We Know Where the Village Was Lost

When we speak about “bringing back the village,” we must also be honest about where it went.

The systems of care, ceremony, and intergenerational support that once held families did not simply disappear.

They were disrupted.

Colonization separated people from land, language, kinship systems, and the ways families were supported through life’s transitions.

Birth moved out of community and into institutions.
Parenting became isolated within households.
Coming of age lost its ceremony.
Elders were separated from daily life.

What was once shared became individualized.
What was once relational became transactional.

This is not just history.
We are living the impacts of it now.
I believe every single one of us feels this deeply.

Rebuilding the village is not about nostalgia.
It is about shared responsibility.

It is about restoring systems of care that are:

• relational, not extractive

• community-held, not isolated

• grounded in dignity and connection

The Family Stewardship Centre is the heart of that rebuilding.

Not as a replication of the past, but as a conscious, respectful step toward a future desired state where families, not just babies, are birthed again. Where families aren’t just sent home from hospitals, they are stewarded into community again. They are held when it’s hard, and celebrated when the rites of passage are unfolding.

We are building what we all desire most: belonging, connection, and love.

With you here with us, we’re one step closer. Thank you.

All my relations,

Jace Poirier Lacerte
Founder and Vision Keeper, the Family Stewardship Centre