Across generations, Indigenous families have carried the strength of kinship in stepping forward to care for children, uphold culture, and keep families connected despite the lasting impacts of colonial systems. The is building on this strength through its Kin Keepers: Honoring Those Who Hold our Families Together, a program grounded in respect, cultural continuity, and community care.

Supporting Those Who Hold Our Families Together 

Kinship caregivers grandparents, extended family members, and loved ones often take on parenting roles in response to disruptions caused by the Sixties Scoop and other colonial policies. These caregivers are not only aising children; they are restoring connection, identity, and belonging. 

Kin Keepers recognizes this responsibility and responds with intention. Through four in-person, full-day gatherings held throughout the year, along with virtual check-ins between sessions, the program creates consistent, supportive spaces where caregivers can come together, share their experiences, and access meaningful resources. 

Each gathering is shaped by the voices and needs of caregiversthemselves. Core topics include:

What sets this program apart is its balance of professional guidance and traditional knowledge. Elders and Knowledge Keepers bring teachings that ground participants in Indigenous ways of knowing, whilepractitioners provide tools that support mental health, caregiving, and resilience. 

Rebuilding Cultural Connection for Families 

The Evermore Centre understands that caregiving in Indigenous contexts goes beyond meeting daily needs it is about nurturing identity. Many children in kinship, foster, or adoptive care have experienced disconnection from their culture, language, and community. At the same time, many caregivers particularly non-Indigenous families are seeking guidance on how to support that cultural reconnection in meaningful and respectful ways. 

Creating Space for Healing and Resilience 

For many Sixties Scoop Survivors and their families, caregiving is deeply intertwined with experiences of grief, loss, and resilience. Kin Keepers meets these realities with compassion and care offering a space where participants feel seen, heard, and supported. 

By strengthening peer networks and affirming caregivers asleaders within their families and communities, the program helps restore traditional systems of care. It reinforces that those who carry families forward are also deserving of support, healing, and recognition.

Strengthening Futures Through Kinship 

The impact of Kin Keepers extends beyond individual participants. By investing in caregivers, the program contributes to long-term healing across generations. It supports the restoration of Indigenous caregiving practices, strengthens cultural identity, and builds resilience within families navigating complex histories. 

At its core, this initiative reflects a powerful truth: when caregivers are supported, families thrive. And when families thrive,communities grow stronger rooted in culture, connection, and care. 

Through Kin Keepers, the Evermore Centre continues to honourthose who hold families together, ensuring that the next generation grows witha stronger sense of identity, belonging, and hope. 

Upcoming Gatherings

Join them on June 13, 2026, at Rusty Macdonald Library in Saskatoon for Phase 2, where they will dive deeper into extending our current budgets and planning for long-term financial longevity.

Kin Keepers Phase 2 Pillar 3 – Circle of Balance: Walking in Financial Wellbeing
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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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