How friendship centres support, heal and connect urban Indigenous people

Unreserved54:00The power of a 70-year-old friendship centre movement

When Mi'kmaw elder Marjorie Muise made the move from the small town of St. George's, N.L., to the bustling city of St. John's a decade ago, she was met with more than just a change in scenery. 

The shift from a small, close-knit community to an urban environment left her feeling overwhelmed and out of place.

"Coming into the city, it was like, 'Oh my God,'" Muise said in an interview with Unreserved. "The different diversity threw me back for a bit."

For Muise, it wasn't just the pace or the crowds that were difficult to navigate, she was also disconnected from the culture and traditions that had always been a part of her life.

It was through attending First Light, an Indigenous-led friendship centre in St. John's, that Muise found a path back to the community and ceremonies she had lost.

"It creates … the home feeling," Muise said. "It's a space where [we] can just be without judgment." 

What are friendship centres? 

First Light is part of a broader network of 125 friendship centres across Canada, based on 2021 numbers from the National Association of Friendship Centres. 

These Indigenous-led community hubs offer culturally appropriate programs and support services to First Nations, Inuit and Métis people living in urban areas. 

They began to take shape in the 1950s, with the establishment of the first centres in Winnipeg, Vancouver and Toronto.

Jocelyn Formsma, CEO of the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC), says that the creation of these centres was a grassroots, organic response to the increasing migration of Indigenous people from rural communities and reserves to cities in search of job and educational opportunities. 

"As the community was growing in all of these urban centres, naturally, we congregated. We got together, regardless of which community we were coming from," she said.

"[People] would say, 'OK, well, you're going to the city, call so-and-so when you get there, they'll help you get set up.'"

In 2020, the NAFC estimated that friendship centres had provided nearly 9.5 million points of service. According to the organization, each one represents an instance of offering support and resources to Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members. 

These services include housing and health-care access, to cultural programming, language classes and employment support.

Friendship in St. John's

Inuk elders Ellen Ford and Emma Reelis, from the Nunatsiavut community of Nain in northern Labrador, also consider First Light their home away from home — a safe place where they have found comfort, healing and friendship.

Ford recalls how important the space was to her during times when she faced racial discrimination.

"There's been so much stigma back in the day … and you don't know whether you should talk about it or speak about it," she said.

Though she says that things have improved "a bit" over the years, she says Indigenous people in the city continue to face prejudice. 

Both Ford and Reelis are residential school survivors. First Light, they say, helped them process and recover from the trauma they endured.

Reelis, who was also in an abusive marriage, describes how connecting with others who understood her experience changed her life. 

"I felt like a load had been lifted off my shoulders because I could have people that you can trust and talk to," she said.  

Healing the next generation

The importance of friendship centres extends across generations. 

Shane Bird, youth services director at the Prince Albert Indian and Métis Friendship Centre in Saskatchewan, has worked with Indigenous youth for over seven years. 

He says he has seen first-hand how cultural programming can help break the cycle of intergenerational trauma caused by colonization and the residential school system.

"We've already seen … youth that want to make change for themselves, and to follow that sweetgrass road and to live a healthy lifestyle," he said.

WATCH | First Light celebrates National Indigenous Peoples Day:

Drumming, dancing and throat singing: National Indigenous Peoples Day in St. John's draws hundreds

11 months ago

Duration 2:17

The First Light Friendship Centre celebrated National Indigenous Peoples Day with cultural displays and performances in Bannerman Park. The afternoon event was open to the public — and the masses who followed the invitation were a sign of how far Indigenous people have come, said First Light executive director Stacey Howse.

He believes that healing in one generation can protect the next.

"If we have a young baby that's born today, and their mother and father had healed from their traumas, then that young one will grow up intergenerational trauma free."

Bird and his team are working on a major new project: a cultural gathering ground in Little Red River Park in Prince Albert, Sask. Planned to open by the fall, the site would feature a traditional powwow arbour, seasonal sweat lodge, ceremonial hall, outdoor kitchen and cultural stage.

The site would also welcome non-Indigenous residents, offering them an opportunity to learn about Indigenous culture.

New era for friendship centres

As friendship centres celebrate decades of service, Formsma explains that the new era of these community hubs involves building on core values — community-driven, responsive, and made by and for Indigenous people — while adapting to meet today's needs.

That means embracing technology, creating leadership opportunities for youth, building capacity and providing a space for friendship centre leaders to share knowledge — so centres can continue to grow and support Indigenous communities across the country.

"We really call it a civil society movement," said Formsma. "It's people helping other people."