Pre-conference Workshops

PCW 1: Pathways to Building Cancer Education for First Nations Health Leaders 
The FNHMA is embarking on an exciting new project made possible through a partnership with the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) that is focused on supporting First Nations health leaders gaining knowledge and tools related to cancer.
The goal of the project is to increase the capacity of First Nation health leaders by developing and implementing a comprehensive public health workshop focused on the First Nations cancer journey. This includes discussions related to access to screening and preventive services and building in regional and jurisdictionally specific learning and information through workshop activities.
This workshop will highlight what was heard from First Nations Health Managers through engagement sessions, focus groups and interviews. FNHMA will present the ideas and feedback that emerged from these sessions and explain how they influenced curriculum design.
Participants in this pre-conference workshop will be the first to experience this new FNHMA offering. FNHMA is excited to share its newly developed curriculum, along with accompanying tools and resources. Workshop participants will gain practical tools and strategies to help them in their roles as Health Managers in supporting those with cancer in their communities.
Workshop participants will be invited to share their feedback on the proposed content, tools, and resources to help refine and enhance the final version of the workshop.
Facilitators: Andrea Aiabens, Special Projects Lead, First Nations Health Managers Association
Samara Lewis, CFNHM, Education Specialist, First Nations Health Managers Association

PCW 2: Walking Together in Good Ways: A Coaching Circle Sold Out

This coaching journey is rooted in the timeless wisdom of relationship, reciprocity, and respect, guiding each participant to grow not only as an individual, but also as part of a greater whole. Like the teachings shared around the sacred circle, this experience combines deep listening, storytelling, and heart-centered learning to help you move forward positively, both in your work and your life.
Here, coaching is not just about skills, it’s about honouring the interconnectedness of mind, body, spirit, and community. Through experiential teachings, you will learn to:

• Build trust and connection, as our ancestors did through shared stories and presence.
• Listen with more than your ears – tuning into the unspoken, the land, and the wisdom of those around you.
• Set intentions, not just goals, aligning your path with your values and the needs of your relations.
• Move with humility and courage, learning to hold space for yourself and others in a good way.

Whether in leadership, mentorship, or everyday life, these teachings are practical, grounding, and woven with Indigenous ways of knowing. This is not a “one-size-fits-all” training, it’s an invitation to co-create, reflect, and grow in a circle of mutual respect.
Come walk with us. Let’s learn, share, and lift each other up.
Facilitator: Carrie Lamb, Human Resources Leader and Coach, Sacred Workplaces, and member of the Sayisi Dene First Nation

PCW 3: Finding Balance: Understanding, Addressing and Preventing Burnout
This one-day interactive workshop is designed for Health Managers and leaders working in First Nations communities. It will focus on understanding and addressing burnout, an urgent and growing challenge across the Indigenous health sector and provide culturally grounded strategies to foster workplace wellness and sustainability.

Through roundtable discussions, reflection exercises, and collaborative solution sharing, participants will explore the roots, signs, symptoms, and impacts of burnout at the individual and organizational level. The workshop will create space to share wise practices and lived experiences while building connections with other health professionals committed to sustaining wellness in care-based roles.

Participants will receive a selection of practical, culturally grounded tools and templates to help identify burnout, support wellness planning, and strengthen team check-ins. Time will be dedicated to exploring how these can be adapted and used in their own workplaces.

The session will emphasize the critical importance of workplace well-being and offer a comprehensive approach to address the factors influencing it:

• Individual Level: Recognizing burnout symptoms, engaging in self-reflection, developing personal wellness plans, and strengthening practices such as ceremony, gratitude, and land-based connection.
• Organizational Level: Creating supportive environments through clear wellness policies, open communication, peer support, and shared leadership.
• Systemic Level: Navigating funding challenges, advocating for access to culturally-safe mental health supports, and promoting policy-level changes to better sustain the health workforce.

Throughout the day, a strong focus will be placed on shared responsibility urging managers and supervisors to lead with awareness, empathy, and accountability in identifying and responding to burnout in themselves and their teams.

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

1. Build foundational awareness of burnout in Indigenous health contexts, including common signs and contributing factors at multiple levels.

2. Reflect on personal and team wellness using culturally grounded tools and self-evaluation resources.

3. Explore promising and wise practices for addressing burnout at the individual and organizational levels.

4. Identify next steps they can take as leaders to support a healthier, more sustainable workplace culture.

5. Strengthen their peer network through knowledge exchange and shared dialogue.

Together, we will reflect, learn, and commit to fostering workplace cultures where wellness is not only supported but expected, protected, and celebrated.
Facilitators: Anne Duquette, Program Manager, Mental Wellness Team Supports, First Peoples Wellness Circle
Maxine Peltier, Program Manager, Special Projects, First Peoples Wellness Circle