Nenqayni Cultural Wellness Week: Reclaiming Identity Through Culture and Community

Ontario Akwesasne, February 27, 2026

The Nenqayni Wellness Centre Society continues to strengthen healing pathways for Indigenous youth and families across British Columbia through its Nenqayni Cultural Wellness Week a powerful, culturally grounded initiative designed to restore connection, identity, and belonging.

Nenqayni Wellness Centre Society provides holistic services rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems and community care. Its Family Alcohol and Drug Program (FADP), an 8–12 week program, supports participants through alcohol and drug awareness, individual and family counselling, and group-based healing circles, all grounded in culture and guided by the Medicine Wheel.

Photo Credit: Nenqayni Wellness Centre Society

Recognizing the lasting impacts of the Sixties Scoop on First Nations families including displacement, loss of language, and cultural disconnection, the Nenqayni Cultural Wellness Week creates intentional space to reintroduce teachings that were disrupted or taken from generations of families. 

Held five to six times per year, once during each program cycle Cultural Wellness Week centres Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Cultural Workers, and respected community members who share traditional ways of knowing and being. The week-long immersion offers participants opportunities to engage in land-based and ceremonial practices such as: 
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Medicine picking and medicine making
Fishing and harvesting teachings
Ribbon skirt and shirt making
Beading, drum and rattle making
Storytelling and sharing circles
Sweat lodge ceremonies
Powwows and community gatherings

These teachings are more than activities they are pathways toreconnection. Through ceremony, creativity, and collective gathering, participants are supported in reclaiming identity, strengthening family bonds,and rebuilding a sense of purpose rooted in culture.

Photo Credit: Nenqayni Wellness Centre Society

For Survivors and intergenerational families impacted by the Sixties Scoop, cultural restoration is a vital part of healing. By grounding wellness programming in Indigenous traditions and community leadership, Nenqayni Cultural Wellness Week affirms that culture itself is medicine. 

Initiatives like this reflect the broader commitment to Survivor-centred healing: restoring what was interrupted, honouring what has endured, and ensuring that future generations grow with connection, pride, and belonging.