Aboriginal Legal Services

Published purpose

Through this 59-month project, Aboriginal Legal Services will increase its ability to prevent and address gender-based violence (GBV) against Indigenous women, girls, or 2SLGBTQQIA+ people in the Toronto area. This will be achieved by orienting Aboriginal Legal Services staff to new ways of combining traditional Indigenous healing methods with music therapy designed for trauma survivors; conducting workshops with staff to deepen their knowledge and ability to share and adapt new healing models; conducting outreach to local Indigenous stakeholders; and holding community workshops to test new healing strategies. Staff and community workshops will include a process of evaluation, assessment, and integration.  This project will engage the organization Make Music Matter, and their Healing in Harmony Music Therapy program, to provide expertise on an alternate model of verbalizing and healing severe past trauma.  Supplemental funds in 2025-2026 will be used to develop and deliver a knowledge mobilization activity to share project findings with Aboriginal organizations, amongst others, in the Toronto area. By the end of the project, Aboriginal Legal Services will have strengthened their capacity to prevent and address GBV against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people in the Toronto area.  With the Supplemental funds and extension provided in early 2026, the Aboriginal Legal Services will 1) develop a Culture to Wellness Training Package; 2) undertake recruitment of Indigenous Service Providers; 3) conduct a ALS-facilitated Culture to Wellness workshop with partner organizations building organizational training skills; and 4) hold community healing workshops to support partner organizations’ capacity to deliver training while building collective capacity to serve Indigenous communities and strengthening relationships between participants and service providers. Through this they will further advance Gender Equality.