As part of our International Women’s Day Blog Series we would like to introduce you to one of our staff members, Joanna. Joanna works as a counsellor at Nellie’s Shelter and she facilitates Nellie’s Jewelry Making Program.  Joanna’s love of jewelry making started at a young age as her grandmother and mother taught her how to make acorn necklaces. Soon she was making more complicated pieces such as star-quill earrings and eventually created her own custom jewelry.  Her work is grounded in authentic Native traditions and she uses procupine quills, beads and stones in a traditional style with contemporary flare.  Today Joanna shares her passion with the women and children at the shelter, showing them how to be creative and how to design their own custom jewelry.

(Beautiful pieces of jewelry made by the women at Nellie’s Shelter)

At the Jewelry Making Program, each woman creates a “One of a Kind” piece that they can be proud of owning including handmade necklaces, earrings and bracelets.  At Nellie’s we celebrate the courage that it takes to walk away from violence. We want to support women through their journey to freedom. With a holistic healing approach, we aim to provide creative and expressive ways for woman to move away from their worries and come together to focus on a new way of self expression. Creating something beautiful for themselves is time spent healing.

Many women at this group have told us that they have not had an opportunity to do something fun and creative in a long time.  Having dedicated and caring staff like Joanna guide women through this process helps them to develop self-confidence and new forms of expression.  This group is also a place for discussions to occur among women in an informal setting.  If you’d like to get involved in this program, we are always looking for items we can make jewelry with including beads, stones and gems. Next month, the women will be creating dream catchers.