Family Stewards for Nations
To our respected and precious relatives
living on Lək̓ʷəŋən-speaking Territory
our families from Kosapsum, Songhees,
Tsartlip, Pauquachin, Tsawout, Tseycum,
Malahat, and T’Sou-ke Nations,
and all our Métis, Inuit, and other Urban Indigenous kin who call this place home.
Click this video to view our invitation:
3 Ways to Bring Family Stewards to Your Nation
For thousands of years, Nations stewarded families through every threshold of life.
Birth was not a medical event alone. It was a community event. A cultural event. A sacred event.
Today, many families must leave their communities to give birth.
Parents often navigate pregnancy, birth, and early parenting without access to cultural teachings, extended family support, or ceremonial spaces. The result is not only poorer health outcomes, it is a disruption of family, language, belonging, and identity.
Family Stewards exists to help communities reclaim what has always belonged to them.
We invite Indigenous Nations to partner with us in three ways:
Hire Family Stewards for your Nation
Family Stewards support families through life's most important transitions.
Our current focus begins with the journey into parenthood, supporting both parents through:
Becoming Parents
Birthing in Ceremony
Building the Village
Nesting for Baby
Postpartum Recovery
Return to Work and Community Life
Family Stewards complement existing health, wellness, family support, and cultural programming.
They help families navigate services while strengthening connection to culture, community, ceremony, and one another.
Outcomes We Are Working Toward:
Stronger family relationships
Increased father and non-birthing parent engagement
Reduced family stress and isolation
Increased cultural connection
Improved postpartum wellbeing
Greater community belonging
More families raising children within supportive villages
Bring Family Stewards into your community as contracted support, embedded staff, or program partners.
2. Train Members as Family Stewards
The strongest Family Stewards are often already serving their communities.
We work with Nations to train:
Doulas
Elders
Aunties and Uncles
Community Health Representatives
Early Childhood Educators
Family Support Workers
Cultural Knowledge Keepers
Youth Workers
Community Wellness Teams
Through our partnership with post-secondary institutions, we are developing pathways that include:
Community-based Family Stewardship training
Microcredentials
Graduate Certificate pathways
Ongoing mentorship and community of practice
Our goal is not simply to train individuals.
Our goal is to grow a new profession rooted in Indigenous values and community care that provides safe and gainful employment for Family Stewards providing sacred care.
The First Cohort of Family Stewards will be trained in January 2027.
3. Build a Family Stewardship Centre
Imagine a place where families can:
Gather before birth
Learn parenting skills
Access Family Stewards
Participate in ceremony
Attend community circles
Celebrate coming-of-age milestones
Support grandparents and caregivers
Honour their ancestors
A Family Stewardship Centre becomes a home for the Seven Thresholds of Family Life:
🌱 Birthing in Ceremony
🧸 Becoming Children
🔥 Coming of Age
🌿 Becoming Parents
🌕 Midlife Transitions
🌲 Becoming Grandparents
✨ Becoming Ancestors
Our vision is to establish Family Stewardship Centres across Indigenous communities so families can experience these transitions within culture, community, and ceremony.
Learn About Family Stewardship
Working Together
Request a Conversation
Meet with our team to explore how Family Stewardship can support your Nation's vision for family wellbeing. Whether your interested in hiring Family Stewards, training Family Stewards, or building a Family Stewardship Centre. Book a meeting with our team.
Provide a Letter of Support
As we continue fundraising for our first Family Stewardship Centre, letters of support from Indigenous Nations help demonstrate the need for this work and strengthen grant and partnership applications.
Letters should come from someone in your community with leadership for family health and wellness.