Getting in the Spirit of Wellness
Onkwata’karitáhtshera is one of many organizations involved in KSCS’ Spirit of Wellness Month - pictured is their wellness event last Friday, which saw community members come out to hear more about the Community Wellness Plan. Courtesy Vivienne Walz
Whether you want to find wellness in spin class or weaving class, Kahnawake Shakotiia’takéhnhas Community Services (KSCS) has you covered with this year’s Spirit of Wellness month, running until the end of November across the community.
“The goals are to promote wellness in all the different aspects: spiritual, mental, and physical,” said KSCS prevention worker Kanaieshon Delaronde who was one of the organizers of the month-long event. “Our hope is to get as much of the community involved and encourage them to come up with fun and new ideas to add.”
Leather belt making, a soccer tournament, and a class for connecting through sewing are just some of the events already enjoyed by the community so far this month, as well as a beginner’s weavers class taught by Elisha King, where participants learned how to make a thin strap sash or bag strap.
Dynamic Fitness is hosting a spin class weekly on Fridays for the entire month, and upcoming events include Lunch and Learn sessions about trauma responses, a S’mores and Sobriety session, and applied suicide intervention skills training.
“This is in the hopes to inspire the community to look after their own wellness in new and fun ways,” Delaronde said.
Community organizations like the Kahnawake Youth Center (KYC) are offering a range of glow in the dark events, including a paint night and various sports, and Onkwata’karitáhtshera hosted a Spirit of Wellness gathering to share updates about the Community Wellness Plan and gather feedback from community members last Friday.
About 35 people came out to the Onkwata’karitáhtshera event, which marked the organization’s third year participating in Spirit of Wellness month. They spoke to community members about potential projects that they might submit for Onkwata’karitáhtshera funding ahead of their December 8 deadline and answered questions about specific community health initiatives.
“We had a lot of great questions, and during the data presentations we had a lot of really interesting questions about what other information was available,” said Vivienne Walz, Onkwata’karitáhtshera’s community health liaison.
“We talked a lot about governance and what transparency and accountability means, and I was really grateful for the feedback we got about how to improve things for next time and evaluate feedback,” she said.
“I’m always grateful for that, because we’re constantly trying new things and learning, and just trying to work with everyone to make it the best experience possible for those who are there.”
Spirit of Wellness month will conclude with the Holiday Parade on November 29, which will kick off at 6 p.m. at the Family Services Building - a special inclusion hour will be held at 4:30 p.m. for community members who want to experience the winter magic in a less stimulating environment.
The event had been cancelled last year after low sign-ups, but this year KSCS took over responsibility for managing the parade from the Peacekeepers, which meant more time and resources to plan the event.
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“We’re happy to report that we will have a full parade for the community,” Delaronde said. “Because we didn’t have it last year, we are so excited to see what the floats are and to see what the community comes up with.”
The full schedule for Spirit of Wellness month can be found on KSCS’ website, and Delaronde encourages any community members with creative ideas for new events to sign up when the call out happens for next year’s Spirit of Wellness.
