Keeping the Circle Strong: Healing Through Culture, Ceremony, and Community

Ontario Akwesasne, April 30, 2026
Healing is a collective journey one that is strengthened through connection, culture, and the guidance of Elders. In 2025, Hull Services continues this important work through the Sixties Scoop Healing Our Spirit Walk, an initiative grounded in intergenerational knowledge sharing and community-led healing.

Photo courtesy of: Hull Services

Now in its third year, the Healing Our Spirit Walk brings together Sixties Scoop Survivors, their families, and allies in a space centered on cultural teachings, ceremony, and reflection. Guided by Indigenous Elders and individuals with lived experience, the initiative honours the past while creating meaningful opportunities for healing in the present.

Photo courtesy of: Hull Services


The October 11, 2025, event, Elders always play a central role in shaping the experience. Through a series of gatherings leading up to the walk, Elders come together to share knowledge, provide direction, and ensurethat the event is rooted in cultural integrity and care.
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Photo courtesy of: Hull Services

These moments of preparation are essential ensuring that every aspect of the Healing Walk reflects traditional values, respect, and a deep understanding of the needs of Survivors and their families. 

‍A Day of Ceremony, Reflection, and Connection 

‍The Healing Our Spirit Walk is more than an event it is a dayof collective healing. Beginning with a pipe ceremony, participants arewelcomed into a space of intention, grounding, and respect.
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Photo courtesy of: Hull Services


Throughout the day, the walk includes meaningful stops where Elders offer encouragement and teachings, creating moments for reflection and connection. Participants experience cultural expressions through drumming, dancing, storytelling, and traditional teachings, alongside opportunities to engage in Indigenous games and community activities.
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Photo courtesy of: Hull Services

With ongoing access to prayer, smudging, and support from Elders and counsellors, the event ensures that participants are held in a safe and supportive environment. This trauma-informed approach recognizes theemotional weight of these experiences while offering pathways toward healing. 

‍Continuing the Healing Journey
‍Healing does not end when the walk is over. Following the event, participants are invited to return for a dedicated sharing circle, where they can reflect on their experiences, connect with others, and continue their healing journey under the guidance of Elders.
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Photo courtesy of: Hull Services

This continuation reinforces the importance of sustained support and community care ensuring that participants remain connected beyond asingle day. 

‍Strength in Community and Culture

‍The 2025 Healing Our Spirit Walk reflects a growing movement of Survivors, families, and communities coming together to reclaim space, share stories, and strengthen connections.
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Photo courtesy of: Hull Services


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Centered around the theme “Keeping Our Circle Strong Through Our Cultural Teachings,” the initiative highlights the power of Indigenous knowledge, ceremony, and collective healing. It affirms that while the impacts of the Sixties Scoop are profound, so too is the strength found in community, culture, and shared resilience.
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Photo courtesy of: Hull Services

Through this work, Hull Services continues to support Survivors and their families in meaningful ways of honouring their experiences, uplifting their voices, and helping to carry cultural teachings forward for future generations.
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For more information on the National Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation of Canada, please visit our website here: https://www.sixtiesscoophealingfoundation.ca/
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