"Culturally safe practice involves being culturally aware and culturally responsive... Being culturally safe includes being sensitive to, and reflective upon, the experience of a cultural group, and developing relationships with that group and individuals within it that acknowledge their experience"
(retrieved from Colby Pearce, a practicing Clinical Psychologist, website at colbypearce.net)
Experience peace, healing, and wellness on a deeper level by accessing your inherent creativity and bringing it to the forefront
Workshops
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WORKSHOP 1 - Performance, Creative Writing, & Emotional Storytelling
This is a hands-on interactive workshop that assists in empowering participants to
a) embrace their voice
b) honor their lived experience
c) use their creativity to have meaningful impact
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WORKSHOP 2 - Steps to Self-Publishing
This two part workshop covers how to format and self-publish a book
Part 1:
a) Contents of a book
b) Basic book formatting for print
Part 2:
a) Navigating Amazon’s self-publishing platform
b) Submitting book for approval to publish on Amazon.com
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WORKSHOP 3 - Historical Trauma to Present Day Wellness
Through this presentation style workshop with spoken word poetry sprinkled throughout, Shuína Skó covers the following
a) Historical harms that shifted the trajectory of Indigenous wellness
b) The relationship between historical trauma, epigenetic research, and perpetuating social issues
c) Cultural practices, rooted in ewksiknii teachings, that act as medicine and support in holistic health
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WORKSHOP 4 - Missing & Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) Awareness
What is the MMIP awareness movement?
Why does it matter?
How can you help?
Emotion packed storytelling through spoken word poetry that answers the questions above, inspires change, and deepens understanding of the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Peoples epidemic
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WORKSHOP 5 - Two Spirit & LGBTQIA+
What does it mean to identify as Two-Spirit?
This presentation style workshop with spoken word poetry throughout explores
a) The Two-Spirit identity, its relationship with heteronormativity, and place within the LGBTQ+ community
b) The impact colonialism has had on Indigenous identity, sexuality, and gender
c) Providing more culturally responsive services to Indigenous people who identify as Two-Spirit and/or within the LGBTQ+ community?
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WORKSHOP 6 - Decolonize the Mind, Indigenize the Heart
Shuína Skó shares several of their emotionally inspiring poems through a spoken word performance that
a) Tells the story of colonization from an Indigenous point of view
b) Highlights Indigenous resiliency, creativity, and spirituality
c) Speaks to the connectedness Indigenous people have with other people, animals, and the natural and spiritual world
“While in sweat I learned how to pray, embrace stillness, and find grounding. Welcomed the thickening heat as it released any mental, emotional, or spiritual heaviness that I had been carrying. Then, after the sweat ceremony we would do as our ancestors had done and dive into the clear brisk river… There, alongside the river, I learned culture. I became culture.”
- Shuína Skó, excerpt from “Big Love-mo stinta: Poetry Honoring Indigenous Resiliency”
meet your instructor
meet your instructor
Shuína Skó
Shuína Skó is a Two-Spirit internationally known author, veteran, Indigenous rights activist, and storyteller who shares story through spoken word poetry
Their poetry is fearlessly authentic and refreshingly vulnerable
Through art, Shuína invites us on a journey that explores the complexities and vibrancy of the Indigenous experience and Two-Spirit identity
They are a lifelong humanitarian and sought after Indigenous storyteller with a passion for sharing Indigenous ways-of-being that promote healing and greater wellness
Shuína holds a Bachelor of Science in applied psychology and has over 10 years of professional experience working with Indigenous sovereign nations, various United States government departments, and higher educational institutions
Shuína's thorough understanding of how intergenerational trauma and systemic oppression impact Indigenous communities feeds their determination to find and provide creative avenues for positive societal change
Shuína Skó has self-published several poetry books that have been purchased throughout Turtle Island (North America) and Europe
These books contain short stories about love and resiliency, the Two-Spirit identity, historical trauma and settler colonialism, suicide prevention, the missing and murdered Indigenous peoples awareness movement, matriarchy, and more
These teachings are rooted in rich cultural values and practices from an ewksiknii (Klamath) perspective; some cultural activities Shuína engages in include hunting, fishing, gathering, beading and regalia making, serving elders, land stewardship, storytelling, maintaining sacred burial sites, smudging, sweat lodge and other ceremonies
Workshops
Experience peace, healing, and wellness on a deeper level by accessing your inherent creativity and bringing it to the forefront