services in the community. Please find additional information in the newsletter below. In close, our staff and organization are available to help any community members that need support.
Yours in community,
Corinne Hilton Bains
Executive Director

​Current Program Offerings
Parent Support & Baby Group Wednesdays | 11:00 - 12:00 PM | Virtual Parent Support & Toddler Group Thursdays | 1:00 - 2:00 PM | Virtual Discussion and support group for parents and caregivers with babies 0 to 18 months. Please contact brianna@snplace.org for registration.
Virtual Parenting Hour Thursdays | 1:00 - 2:00 PM | Virtual An opportunity to discuss a variety of parenting topics, ask questions, and express
concerns with SNP Family Support staff and special guests. Please click here to access our registration form, or contact family@snplace.org for registration.
Best Babies Tuesdays | 12:00 - 1:00 PM | Virtual Virtual Support for pregnant people and their newborns up to 6 months of age. Please contact robin@snplace.org.
Parenting from a Dad's Perspective Tuesdays | 7:00 - 8:00 PM | Virtual Conversations to inform, reflect, and explore how fathers can support their families. Please contact paul@snplace.org for registration.

Saanich Neighbourhood Place Child and Family Centre
Our new Saanich Neighbourhood Place (SNP) Child and Family Services Centre is built and ready to serve the community, however we require one more approval to finish building the playground. We would like to request your support to inform the District of Saanich about SNP and all the good work we do here. Between now and June 21, we are hoping to gather input and feedback from the community as we prepare to go before the Saanich Mayor and Council.
We request that you consider the following:
1) Writing a letter of support to Saanich Municipality by
contacting council@saanich.ca.
2) Writing a letter to the Saanich News and Times Colonist by contacting editor@saanichnews.com or letters@timescolonist.com.
*Be sure to always include your name, address and telephone number
3) Call Saanich Municipality and ask to be placed on the agenda as a speaker 250-475-1775.
4) Like and share all social media posts regarding our June 21 meeting. If you have any questions, please contact us. Thank you for your support!

Support Our Work   -Purchase Children's Art Cards
Are you interested in purchasing children's art? These amazing gift cards are available at Saanich Neighbourhood Place! Help us with raising awareness of our programs and fundraising opportunities. These cards were created from the art 'archives' of children who've been in our programs over the years. Purchase a set of 4 cards for only $6! Available at SNP.

Get Your Recycle On!
We have teamed up with Bottle Depot so that our supporters can recycle their cans, bottles and plastic drink containers at three Bottle Depot locations (Glanford Avenue, Queens Avenue, and Quadra Street) and we receive all proceeds. Here's how it works. When you arrive at any of the three locations listed above 👆 you tell the folks at Bottle Depot that you are donating the proceeds to Saanich Neighbourhood Place. All proceeds will be used to help support our community through food service, childcare, and family programs.

Great Canadian Giving Campaign Help us win $20,000!
For each dollar donated, we are also entered into a contest where we could potentially win $20,000. During the month of June, we are participating in the Great Canadian Giving Campaign organized by CanadaHelps - We will specifically be using any donations to purchase toys and outdoor play equipment and structures. A minimum of a $3 dollar donation is required (see link below). As a registered charitable organization, we are funded by a combination of government contracts, community foundation funds, individual and corporate donors and sponsors, and earned revenues. 100% of any profits are reinvested into our programs and services. Visit our charitable link here.

Toys and Outdoor Play Equipment
The childcare team is busy sorting through the gently used or new toys that have been so kindly donated to Saanich Neighbourhood Place. If you have any toys you would like to donate, please get in touch with Moira, our Childcare Manager at moira@snplace.org for more information. Due to COVID19 protocols and restrictions, donations need to be arranged by appointment only.

Let's Get Social
We ask that you follow us on all social media platforms when and if possible. We have a lot of engaging content to share, so let's get a little more SOCIAL! We are also working to make all our work product more accessible including this newsletter and our social media platforms. Facebook or at @saanichneighbourhoodplace Instagram or at @snplace Twitter or at @snplacetweets

Events, News and Resources
Pride Month
While pride is a wonderfully fun month where love of all kinds is celebrated and the freedom fighters are honoured, let's not forget that everyday is PRIDE!! Everyday is a RAINBOW PARTY! We welcome and create safe space for all our families we serve and the community. Happy Pride from all of us at SNP!

National Indigenous History Month 2021
In June, we commemorate National Indigenous History Month 2021 to recognize the history, heritage and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Turtle Island/ Canada. On June 21, 2021, we celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day. This June 21st is the national 25th anniversary of celebrating the heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. During the month of June we will be posting books, films, and educational resources to support our collective journey of Truth and Reconciliation on our social media platforms. We have included some of our favourite resources below just in case you don't follow social media.
Books
         Indian Horse, Medicine Walk and Starlight are just a few of the novels by award-winning Ojibwe author and journalist Richard Wagamese (October 14, 1955 – March 10, 2017) from the Wabaseemoong Independent Nations in what is now known as northwestern Ontario.
        This Place: 150 Years Retold Explore the last 150 years through the eyes of Indigenous creators in the graphic novel anthology, This Place: 150 Years Retold. Beautifully illustrated, these stories are an emotional and enlightening journey through magic realism, serial killings, psychic battles, and time travel. See how Indigenous peoples have survived a post-apocalyptic world since Contact. 150 Years Retold by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, Sonny Assu, Brandon Mitchell, Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, David A. Robertson, Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, Jen Storm, Richard Van Camp, Katherena Vermette, Chelsea Vowel | illustrated by Tara Audibert, Kyle Charles, GMB Chomichuk, Natasha Donovan, Scott B. Henderson, Ryan Howe, Andrew Lodwick, Jen Storm. Colour by Scott A. Ford, Donovan Yaciuk.
Films
       Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World is a Canadian documentary film directed by Catherine Bainbridge and co-directed by Alfonso Maiorana, released in 2017. The film profiles the impact of Indigenous musicians and African Americans in Canada and the United States on the development of rock music. Artists profiled include Charley Patton, Mildred Bailey, Link Wray, Jesse Ed Davis, Stevie Salas, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Robbie Robertson, Randy Castillo, Jimi Hendrix, Taboo and others. The title of the film is a reference to the pioneering instrumental "Rumble", released in 1958 by the American group Link Wray & His Ray Men. The instrumental piece was very influential on many artists.
        Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution is a 2020 American documentary film directed, written and co-produced by Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht.Crip Camp starts in 1971 at Camp Jened, a summer camp in New York described as a "loose, free-spirited camp designed for teens with disabilities". Starring Larry Allison, Judith Heumann, James LeBrecht, Denise Sherer Jacobson, and Stephen Hofmann, the film focuses on those campers who turned themselves into activists for the disability rights movement and follows their fight for accessibility legislation.
Courses
         Indigenous Canada is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. From an Indigenous perspective, this course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations. Indigenous Canada is for students from faculties outside the Faculty of Native Studies with an interest in acquiring a basic familiarity with Indigenous/non-Indigenous relationships.
Celestial Events
​       The Solstice on June 21st, is recognized by the United Nations for it's cultural significance. Culture is often defined as a set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs. Thus, culture is at the heart of contemporary debates about identity, social cohesion, and the development of a knowledge-based economy.
Therefore, in our increasingly diverse societies, it is essential to ensure harmonious interaction among people and groups with plural, varied and dynamic cultural identities, as well as their willingness to live together. In this sense, cultural diversity is the common heritage of humanity, and it should be recognized and affirmed for the benefit of present and future generations. Mindful that the solstices and equinoxes symbolize the fertility of the land, agricultural and food production systems, cultural heritage and their millenary traditions.​