Where do we begin…

Our hope for you is that this newsletter finds you and your family healthy, safe, and managing to the best of your ability what are truly extraordinary days for us all.  Spring is here and many of our staff, caregiver support parents and Elders Advisory members have been sharing how much they truly value the sunshine we are having, and the feeling spring brings for them. 

The first quarter of 2021 has been very exciting for our agency.  What a difference three months makes! In our last newsletter, we talked about the very busy winter.  We have some news to share on several issues related to facilities and infrastructure and how we are working to move our agency forward in a good way.   

First, we started the year by launching a BC wide Gratitude Contest.  Looking at the 92 entries really warmed our hearts as we could see the passion, talent and heart that went into the submissions. We are so proud that an article was featured by the media showcasing this talent! 

We recently learned that Building 1 in Chilliwack, where we are headquartered, is going to be demolished and we need to be vacated by June 30, 2021. This was something we anticipated, as the building is quite old.  Being a former hospital for TB and a former residential school has brought up many feelings for people.  We are thankful for the partnership with Stó:lō Service Agency and the 14 offices that they have generously offered  for some of our staff to occupy at Building 7 the Health Unit, on the Coqualeetza grounds right beside our current location.  We are also looking at other facilities for staff downtown to house family strengthening services.      

We are also very excited about a new space we are leasing upstairs of Service Canada on the corner of Main Street and Wellington in Chilliwack! We are currently renovating this space which will be dedicated for youth-focused work. We will have Elders on site and space for contractors to provide supports for youth.  We will start with a soft launch in May with a grand opening later when it is safe to gather.

We will also have grand openings for the building in Abbotsford that we moved in during Covid-19, as well as the office that opened at Tzeachten First Nation.

Our agency has been a key partner at a center that has not been named yet, that will be a place in Chilliwack to give indigenous children, youth, and families a place to gather and feel a sense of belonging.  Xyólheméylh has agreed to put our contribution into programming costs, which will consist of drum making classes, beading, cooking, jigging classes and more.  We look forward to writing more about this in our next newsletter. 

It has been almost two years since the start of the restructure of our agency into baskets to be able to have consistent practice throughout our region for children, youth and families.  From a practice standpoint we are seeing an increase in prevention supports, case compliance, and expertise in each basket area.  We are also working with Metis Nation BC and the Métis Commission of BC on doing Métis specific caseloads, and programming to the 33% of our files that are Métis in our agency. 

Our agency Board of Directors had Dr. Sarah Morales from the University of Victoria spend a day and a half with us last August focusing on the new C-92 Federal Legislation.  This relationship has grown to where our agency has law students complete their hours of their Law program working alongside our ELT in the agency.  Their research and tasks that they completed will be beneficial towards our pilot projects; one being a new court model. 

With a year now into the pandemic, we lift our hands to staff and caregiver support parents for their tireless dedication to the work, our Elders Advisory Council for their wisdom and guidance, and to the Visions and Voices Youth for their valued advice, and to the Board of Directors for their ongoing support.  It is the spirit of our collective vision and walking alongside one another in partnership as we work in LÉTSÉ MÓT TÉ SQWÁLEWEL – “With a good mind, a good heart, and good feelings” that will continue to propel our momentum moving forward in a good way to benefit all of those we are blessed to serve.

Rod Spitzig, Kyla Darby and Penny Trites

Rebecca retired at the end of March and headed up the basket that serves children and youth under a Continuing Custody Order, as well as youth on YAG’s and ILA’s, that are not serviced by the Stó:lō Services teams. The basket has over 40 staff and is now headed by Rhea Del Vecchio. The basket also includes the Agency’s SAIP Counselling Program. 

When the Youth & Guardianship Basket was first created, the Basket's leadership team created a vision to help guide them in their work. The Vision states: Every child, youth & family will receive culturally meaningful services that ensure: belonging, safety, a significant support network, pride in their identity, and true knowledge of their life story…[and] through our good relationships with Communities, Nations, and Partners, service delivery will be done in a collaborative way ensuring our children, youth & families are at the centre of, and actively driving, their planning process.

Although the busy and often crisis driven day to day can be distracting, the vision has helped maintain focus on what the true goal of the work needs to be. Rebecca says, “if I were to simplify what we are trying to support all of our children & youth in achieving it is; belonging, connection, and self-determination. We want every child or youth to be able to reach their fullest potential in life, and to feel that they matter.”

Rebecca feels that it should go without saying that their dream is that no child or youth will grow up in, and age out of the system. “I know that this basket’s leadership team is extremely passionate about leaving no stone unturned and no conversation unsaid when it comes to finding permanency for children and youth outside of the system. That is not always going to be possible but then just as much time and effort is put into trying to build connections to family and community and creating networks of support and care around them that will be lifelong.”

With all of the above in mind, the team's success is measured in many different ways; seeing siblings reconnected after years apart and developing positive relationships; seeing a child or youth reconnected with extended family, and/or with family they have never known; seeing a child or youth touch their land and being welcomed into their home community; seeing youth newly embracing and taking pride in their culture and teachings; seeing a youth take ownership of their planning and creating their own lifetime networks. Some of the more impactful success stories recently have been the return of a number of sibling groups to parents after years of living apart and disconnected from each other.

“These are parents who in the past many people would have written off and never given a second chance.” Staff in various roles within the Basket come together and support the parent and children in all the practical and emotional ways needed to both start a new relationship and then learn to live together again. It is something that needs to be done with careful thought and understanding and can mean a long process. “We want to set them up for success in the immediate and the long term.”

Currently a priority for a lot of the basket staff is ensuring that the youth on their caseloads are being set up for success in transitioning out of care. “We have a lot of dedicated staff who care deeply about the youth they are connected with, and consistently go above and beyond for them. They literally would give those youth the shirt off their backs if they believed that’s what would set them on a good path forward. I see a lot of collaboration amongst the staff on the different teams, doing whatever they can to build these youth up and set them up for best outcomes.” Rebecca says there has also been a lot of support from the Executive Leadership Team around expanding programming and services to youth. “There are some very positive youth centered initiatives happening in the Agency and I am hopeful we will see very different outcomes for our aging out youth over the coming years.”    

Rebecca says that there is one thing she needs to be really clear about – the credit for all the success in the work goes to the staff on the front line and their Team Leaders. “They are the ones down in the dirt, I cannot say enough about how hard I see everyone working, how committed they are even when they are faced with difficult days. There are so many incredibly big hearted, wise, and passionate people here.”

Rebecca retired at the end of March after six years with Xyólheméylh. She began her Social Work career with Project Parent in Surrey as a Family Preservation Counsellor. Keeping children with family and rooted in a sense of belonging has always been a passion for Rebecca. She also worked in the original ‘Family Finding’ project over 20 years ago. “We were not very popular with a lot of Social Workers, who were hoping we would support them in ticking off boxes that said we had looked for family, and the child would be available to adopt into stranger care. We had a very different philosophy and approach to the work, and 9 times out of 10 there was always family to be found.” Prior to joining FVACFSS Rebecca spent approximately 14 years with MCFD, the majority of that time within Circle 5 serving Indigenous families in Surrey and Delta.  

Rebecca believes there have been a lot of positive gains in the Agency in the short time she has been here with a lot of momentum gained in terms of strength-based practice, and a focus on culture. “We have really enhanced culture in our day-to-day work and there is a deeper understanding of both what culture is (it is not just Indigenous artwork in the hallways), and how vital it is to the well-being of all the children & youth we serve. I believe there is also a bigger collective feel of everyone working together toward the same goals. There is a sense that we are all invested in really wanting to hold ourselves up as an Agency that is doing culturally grounded and justice-based practice.”

When Rebecca left MCFD to join Xyólheméylh she said many people thought she was crazy to leave her government position, “especially that Public Pension”, but she has not regretted the decision for one moment. “That is not to say sometimes it has not been challenging, the Agency has almost doubled in size since the time I joined, and that kind of growth cannot come without some growing pains. However, the work that happens here, the continued fight for equity and with it a true ability to do best practice, walking beside our families and communities, there is a depth and richness to it all that is hard to put words to. I have been challenged and humbled and have learned so much in my time here and that’s how it should be. I consider myself extremely honored and lucky to have been able to be a part of the journey of this Agency, and I’m thankful this is the where I am ending my full-time career.“

“My Goal is to lessen barriers to help people succeed and get to where we will no longer see the impacts of Colonization.” - Chief Derek Epp.

Chief Derek Epp is the first in his family to carry a traditional name.  The elders gave him the name  “Weli’leq” that connects him to the land and family and is something Chief Derek works hard to uphold in his role as Chief of Tzeachten First Nation. 

His parents are Bruce and Sheree Epp; Grandparents are Georgina Pall and the late Lorne Robinson; Great Grandparents are the late Duncan and Dorothy Wealick. Chief Derek has been fortunate to live on Tzeachten First Nation since he was a toddler which instills his passion of understanding the importance of the land, family, and relationships within his community. Chief Derek has a BSW in Social Work and used his education to serve his community by working with Xyólheméylh prior to becoming an elected Chief for his community. 

Q- What is the history of your community that is important for readers to know?

Tzeachten First Nation, located at the Vedder Crossing Plaza in Chilliwack, historically was a river where people came to fish, gather, and collect resources. “Tzeachten was what we were forced to live on… assimilate or destroy us” says Derek, “my Great Grandparents and others found a way to thrive on the land; live off the land.”  Today Chief Derek speaks proudly of Tzeachten being connected to the Ts’elxweyeqw Tribe and Stó:lō Nation.

Q- Who has been your greatest support in your role as Chief?

There is no handbook or job description that teaches you how to be a Chief.  Derek had just turned 27 when he was first elected as Chief of his community 4 years ago. Chief David Jimmie … Chief and CEO of Squiala First Nation and the President of the Stó:lō Nation Chiefs Council and the President of Ts’elxweyeqw Tribe has been Derek’s key support over the last four years.  Derek says Dave is “calm, intelligent and really makes you think. He has taught me to be a human being, to think big and to not be afraid to fail.”

Q- What have been your greatest learnings?

The first year I worked countless hours learning to understand where I need to be.  I have learned that I am not a political Chief but understand the need to use the political tools available to continue to progress Tzeachten forward.  My time is best spent working for my community on social issues, bringing empathy, and compassion to the work.  I learned that I needed to slow down a bit, and work from a place with the lens of helping people achieve their best self and lessen barriers to help people succeed.  I also learned that systems are slow, change takes time and having our own source revenue/economic development allows me to be creative. 

Q – What are you most Proud of in your leadership role?

We broke ground on two major capital projects, which directly benefit our membership. The first is our Social Development building located by the new Tzeachten Turf Field. The second completed is our Tzeachten Longhouse, that due to the Covid-19 pandemic we have had to postpone our opening ceremony for the Tzeachten Longhouse and Social Development building. Both projects are a clear investment into social development, health, programs, and culture. I am looking forward to the positive impact these projects will have for our community and membership.

We also are building 23 Unit Member housing with 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom homes side by side and set up so families can be in family systems and not be overcrowded.  It is the first BC Housing Project funded by the First Nations Finance  Authority.  Our vision is to have the housing with access to Xyólheméylh prevention services, programs for children, social supports, a community garden… all services accessible where you do not need a vehicle to access them. 

We have partnered with CYMH (Child and Youth Mental Health) and they operate an intake health clinic of our land’s office weekly.  I am proud of the relationships that are being built, the focus on bridging gaps and providing of services to our members. 

Q- What has it been like recently becoming a father and welcoming your baby boy into the world?

It is a whole new feeling of love and I am on holidays right now spending most of my time with him.  It made me reflect on when my dad told me he never knew how to parent and he learned by doing the opposite of what his dad did.  I feel really blessed to learn from my dad and I am going to do the very best for our son. 

Q – What advice do you have for staff within our agency?

It is exciting to have Xyólheméylh leasing space in our community to support our membership.  It is about building trusting relationships that take time, focusing on prevention, and it is about how we work collectively together. 

“It’s an exciting time.  Be patient, keep working hard, ask lots of questions and overcommunicate.  Use the strengths in our community, build on them, and think outside the box.”  

Q- Is there anything I have not asked that you feel is important to know?

Community engagement is so important… honoring the strengths of our families and just being together to share a meal simply to be together.  I am so thankful for the role I am in and the opportunity it has given me to learn and grow as a person.  It is so important that we honor the teachings of our Elders and work together to be a collective voice for change.