Every two weeks at the Ininew Friendship Centre in Cochrane, there’s a talking circle.
It’s organized by mental health worker Catherine Colton and actually, the evening session is among other talking circles at the centre.
Colton says this one is facilitated by an indigenous elder. She passes around a feather. Whoever has the feather can speak uninterrupted. Any contributions or comments can only be made by whoever’s holding the feather.
“And it’s a very quiet atmosphere,” Colton explains. “It’s very good for people who just want to yak and get things off their chests. And it’s also good for people who just want to be with other people. They don’t necessarily want to talk, but they like the feeling of the circle.”
Either way, the circle improves participants’ mental health by giving them a feeling of belonging.
“Indigenous people are very, very big on community,” says Colton. “They’re big on doing things collectively, as opposed to you know, the rat race and individualism. They’re very much more about family and group.”
For more on any of the talking circles, call Ininew at 705-272-4497. If you’re interested specifically in the circle organized by Catherine Colton, her extension at the centre is 226.