Honouring Healing: Supporting Sixties Scoop Survivors in Alberta and British Columbia
What Was the Sixties Scoop?
The Sixties Scoop refers to a period in Canadian history when thousands of Indigenous children were taken from their families between the 1950s and 1980s and placed in non-Indigenous foster or adoptive homes. Separated from their languages, cultures, and Nations, these children grew up isolated from their identities and often experienced lifelong impacts of loss, displacement, and trauma.
Many Canadians believe this era is over but the truth is, it continues today. Across Canada, and especially here in Alberta, Indigenous children remain dramatically overrepresented in the child welfare system. Over 70% of children in provincial care in Alberta are Indigenous, a reality that has been described as the “Millennium Scoop.” Like the Sixties Scoop, it reflects the ongoing colonial systems that remove Indigenous children from their families and communities rather than supporting them to thrive within them.
This continued separation of Indigenous children from their kin and cultures shows that the Scoop is not a chapter in the past but a living legacy. From residential schools, to the Sixties Scoop, to today’s child welfare system, generations of Indigenous children have been taken in the name of “care.” None of these children, past or present, should ever be forgotten.
Yet amid this painful truth, there is also resilience. Survivors of the Sixties Scoop are leading the way toward healing and reclamation. Through their strength, we are reminded that reconciliation is not only about remembering — it is about restoring connection, honouring truth, and ensuring that future generations of Indigenous children grow up in the love and safety of their communities.
Our Shared Journey of Healing and Partnership
Over the past three years, the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights has been honoured to walk alongside the Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of Alberta (SSISA) and the Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of British Columbia (SSISBC) with the generous support of the Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation (SSHF).
Together, these partnerships have supported survivor-led initiatives in healing, cultural restoration, and organizational development — empowering survivors to lead their own healing journeys and strengthening community structures that can sustain this work for generations to come.
2022: Western Canada Gathering – Reconnecting Through Culture
Led by SSISA, supported by JHC
The first SSHF-supported project brought together participants from across Western Canada for a week of ceremony, storytelling, and connection. Survivors and families participated in tipi raising, sharing circles, and rattle- and pouch-making workshops, many for the first time in their lives.
Participants described the gathering as “life-changing,” noting that they left with lifelong friendships and a renewed pride in their Indigenous identity. For many, it was the first time they no longer felt alone in their experiences as survivors. This event became the foundation for future survivor-led healing initiatives.
2023–2024: Health and Mental Wellness Pilot Project
Jointly led by JHC and SSISA
Building on the momentum of the gathering, this phase deepened focus on healing, leadership, and capacity building. The project reached over 5,500 people, including survivors, descendants, and community allies across Alberta.
Key outcomes included:
12 survivor-led small grants for projects such as hunting camps, book publications, and community events.
Wellness Wednesdays and What Was Lost trainings, providing safe spaces for healing and professional education.
The completion and release of the documentary “We Were Taken”, directed by survivor filmmaker Damian Abrahams, alongside the Pathways to Healing video series.
These initiatives celebrated the voices and leadership of survivors, fostered cultural pride, and strengthened survivor organizations’ ability to sustain healing work independently.
2024–2025: From Survivors to Thrivors – Strengthening SSISBC
Led by SSISBC, supported by JHC
In British Columbia, the From Survivors to Thrivors project focused on building community, ceremony, and capacity. Over 220 survivors, family members, and descendants took part in gatherings such as Sweat Lodges, Pipe Ceremonies, and Wellness Wednesdays. The project’s Pilot Reunification Initiative brought three sisters together for the first time since childhood - a powerful testament to the importance of survivor-led healing and gentle, trauma-informed care.
SSISBC also established a new healing and gathering space at Cultus Lake, held two strategic planning retreats, and created partnerships across BC and Alberta, all while deepening its governance and leadership capacity. Survivors described the experience as one of “coming home to themselves.”
2024 Extension: Small Grants for Survivor-Led Healing Across Alberta
Stewarded by the John Humphrey Centre with remaining SSHF funds
To ensure that every remaining dollar directly supported survivors, JHC administered a special round of small grants in 2024. These micro-grants empowered survivors and allies to lead projects rooted in cultural healing, creative expression, and community connection.
Highlights included:
Cultural and land-based healing:
Cultural Camp with Derek Auger (Dwayne Hanson) taught traditional Cree hunting, trapping, and land practices to children in care.
Blackfoot Winter Counts (Marni Hope) reconnected survivors to Blackfoot teachings through storytelling and personal winter count creation.
Standing Bear Network (Lew Jobs) strengthened access to sweat lodges and ceremony across northern Alberta.
Family and community reconnection:
Family Reunification Project (Margaret Cadotte) supported travel and cultural learning for siblings meeting for the first time.
Reunification and Support Program (Lew Jobs) offered culturally grounded reconnection services for survivors and their families.
Creative expression and education:
Girl with the Black Bags (Darlene Dumont) supported the publication of a survivor’s memoir on loss, resilience, and reforming the child welfare system.
Capacity Building for Filmmaking and Survivor Portraits (Damian Abrahams) funded the completion of We Were Taken and the Survivor Portraits exhibition.
Community celebration and outreach:
60s Scoop Awareness Day (Leroy Hamelin) created space for reflection, storytelling, and sober celebration in Sturgeon Lake.
Bear Claw Beaver Hills House Holiday Extravaganza (Judith Gale) served over 1,000 vulnerable community members with food, gifts, and connection.
Teepee Treats Sustainability Planning (Curtis Cardinal) combined entrepreneurship with outreach, feeding 350 unhoused people through cultural programming.
Collectively, these projects illustrate the strength, resilience, and creativity of survivors. Each initiative built a bridge — between generations, cultures, and communities — ensuring that the legacy of healing continues to grow.
Gratitude to the Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation
The Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation has been an extraordinary partner and catalyst for healing. Their support enabled survivors to design and lead programs grounded in culture, ceremony, and community connection — and strengthened organizations like SSISA and SSISBC to carry this work forward.
The John Humphrey Centre extends heartfelt thanks to SSHF for their trust and commitment to survivor-led healing. Together, we have witnessed transformation — from survivors reconnecting with lost family members to young people learning traditional skills for the first time.
Through these partnerships, we are reminded that reconciliation is not an endpoint, but an ongoing journey of truth, healing, and collective responsibility.