Rooted in Gwekwaadziwin: Season 3, Episode 4 - Graham McWaters

Rooted in Gwekwaadziwin: Season 3, Episode 4 - Graham McWaters

Season 3, Episode 4: Graham McWaters – Hockey, Community, and Creating Opportunities In this episode of Rooted in Gwekwaadziwin, Sam and Matt sit down with Graham McWaters, founder of the Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive, to discuss the power of sport, community, and creating opportunities for Indigenous youth across Canada. Over the past 11 years, Graham has helped collect and distribute more than 6,000 bags of hockey equipment, 10,000 hockey sticks, and hundreds of sets of goalie gear to Indigenous communities from coast to coast. What began as a simple effort to help one community has grown into a national initiative that continues to remove barriers and create opportunities for youth to participate in sport. Together, they explore the impact of hockey on mental health and wellness, the importance of mentorship and community support, the challenges families face in accessing sport, and the countless stories of young people whose lives have been changed through participation in hockey. The conversation also highlights the role of partnerships, volunteerism, and reconciliation in action, while reflecting on how sport can build confidence, connection, resilience, and hope. Whether you're a hockey fan, community leader, parent, coach, or someone interested in creating positive change, this episode is an inspiring reminder of what can happen when people come together to support the next generation. To learn more about the Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive, make a donation, or register for the annual fundraising golf tournament, visit: Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive https://www.theiropportunity.com/indigenoushockeyequipmentdrive [https://www.theiropportunity.com/indigenoushockeyequipmentdrive]

Rooted in Gwekwaadziwin: Season 3, Episode 3 - Dr. Sharlene Webkamigad

Season 3, Episode 3: Dr. Sharlene Webkamigad – Indigenous Health, Identity, and Returning to Our Own Ways of Knowing In this episode of Rooted in Gwekwaadziwin, Sam and Matt sit down with Dr. Sharlene Webkamigad, Anishinaabekwe from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, nurse, educator, researcher, and community advocate. Sharlene shares her journey from growing up on Manitoulin Island to becoming a registered nurse, researcher, and professor. Drawing on her experiences in health care, academia, community-based research, and Anishinaabe teachings, she reflects on identity, belonging, Indigenous knowledge systems, and the importance of creating health and wellness approaches that are grounded in community. Together, they explore Indigenous health, cultural safety, community-led research, traditional foods and medicines, access to care, the impacts of colonization on health systems, and the importance of remembering who we are and where we come from. The conversation also highlights the role of family, culture, ceremony, language, and land in supporting wellness and healing. This thoughtful and inspiring discussion offers listeners an opportunity to reflect on what it means to bring your whole self to the work you do while helping shape a future rooted in Indigenous knowledge, self-determination, and community well-being. To learn more about Dr. Sharlene Webkamigad and her current projects, visit: Dr. Sharlene Webkamigad – Laurentian University Faculty Profile [https://laurentian.ca/academics/faculty-directory/swebkamigad?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

Rooted in Gwekwaadziwin: Season 3, Episode 2 - Taylor Sayers

Season 3, Episode 2: Taylor Sayers – Community, Culture, and Indigenous Policing In this episode of Rooted in Gwekwaadziwin, Sam and Matt sit down with Taylor Sayers, Director of Corporate Services for UCCM Anishinaabe Police Service, to discuss the evolving role of Indigenous policing and community safety. Taylor shares her journey into policing leadership and offers insight into what culturally responsive policing looks like in First Nations communities. The conversation explores community trust, proactive approaches to wellness and safety, innovative programs such as the Social Navigator initiative, employee wellness, youth engagement, and the importance of Indigenous leadership in shaping the future of policing. This episode highlights how Indigenous policing extends beyond enforcement and focuses on relationships, prevention, collaboration, and community well-being. To learn more about UCCM Anishinaabe Police Service, visit: https://uccmpolice.com/ [https://uccmpolice.com/]

Rooted in Gwekwaadziwin: Season 3, Episode 1 - Paul Francis

In this episode of Rooted in Gwekwaadziwin, Sam and Matt sit down with Paul Francis to discuss Indigenous health leadership, traditional healing, and the future of reconciliation within Ontario’s health care system. Paul shares his journey from his Manitoulin and Thunder Bay roots to leadership roles in social work, education, mental health, addictions, and health care. Drawing on his experience at St. Joseph’s Care Group and his current work with the Ontario Hospital Association, he reflects on the importance of Indigenous-led approaches, cultural safety, and creating meaningful change within large institutions. Together, they explore the role of traditional healing alongside Western medicine, the importance of Indigenous representation in leadership, the ongoing impacts of residential schools and Indian hospitals, and what it takes to build health systems that are truly responsive to Indigenous communities. The conversation also touches on youth leadership, sports and wellness, mentorship, and the importance of staying connected to culture, community, and spirit. This episode offers an honest and thoughtful discussion about healing, health care, and the opportunities that exist when organizations commit to reconciliation as an ongoing relationship rather than a destination. To learn more about the Ontario Hospital Association and its work supporting Ontario's hospitals and health systems, visit: www.oha.com [http://www.oha.com]

Rooted in Gwekwaadziwin: Season 2, Episode 10 - Andy Aguonie

In this Season 2 finale of Rooted in Gwekwaadziwin, we share a wide-ranging and deeply grounded conversation with Andy Aguonie, Traditional Knowledge Carrier at Gwekwaadziwin Miikan, former Chief of Sheguiandah First Nation, land-based counsellor, and a lifelong man connected to the land. Andy reflects on growing up on Manitoulin Island, the pull of home, and the teachings that shaped his journey — from leadership and governance to healing, ceremony, harvesting, and time spent alone on the land. He speaks openly about community change, the responsibilities of leadership, and why real healing can’t be programmed, only chosen. Throughout the conversation, Andy returns to core teachings: planting seeds, trusting natural law, carrying knowledge rather than keeping it, and the lifelong work of becoming who you’re meant to be. From traplines and moose hunts to emotional intelligence, humility, and hope, this episode closes Season 2 with a powerful reminder that healing lives in relationship — with land, with people, and with ourselves.