Nogemag

Nogemag Healing Lodge

The legacy of the past has led Indigenous children and youth to have to deal with adversity from a young age. Our Nogemag programs are geared to providing a healing environment on the land for all the youth in the community.

Nogemag Therapeutic Gardening Program

Winter school/after school program

The winter program serves as either a school alternative program for middle-school and early HS youth who have difficulties functioning in school and frequently suspended. They have experienced high levels of adversity in their lives. Some have high levels of anxiety and depression and are at high risk of suicide. Nogemag Staff with youth helping them to express their thoughts and feelings. They use traditional talking circles and on-the land activities like hiking, hunting, fishing in their healing and centering. 80% of the youth of the first few cohorts went on to graduate HS.

Below is a picture of our Nogemag Elder Peter Clement who has now passed on. His gentle spirit helped sooth even the most out of control youth.

Summer Camp program

The summer camp program is open generally to all children and youth in the community although the programs and target groups vary from year to year. The camp counselors are older youth in the community who are in university or last years of HS. The opportunity of serving as camp counselors and program assistants helps develop their leadership potential.

Nogemag Winter Program Pictures

Nogemag is a Mi'kmaq word that means ‘all my relations’; it is a very deep concept that holds within it the concept of being in balanced relationship to self, family, community, all the creatures and mother earth and to creator.

The root of the word culture is the same as that of ‘cultivation’--people need their own ground if they are to grow. They need the opportunity to live in their own way on that ground and to tell their stories to their children in their own language.

Nogemag Summer Program Pictures

The legacy of the past has led Indigenous children and youth to have to deal with adversity from a young age. Our Nogemag programs are geared to providing a healing environment on the land for all the youth in the community. The opportunity of serving as camp counselors and program assistants has also help develop the leadership potential of the older youth in the community. Below are some pictures of our summer camping program.

Daily fireside storytelling and drumming are a favorite of the kids.

There is a strong cultural component to the camping program that includes Elders and ceremonial and traditional teachings.

After a few days of instruction kids go on 8 KM overnight canoe trips at Kouchibouguac National Park to practice their skills.