Grants and Contributions:

Culture to Wellness: Reimagining Holistic Healing Approaches for Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People

SO220008

$363,200.00

Oct 17, 2022 - Dec 31, 2025

Through this 38-month project, Aboriginal Legal Services will increase its ability to prevent and address gender-based violence (GBV) against Indigenous women, girls, or 2SLGBTQQIA+ people in the Toronto area. This will be achieved by orienting Aboriginal Legal Services staff to new ways of combining traditional Indigenous healing methods with music therapy designed for trauma survivors; conducting workshops with staff to deepen their knowledge and ability to share and adapt new healing models; conducting outreach to local Indigenous stakeholders; and holding community workshops to test new healing strategies. Staff and community workshops will include a process of evaluation, assessment, and integration. This project will engage the organization Make Music Matter, and their Healing in Harmony Music Therapy program, to provide expertise on an alternate model of verbalizing and healing severe past trauma. Supplemental funds in 2025 will be used to develop and deliver knowledge mobilization activities to share project findings with Aboriginal organizations, amongst others, in the Toronto area. By the end of the project, Aboriginal Legal Services will have strengthened their capacity to prevent and address GBV against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people in the Toronto area.

Women and Gender Equality Canada

Toronto, Ontario, CA M5B 1M4

001-2022-2023-Q3-00005

Contribution

Grants and Contributions

Increase of agreement value

Sep 18, 2025

Aboriginal Legal Services

Gender-Based Violence Program

The purpose of the GBV Program is to strengthen the GBV sector to address gaps in supports for two groups of survivors: 1) Indigenous women and their communities, and 2) underserved populations (including women living with a disability, non-status/refugee /immigrant women, LGBTQ2S, gender non-conforming people and ethno-cultural women) in Canada. The Program provides grant and contribution funding to Canadian organizations to improve supports to help create long-term, comprehensive solutions at the national, regional, and local levels.