The developers of the Feather Carriers: Leadership for Life Promotion have worked with the First Nations communities in the Simcoe Muskoka region of south central Ontario since the 1980s. Since this time their experiences with Indigenous people attempting to prevent suicide lead them to believe that a life promotion approach that attracts people towards life can be a more effective way to prevent Indigenous people from choosing to die prematurely. The Feather Carriers training evolved from the life experiences shared by individuals within Indigenous communities. In appreciation of this sharing, our approach is grounded in the teachings of our ancestors.

Feather Carriers: Leadership for Life Promotion began in 2015 as a culturally grounded, life-oriented response to suicide in communities. The training developed is in two parts: The first part outlines the steps for a community mobilization strategy so that annual training is translated into action and needed system changes that will involve whole communities. The second part addresses a new approach to training that is developed and designed from an Indigenous perspective – one of Life Promotion – changing the dialogue of illness into one of wellness.

The training structure loosely follows the Anishinaabe Send-off Ritual that includes 5 days spread out over one calendar year. The program has reached a wide range of people between 2015 and 2018 so far:

• Three regional trainings resulted in over 70 on and off reserve Indigenous community members accepting the responsibility to serve their communities as life promotion leaders by becoming Feather Carriers.
• The Indigenous Policing Bureau of the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) received training in 2017/18 and uses elements of the training received to connect with youth in the Northern Indigenous communities of Kichenumaykoosib Inninwuk and Wapekeka. CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association) has supported these visits to the north through the support of Aleta Armstrong (3 visits) and John Rice (1 visit).
• The program is being delivered to the Chippewas of Nawash Community on the Bruce Peninsula.
• Feather Carriers training is being offered with the Mi’kmaq communities of Western Newfoundland in partnership with the Canadian Foundation of Health Care Improvement.

The CMHA FNMI (First Nations, Inuit, Metis) Team has also adapted the 5 day training into a 1 day training that gives participants a basic experience in this Life Promotion Program, leading to:

• CMHA 4 in house trainings, and
• Geneva Park Suicide Awareness Conference presentations in 2017 and 2018.

Due to the rapid growth of the training, along with numerous pending community requests, it was determined that additional support, along with the development of an organizational structure was needed. Correspondingly, the Feather Carriers Advisory Board was established during the winter of 2017/18. This Advisory Board has been meeting regularly, while providing support with major tasks such as the hiring of three Feather Carriers employees.

The Feather Carriers Training has grown at a rapid pace over the past few years, with the most obvious development occurring over this past year. Feather Carriers now has: an operational Advisory Board, hired three employees, received two funding grants and has expanded from its roots as a regional program to hold both national and international presence. Feather Carriers was developed as a response to a community need, and it is because of that approach as well as being rooted in spirit, that so much interest in this training has developed. Community partnerships such as Barrie and Area Native Advisory Council, Biimaadsiwin Mental Wellness Committee and the Canadian Mental Health Association have supported the development of Feather Carriers.