Community Education Services
Members of STR8 UP speak honestly and openly about their life experiences and the cyclical effects of intergenerational trauma. Speaking the truth of their experiences and sharing them with others supports the healing process that they are undergoing.
Our Presentations
STR8 UP has been doing community presentations across Saskatchewan and the prairies since 2002. We have delivered over 3000 presentations to students, teachers, professionals, and a variety of community groups.
Our presentations are catered to the audience, but generally include:
- Goals & Conditions of becoming a STR8 UP Member
- The role of the Medicine Wheel in the healing journey
- An opportunity for members to share their personal experiences and the impact of family dysfunction, poverty, addictions, and intergenerational trauma
Note: STR8 UP does not do individual presentations. Some of our members have developed their own presentations that are not part of STR8 UP’s Community Education Services and they can be contacted through their personal contact information.
Presentation options:
How Come? is our main presentation, and is required as part of every delivery. Additional add-on presentations are available, including: Colonization, Obstacles to Recovery, and Process of Recovery. Learn more about each below!
How come? (Personal Stories)
This two-hour session is our main presentation that is part of every presentation we do. It describes the journey of becoming an Indigenous Gang Member. Beginning in early childhood, or even prior to birth, various forms of dysfunction and abuse lead young people into a life of addiction, crime and control. The Medicine Wheel is introduced as a holistic model for the healing journey. Recovering ex-gang members share their experiences of self-empowerment and rehabilitation. Open discussion and exchange with the audience closes the session.
This presentation is for:
Those that wish to understand the reality of how someone might find themselves involved in gang and criminal lifestyles and how best to support them in transforming into healthy and responsible citizens.
Presentation length: 1.5-2 hours
Topics Covered
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Poverty & racism
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Addiction
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Abuse and control
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Medicine Wheel
Colonization (Collective Stories)
This presentation focuses on where STR8 UP Members are within the collective story and historical realities of Turtle Island for 20,000 years before the arrival and first contact with Europeans and the years that came after first contact. The pre-colonization Medicine Wheel, generally quite balanced and harmonious, experienced a revolution and became fractured and disembodied. A history of colonialism, settlement and evangelization will expose the systemic consequences of settler/colonial relationships based on racism, exploitation, prejudice, arrogance and dysfunction.
This presentation is for:
Those that would like to better understand the impact that colonialism has had on families and individuals who have experienced the fracturing Medicine Wheel and are working towards reclaiming balance and harmony in their lives.
Presentation length: 1-1.25 hours
Topics Covered
- Colonization
- Systemic Injustice
- The Medicine Wheel
STR8 UP Obstacles to Recovery
This presentation will explore the numerous and intense effects of the fractured Medicine Wheel. STR8 UP members describe the struggle to overcome obstacles and challenges to their recovery journey. The disintegration of family life, abuse, abandonment, poverty, oppression, unemployment, addiction, criminality, and incarceration that led them to embark on their healing journey.
For many, addictions and gangsterism became their solution to navigating a society which not only did not meet their needs but also was the cause of many of their struggles. These young men and women joined together to earn and maintain a reputation for survival by proving they were more violent and ruthless than the world they grew up in.
This presentation is for:
Anyone who would like to understand the realities of the healing journey and the type of obstacles an individual may face when they make the decision to leave behind the gang lifestyle.
Presentation length: 1.25 hours
Topics Covered
- Colonization
- Systemic Injustice
- The Medicine Wheel
- Poverty & Racism
- Addiction
- Abuse and control
STR8 UP Process of Recovery
In this presentation STR8 UP addresses the process of recovery. There is no quick and easy fix to resolve entrenchment in street gangs. The recovery journey of STR8 UP members models many of the necessary steps and insights of the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions' 94 recommendations, as well as those found in Reclaiming Power and Place, the final report of the national inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
This presentation is for:
Both indigenous and non-indigenous residents of Turtle Island who want to work together to reconcile and heal the Medicine Wheel.
Presentation length: 1.25 hours
Topics Covered
- Colonization
- Systemic Injustice
- The Medicine Wheel
- Poverty & Racism
- Addiction
- Abuse and control
Book a Presentation
If you would like to book a STR8 UP Community Education Presentation, fill out the form below, or call the Saskatoon Office at (306) 244-1771.
Note that all engagements begin with the foundational presentation of How Come? (Personal Stories).