ABORIGINAL PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

An Individualized Healing Plan is developed soon after the Youth is placed at Mistik Waskihk Home. The Medicine Wheel with its four essential elements is our guide:

  • Spiritual - a sense of connectedness with other Creations of Great Spirit
  • Mental - concepts, ideas, thoughts, habits and discipline
  • Emotional - love, recognition, acceptance, understanding, privacy, limits
  • Physical - air, water, food, clothing, exercise, sex

 

wheel

The Healing Journey includes individual, family and group activities. In addition to attending school, the Youth is provided with daily recreation and the opportunity to attend Native Activities, such as:

  • Medicine Wheel pre and post.
  • Medicine Wheel Teaching
  • Smudging
  • Building Sweat Lodge and Sweat Lodge Ceremony
  • Traditional Dancing
  • Attend powwows
  • Learning aboriginal languages
  • Indian name giving ceremony
  • Drumming
  • Story telling
  • Songs
  • Sharing Circle
  • Elder face painting
  • Gathering berries, sweetgrass and sage
  • Crafts: Dream Catchers, Moccasins, Dancing Regalia, Drum Making etc.
  • Cultural camps

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OBJECTIVES

Youth are also welcome to use the many local facilities with full size gymnasium, large recreation room, weight training and fitness center, indoor swimming pool, outdoor fitness trail, softball diamond, soccer field, and outdoor challenge course.

SOCIAL OBJECTIVES

The youth are involved in activities that are planned according to the daily schedule. This would include the Youth taking part in life skills such as daily chores, personal hygiene, use of manners and positive interaction amongst peers, staff and the communities. The Youth are also encouraged to seek employment in the community; skills in budgeting are also encouraged.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Each Youth is enrolled in the school program within the City of Lethbridge Schools. Mistik Waskihk provides tutoring and mentoring for students as needed. The individualized school program is able to help a youth prepare for a high school or equivalency diploma if necessary. Parent/teacher meetings are scheduled twice during the school calendar year or more often if needed.

Through educational interaction, youth learn the concepts of gaining knowledge, developing and maintaining friendships and acquaintances, seeking appropriate solutions and enhancing their own language development. Youth need activities and tasks that are challenging enough to keep their interest but within their abilities so they can experience success.

MEDICINE WHEEL OUTCOMES MEASUREMENT

Every element of the youth and their behaviours (emotional, spiritual, mental and physical) is inputted three times per day with our own unique outcomes and measurement based resource. Thus giving the most accurate assesment of the youth's need that can be easily and conveniently accessed by case workers via electronically. With this method we are able to make immediate changes to their concurrent plans from case workers and also internally with their healing plans for their Medicine Wheel journey.