Community Wellness Program
The Community Wellness program is designed to assist Aboriginal women and their families in the community who may be experiencing family violence or who may be struggling with maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Community Wellness workers will work one on one with families, host workshops, health fairs and other events in order to promote health awareness and the prevention of family violence. The goal of the program is to provide families with the necessary education and support to assist them in achieving wellness.
ONWA’s Community Wellness Program is available in three communities:
Dryden
Local:(807) 223-8780
E-mail: cwwdryden@onwa-tbay.ca
Kenora
Local:(807) 468-3943
E-mail: bwilliamson@onwa-tbay.ca
Thunder Bay
Local:(807) 623-3442
Toll Free: 1-800-667-0816
E-mail: cwwtbay@onwa-tbay.ca or cwwtbay2@onwa-tbay.ca
Each site brings a variety of local programming relating to health and wellness in their communities.
The Community Wellness Worker will:
- Work one on one with families experiencing family violence to develop a plan of action for identified concerns;
- Organize and facilitate community events in schools, powwows, health fairs, etc. to promote a healthy lifestyle and prevention of family violence;
- Provide victim service referrals and emergency support for family violence;
- Offer Aboriginal Culture based healing, self help processes for anger management, and positive self image development; alternative discipline methods and positive relationships; and
- Develop programs, workshops, promotions, and prevention education campaigns dealing with family based violence awareness.
Community Wellness Workers bring healing and wellness to the community level by:
- Facilitating public workshops, seminars and public education forums to promote healthy lifestyles in the community;
- Community events to promote healing, wellness, addictions free activities, positive parenting, family interaction, and cultural awareness;
- Involvement of elders, senators, and traditional people who have undergone their own healing and wellness journeys;
- Local co-ordination of existing crisis or "first response" services such as: community patrols, search and rescue, suicide prevention/intervention, and policing;
- Linking families with community health resources and social services; and
- Referrals to counselling, legal services, and treatment centres.
