Our Mandate
We work in collaboration with the family and community to ensure:
- Children are protected from harm
- To advocate for systemic change
- To plan, develop and deliver programs and services to meet the needs of the communities
- To promote supportive family and community environments for children and youth.
- To provide family support through assessment, referral and intervention
- To provide guardianship care to children based on our Values
- To provide information and programs designed to promote child safety and wellness
- To empower Tl’azt’en and Nak’azdli families
- To ensure that each Nakazdli and Tl'azt'en child will know who they are and where they come from
Our Vision
Our vision is that family systems will be restored based on cultural beliefs. We envision our community as a place where our people will be nurtured and guided by the traditional teachings of our elders. Our people will be empowered to carry forward the cultural practices of caring into the future. We are following the path of our ancestors.
Values
As Defined by our Elders and Our Traditons
- Children are sacred
- Family will be reconized and acknowledged as First Nations with a diverse and unique history, culture, communities, and familial relationships
- We recognize that we serve three distinct nations:
Tl'azt'en Nation, Binche Whut'en, and Nak'azdli Whut'en
- Cultural identity must be protected, promoted, practiced
- The community shares the responsibility of caring for children through traditional practices
- We believe that children belong in their communities therefore we will build capacity with our members to meet their needs
- We have an inherent right to make decisions regarding our children, our families, and our communities
Dedication to Nancy Tom
In Memory of Nancy Tom 1953 -2012
“Let us remember that it takes a whole community to raise a child and that we need to always be aware that little eyes are watching and listening and that whatever you do they will do also. We need every one of you out there to make a difference in a child’s life today: perhaps just by lending a listening ear, praising your child or any other child for the little things they do, telling them it’s okay if they make a mistake, respecting them for who they are and not being judgmental, gently talking to them about the facts of life, making time to do something special just for them such as birthdays or going out for lunch, offering them a safe place if they need one, and the list could go on and on. These are the basic things we need to be aware of each and every day because it sure doesn’t cost much to tell a child they’re worth it. If each of us that are here today could do this then we are on the road to building our Nations to where we once were as strong caring families who stepped up to care for their own. Mussi Cho for listening and my prayers are with you all."
- Nancy Tom (2008)
Dedication to Mary Lebrun
In Memory of Mary Lebrun 1937—2019
A loving Grandmother, Mother, Aunty, respected Elder and
enchanting Medicine Women.
Mary served as an Elder Advisor on the Nezul Be Hunuyeh
Board of Directors for 10 years.
Mary showed compassion, dedication and commitment to her people and the children and families we serve.
Her spirit lives on in our board room, in her teachings, in the plants she gathered, on the land she loved and in the medicines she leaves behind.
This is where you will always find Mary.