The Indigenous Journalists Association will host a free webinar for members on Trauma-Informed journalism led by Your syilx Sisters
IJA will host a webinar, “q’sapi Trauma-Informed Journalism Training,” led by Your syilx Sisters, on Thursday, Feb. 27 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. CT. This training has been offered at the annual Indigenous Media Conference (IMC) for the past two years.
Due to the popularity of the program at IMC, IJA is offering it free of charge to members in a webinar format. Registration is required.
This training session equips participants with essential tools and skills for handling sensitive stories with care and respect. The training will delve into immersive storytelling, syilx protocols for supporting the grieving, and the sacredness of sharing someone’s story (their medicine).
Attendees will gain insight into the spiritual impact of storytelling and learn to enact data sovereignty. Attendees will also discover how to ethically source stories, create safety plans for knowledge keepers, and practice self-care throughout the process. By the end of the training, the participant will be prepared to navigate sensitive subjects with empathy and responsibility, both for the subjects and audience.
Part of IJA’s mission is to serve and empower Indigenous journalists through programs and actions designed to enrich journalism and promote Indigenous culture. Through this webinar, IJA would like to provide a space for members to learn and utilize skills to practice self-care to share Indigenous communities stories and strengthen Indigenous journalists.
About The Sisters
kelsie kilawna (Marchand) and Lauren Marchand, sisters from the syilx (Seal-x) Nation, live and work in their community of the Okanagan Indian Band, known by its place name, nk̓maplqs (in-kum-up-ah-lux). Raised in a family of artists, storytellers, and caretakers, the sisters grew up immersed in the teachings of their homelands. Their journey of learning captikwl (chap-teek), the oral storytelling laws of their people, through art and embodied practices with their grandmother, shaped their commitment to healing, cultural protocols, and collective well-being. Together, they founded Your syilx Sisters, where kelsie leads efforts to decolonize and uncolonize media practices and foster trauma-informed storytelling, while Lauren uses her skills in graphic art, conflict resolution, and mentorship to guide others on their learning journeys and bring life to stories that enable others to embody these teachings.
kelsie kilawna (Marchand), partner of Your syilx Sisters was formerly Cultural Editor and Senior Aunty at IndigiNews. Her role was to support decolonizing practices and policy, editing all stories so they are trauma-informed and culturally aware. She also supported all storytellers (reporters) in engaging in trauma-informed practices while in the field. Additionally, she developed training specifically geared to the media industry around how to be responsible guests telling Indigenous stories on Indigenous homelands in a way that honours protocol and considers settler positionality. In one year, she trained over 1500 journalists, communication specialists, governing bodies, and community folks. She developed this training with her in-depth knowledge and expertise in trauma-informed practices.
Lauren Marchand is the company’s graphic artist and illustrator who has been nurtured throughout her life to embody syilx ways of being while engaging in her art practices. Coming from an academic background where she studied human development, she also gained knowledge of trauma-informed practices. She has a lifetime of learning about the power of storytelling through visuals and brings that knowledge to the training and mentorship of the sisters’ client base. She is gifted in conflict resolution and uses her expertise in the spiritual understanding of individual life journeys related to the world to find unique ways of working through complex situations and topics. Her patient nature makes her a great mentor for folks who so they feel empowered to honour the learning path ahead of them in whatever direction that might be.
