Join us for a 30-minute interactive workshop designed for m youth to explore the power of medicine bags in supporting wellness Presented by Morning Song Bird (Maggie Asselstine). Rooted in Indigenous traditions, medicine bags carry personal items that offer protection, strength, and healing. Together, we’ll learn about their significance, reflect on what brings us balance, and begin creating our own wellness-centered medicine bags. This session is a space for connection, cultural sharing, and self-care, honouring the ways we carry medicine within us and for our communities.

Course Objectives

1. Cultural Connection & Learning – Introduce youth to the significance of medicine bags in Indigenous traditions and explore how cultural practices support wellness.
2. Personal Reflection & Empowerment – Encourage participants to reflect on what brings them strength, balance, and healing, fostering a deeper sense of self-awareness and resilience.
3. Hands-On Engagement & Wellness Practices – Provide a creative space for youth to begin designing their own medicine bags, incorporating personal symbols of wellness and self-care.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the Purpose of Medicine Bags – Participants will learn about the cultural significance of medicine bags in Indigenous traditions and how they are used for protection, healing, and wellness.
2. Identify Personal Symbols of Wellness – Participants will explore what items, values, or practices support their own well-being and how these can be incorporated into a medicine bag.
3. Create a Personalized Wellness Practice – Participants will begin designing their own medicine bags or plan what to include, fostering a deeper connection to self-care and cultural wellness practices.

Professional Expertise

Maggie Asselstine is a dedicated Indigenous educator, facilitator, and mental health professional with over 20 years of experience serving First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and urban Indigenous communities in Ontario. She specializes in integrating traditional Indigenous knowledge with Western therapeutic approaches, ensuring culturally safe, trauma-informed, and decolonized spaces for learning and healing.

Maggie’s expertise spans mental health, addictions, child welfare, and cultural wellness programming. She has designed and facilitated training for social service professionals, educators, and community organizations, focusing on Indigenous wellness frameworks, Two-Eyed Seeing, and cultural competency. As a counsellor and facilitator, she brings a deep understanding of Indigenous healing practices, including the significance of medicine bags and other sacred traditions that promote balance and resilience.

With a strong commitment to community empowerment, Maggie’s work is centered on fostering inclusive, strength-based approaches to wellness. She is passionate about creating safe spaces for Black and Indigenous youth to explore their own healing practices, build connections, and embrace the medicine they carry within.