She is the 'safe person' for her nieces. Now she runs the Auntie Program for other Indigenous girls

Darla Ponace · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 17, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Maxine Peigan says the Auntie Program was inspired by her ain nieces.

"I person six nieces between the ages 5 to 16," she said. "Each of them are impacted by the societal issues that we're each faced with present successful Canada."

Peigan, a registered intelligence wellness therapist primitively from Pasqua First Nation successful Saskatchewan, created the eight-week Auntie Program, which focuses connected societal issues that interaction young Indigenous girls successful smaller First Nations communities.

She takes pridefulness successful providing a harmless and supportive spot for her nieces when they needed to talk.

"If I could beryllium a harmless idiosyncratic for my nieces, I request to make a programme for different children, different than conscionable counselling. That's benignant of the halfway of however it each benignant of snowballed together."

Last month, Peigan was invited to Peepeekisis Cree Nation, located 115 kilometres northeast of Regina, to enactment with a radical of girls from the ages of 12 to 17 years of property astatine Pesakastew School. They went implicit 8 main topics, but besides branched disconnected into deeper conversations.

When discussing steadfast relationships and boundaries, Peigan said a remark from 1 of the girls stuck with her.

"I recognize wherefore my ma is the mode she is now," Peigan remembers her saying.

It was meaningful for her to assistance these girls recognize these things successful their ain lives and learn to heal. 

Cherish Desomie-Bird, from Peepeekisis Cree Nation, said she enjoyed the program.

"We learned astir our humanities ways, and the ways that we mislaid them erstwhile residential schools took each that distant from us," she said. "Now they're trying to bring it backmost to america and I'm thankful for that."

Desnomie-Bird said the programme has helped her speak confidently in a group setting.

"I deliberation I'm gonna keep that with me, due to the fact that I'm shy sometimes and I consciousness overwhelmed, and I can't find the close words," she said. "But erstwhile I came present and erstwhile she started talking astir stories … I started to travel retired of my shell."

Desomie-Bird said she wants to marque her mushum and kokum proud, particularly aft the discussions astir residential schools. 

"My mushum and kokum went to residential schoolhouse and I cognize they had a hard time."

The programme included talking circles wherever they spoke astir termination ideation, grief and loss, steadfast relationships and boundaries.  

Peigan said a batch of the girls are dating, truthful they went done reddish flags successful relationships — what they look like and however to support yourself. She besides talked to them astir substance maltreatment and steadfast ways of living. 

"A batch of these girls person their ain stories, and they person their ain hurts," she said. "They travel here, and they resonate, they relate, they cry. Some talk, immoderate are conscionable listening."

Alani Desnomie, another participant, said she was gladsome she had a accidental to beryllium portion of it and would urge it to others. 

"I learned a batch astir intelligence health, and that nobody's perfect."

She said learning astir the antithetic beingness cycles — from childhood to young adulthood to adulthood — truly stood retired for her. 

"I volition astir apt retrieve everything until I americium older," she said. 

Peigan besides invited an elder from Pasqua First Nation to talk with the girls astir praying and medicines. 

They learned however to marque medicine bags and took portion successful creation therapy. 

They besides went implicit rites of passage and the girls' satellite time. She said immoderate of the girls don't person moms oregon aunties they tin person those conversations with, or are excessively shy to inquire for self-care items. She provides self-care baskets astatine the extremity of the program. 

"I grew up successful my dad's location and I didn't person my ma determination to bargain maine pads and to bash those things for me. So I cognize however it is," she said. 

Peigan said the feedback aft the programme is ever heartfelt.

"It's astir similar grief is visiting due to the fact that they don't privation it to stop. They privation america to support coming back, or wishing we're successful the schoolhouse each Wednesday day to beryllium determination with them. So it is simply a need."

The programme for Peepeekisis ended past Wednesday, but Peigan said the girls tin ever scope retired to her aft the programme is done.

"I ever archer them, "if you're going done something, scope retired to me, substance me." I usually support my telephone connected and if I'm available, I'll get backmost to you." 

She said it's astir bridging those connections and creating a harmless place.

"Some of the girls inactive scope retired contiguous that I've taught successful different schools."