Indigenous financial workshops
Wealth Mindset: Indigenous Financial Resilience.
Host workshops and give members of your community the tools to make financial confident decisions through an Indigenous lens.
Indigenous taught and led approach.
Vancity provides the Wealth Mindset curriculum to organizations for no cost and will support the training of your facilitators.
- Build skills and confidence
Learn how to build your wealth with basic budgeting and managing your money. - Learn through stories and real examples
Hear from Elders about their financial journeys and how they’ve helped their communities. - For individuals, communities, teachers
Host an Indigenous financial education workshop for anyone in your community.
About the Wealth Mindset program.
Created alongside Called to Action Collaborative, Elders, and our Indigenous colleagues, the courses aim to remove barriers for Indigenous people to build wealth, and pass learnings down to future generations.
The logo inspired Tom Spetter, Lead Designer of Animikii Indigenous Technology, talks about his vision behind the design.
“Eagle Feathers represent peace, prosperity, and happiness. I fanned out an array of seven feathers to represent the concept of decisions made today impacting Seven Generations into the future.”
Our workshops & topics.
We offer free, virtual and in-person workshops for flexible group sizes. Choose one workshop, or the entire series.
Circle Module.
Duration 2-3 hours depending on group sizes.
What is covered:
- What is Indigenous financial literacy
- Your values and relationship with money
- First peoples’ concepts of wealth and economy
- Colonization and multigenerational impacts
- Economic resurgence and innovation
- Money as life energy
Banking basics.
Duration 1 hour.
What is covered:
- How to choose the right financial institution and account for your needs
- Way to reduce your account fees
- How to make interest work for you, not against you
- Basic skills, such as opening a bank account and writing a cheque
Basic budgeting.
Duration 1 hour.
What is covered:
- What is a budget and the benefits of creating one
- Understanding the difference between a ‘want’ and a ‘need’
- Expenses tracking
- Making financial goals
- How to develop a budget
Meet your facilitators.
Our workshops are led by Indigenous staff at Vancity who are changing the conversation on financial education, and each brings a personalized perspective on why the program is important to them.
Brittany Pruden | Métis Cree
I’m a proud Métis woman reclaiming my heritage. I was disconnected from my ancestors and culture, and I’ve made it my journey and life purpose to reconnect to my heritage and traditional teachings. My mother is Métis Cree from St. Laurent, Manitoba.
Frank Smith | ʼNa̱mǥis First Nation
“Gilakas’la nugwam Kixtlala’nakwala”
That was “hello” and an introduction in my traditional Chief’s name from the Kwikwasutinuxw. It’s Frank Smith in your world.
I do my best to help our children learn the values of our traditions and keep our culture going. As a front-line worker, I love working with people, and I view everyday as an opportunity to learn new things.
Karen Gray | Cree
I recently discovered I have Cree ancestry from Manitoba. I’m passionate about learning my Indigenous roots and helping Indigenous entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses with Vancity’s array of products and services.
Rose Archie | Tsq’escemc
I’m from Tsq’escemc in Canim Lake, BC which is also known as “The People of Broken Rock”.
I’m passionate about building wealth through an Indigenous lens and am excited to talk about it. I want to help support Indigenous organizations and businesses, as they help build healthy Indigenous communities. I also want to be able to recognize the value of Indigenous knowledge keepers, as they are priceless.
Elders.
Larry Railton | Metis
I’m of Metis of Cree and Welch heritage. My work focuses on inclusion and acceptance of who we are as a people, while supporting individual successes along the way. Understanding wealth in a conceptual way can helps guide personal successes.
Veronica Folkers | Haida
My traditional Haida name is Koonjaad. I’m from the Haida Gwaii Nation, and I currently and gratefully reside on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. I’m glad to provide elder support as requested.
Host a workshop.
Email us at indigenous_partnerships@vancity.com to connect with our Indigenous Partnerships team.
Our collaborators.
