Revitalizing ancestral practices regarding sexuality among Atikamekw fathers

CLICK HERE FOR PRESENTATION SLIDES


Overview

Quebec's Atikamekw communities, like many of Canada's First Peoples, bear the scars of historical trauma linked to colonization, residential schools and assimilation policies. These experiences have weakened family ties, affected the transmission of traditional knowledge, and contributed to an increase in sexual violence. Today, revitalizing ancestral sexual practices is a fundamental lever for supporting prevention and collective healing. We will present the Kaskinomatosawin initiative, which aims to prevent sexual violence in an Indigenous community, and more specifically the component aimed at strengthening the involvement of fathers in education for positive and respectful sexuality. The results of a qualitative data analysis will be shared as well as a community video which was produced, highlighting the role that everyone - fathers, mothers, elders and caregivers - can play in sexuality education, in a respectful, inclusive and culturally safe approach. This initiative illustrates how cultural revitalization can become an important driver of prevention and reconciliation within communities.

Speakers

Jacinthe Dion

Jacinthe Dion, PhD, is a full professor in psychology at the Department of Health Sciences of the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC). She is co-holder of the VISAJ research chair on the Life and Health of Youth and a member of the steering committee of CRIPCAS (Centre de Recherche Interdisciplinaire sur les Problèmes Conjugaux et les Agressions Sexuelles) (English title: The Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse). Dr. Dion has directed more than 20 projects funded by major granting agencies and published more than 120 scientific articles and book chapters. Her experience as a clinical psychologist has strongly influenced her desire to focus on the strengths and coping skills of youth and their families. She has developed collaborative approaches involving diverse partners and communities in the research process, recognizing the unique strengths that each brings to the projects being conducted. Her work includes documenting risk and protective factors related to psychosocial adjustment among victims of sexual violence and the implementation of intervention and prevention strategies with Aboriginal peoples.

Mireille Hébert

I work at UQAC on knowledge mobilization projects with Aboriginal communities (Atikamekw and Innu) that aim to prevent sexual violence experienced by youth.  

I am a PhD student in urban sociology at INRS (Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique) since 2018. I have a master's degree in social communication (psychosociology) (2019) and a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (2012) at UQAM.  

After my career as a video documentarian (1991 to 2001), I collaborated in the development of several knowledge mobilization projects as a project manager (2001 to 2018). These projects were produced, among others, for the Service aux collectivités de l'UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal), intersectoral youth tables and women's groups. In particular, I have coordinated intersectoral teams (researchers and practitioners) in the development of training, prevention and psychosocial intervention programs for youth and women in specific situations. Among these situations are: the affiliation of youth to street gangs and of teenagers to sexual exploitation networks; love and sexual violence; the valorization of elderly women; citizen involvement and domestic violence in Aboriginal communities.

Alice Echaquan

Alice Echaquan, Atikamekw Niheriwisiw Iskwew, Petapan, spiritual name. Daybreak. • Community Worker, Sexual Assault Treatment and Prevention • Atikamekw Nation Council • Atikamekw sexuality researcher with Université du Québec à Chicoutimi • Ambassador for the Office of Joyce Echaquan “I am an Atikamekw woman from Mamawan and mother of 4 children: 3 adopted in spirit, and a beautiful 13 year old Métis daughter. I am a grandmother of a 10 month old grandson. I am the daughter of a craftsman of bark canoes and bark baskets. My father was a tourist guide from Manawan. He was a guardian of the beautiful Nitaskinan Nemiscacik territory. My mother Madeleine was a bead artist of moccasins and mittens, and an excellent cook of traditional dishes. I am the third youngest of 9 children, of which 3 are dead. I have worked for 25 years in the fields of neglect, domestic and sexual abuse, child placement and suicide. I worked for Cirque du Soleil for 15 years, giving children in difficulty the chance to experience beautiful moments through Cirque du Monde workshops. For the past 3 years, I’ve been an expert in sexual assault and I’m trained in a cognitive-behavioral approach. I adapt my interventions to my Atikamekw language, values and traditions. I have been a team leader in my organization, an internal department head and a clinical supervisor. I work in collaboration with various committees to develop intervention projects adapted to my culture. I am a researcher in sexuality education to prevent sexual violence in my beautiful community and I’m a healer for my community.”

Isabelle Lessard

Isabelle Lessard, Ph. D., est psychologue, cofondatrice de la clinique spécialisée Mozaïk – Espace thérapeutique transculturel, chargée de cours à l’Université de Sherbrooke et stagiaire postdoctorale au Centre d’études interdisciplinaires sur le développement de l’enfant et de la famille (CEIDEF) à l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. Elle s’est spécialisée en intervention posttraumatique et transculturelle auprès des personnes issues de l’immigration et des Premières Nations. Dans le cadre de son stage postdoctoral, elle travaille à la création, l’implantation et l’évaluation de programmes de prévention des violences familiales et sexuelles avec, par et pour les communautés Atikamekw du Québec.