Last week Haven Program staff had the opportunity to attend a staff development retreat, “Wellness in the Workplace,” hosted by the Native Alliance Against Violence Coalition. Have you attended a work conference where you were so bored you spent the hours trying to look engaged while struggling to stay awake and wondering why you were required to waste so much of your valuable time? I am happy to report that I did not have those thoughts at this conference!
The retreat facilitated by LoVina Louie. Ms. Louie is schitsu’umsh (Coeur d’ Alene) Tribe, nselxcin (Okanogan/Colville), Nimipu (Nez Perce). She is a descendant of Chief Morris Antelope of the schitus’umsh and Chief Manuel Louie of the Inkaneep Band in Oliver BC Canada. She is a graduate of the University of Idaho where she received her Bachelors in Organizational Sciences with an emphasis in Community and Tribal Wellness. Ms. Louie has an extensive resume and is well prepared to provide service providers with information on creating healthier workplaces.
Her passion for her work became quickly evident. During the two-day session we learned the importance of teamwork by participating in team building activities, ways to manage stress, and the value of laughter by playing silly games, but my greatest “take away” from the conference was the session on “Being Trauma and Healing Informed.” In this session Ms. Louie presented a history lesson “Indian Policy Timeline” through her personal family lens, acknowledging past trauma while focusing on healing.
During the session Ms. Louie played a video that she co-directed, “We Shall Remain,” The creators of the video state: “We Shall Remain was created to address the effects of historical trauma in our tribal communities. Many times, these untended wounds are at the core of much of the self-inflicted pain experienced in Native America. Much like fire, this pain can either be devastatingly destructive or wisely harnessed to become fuel that helps us to rise and move forward in life with joy, purpose, and dignity.” If you are not familiar with this award-winning video, I hope you will take six minutes to watch.
Haven advocates, and I believe all in attendance, appreciated her sharing her personal story which helped us to connect to people and experiences of the past. We left the conference better equipped to advocate for our clients who have experienced trauma and encouraged to work on our own healing.
I encourage you to watch!
HAVEN Advocates are always here to help!
