Dibaadan Support

Dibaadan supports are available to all Nipissing University students.

For more information, contact counselling@nipissingu.ca or 705-474-3450 ext. 4507

Dibaadan provides specialized outreach, prevention, and intervention from a wholistic Indigenous wellness perspective. This includes events and activities to learn more about caring for your well-being. Any student may access these services (status, non-status, non-Indigenous).

Dibaadan Meaning: "Speak the Truth, speak from your Heart"

Aaniish naa Meaning: "How are you?"

Mino bimaadziwin Meaning: “To Live the good life following a balanced approach”

Origin: Anishinaabemowin

Aaniish naa Visits
Visit one-to-one with the Dibaadan Wellness Coordinator either in-person in B210 or online to explore and engage in wholistic wellness practices following an Indigenous approach. Students can partake in cultural crafts, explore goals, visit for a wellness check, tea or a walk etc.  

All students are welcome! 
Times are available Monday - Friday (Monday visits are virtual only)
Click here to schedule a visit

Fall Semester Campus Trail Walks

Wednesday and Fridays from 12:00pm to 1:00pm 

Meet us in the Office of Indigenous Initiatives and join us for a walk on the beautiful campus trails!

Mino bimaadziwin Drop-In 
A weekly drop-in with the Dibaadan Wellness Coordinator.  No appointment needed where students can drop by and talk in a safe setting and engage in wellness activities.  All students are welcome!

Tuesdays 11:00am to 1:00pm in B120 &
Thursdays 11:00am to 1:00pm in F215

Drop-in Smudge
Tuesdays from 8:30 to 9:30am in B210-J

Thursdays 8:45 to 9:30am smudge by the dam at the Pond

Sharing Circles

2023 Medicine Wheel

Indigenous sharing circles build on wholistic mental health and wellbeing. This is a supportive time for reflecting, relationship building, and sharing with others. The sharing circles help introduce students to sharing, and learning together.

Gaining a better understanding of self and others. Every sharing circle begins with a smudging ceremony. The Dibaadan Wellness Coordinator will facilitate a conversation for wholistic wellness related to one of the four directions of the medicine wheel. All students are welcome!

image sweet grass

Dibaadan Monthly Activity Calendar

History of Dibaadan

From September 2015 – March 2017, Nipissing University under the leadership of Student Counselling Services funded by the Mental Health Innovation Fund, led a two- year initiative to overall “Strengthen Mental Health Services for Indigenous Students” at Nipissing University. This project was called “Dibaadan”. (Speak from Your Heart- Your Truth – Ojibway Anishnaabemowin)

Phase 1: The Project Facilitator worked within a consultative framework (medicine wheel) with an Indigenous Advisory Circle consisting of community leaders in the helping field as well a Traditional Elder and NU student representatives.

Phase 1 consisted of evaluating and information gathering of peer reviewed scholarly literature on “Wise Indigenous Mental Health Practices”. In particular identifying barriers that exist for Indigenous learners that wish to access mental health services. This phase of data collection included: Interviewing students, Office of Aboriginal Initiatives, SCS counseling staff and counselors at the university. Also, hosting Discussion Circles, a Drum Social and a Traditional Anishinabek Medicine Bag Workshop for students.

As a way of “giving back” to the community, Dibaadan hosted a series of Teach In’s facilitated by leaders in the Anishinabek community open for all of Nipissing University.

Phase 2: The Project Facilitator worked with the Advisory Circle, Nipissing University students, Office of Aboriginal Initiatives and Student Counseling Services (SCS) to select recommendations for immediate implementation. The Project Facilitator assisted SCS in the appropriate implementation of select recommendations and evaluated the impact of these changes to service. A focus was on sustainability as the project and funding would end in March 2017. The project would report Dibaadan wise practices, Indigenous Evaluative approaches, Values, Accessibility of Services influenced and student narratives/voices and outline what we did best, possible future outcomes with the Nipissing University community, community partners, and the Post Secondary Student Counseling programs across the province.

Phase 3: The Project Facilitator worked with the advisory circle members, and Nipissing University to hire a Dibaadan counsellor. Changes to the Student Development Services (SDS) environment made the office space more inviting to indigenous students. The Dibaadan counsellor and the ‘Enji Giigdoyang’ Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII) department continue to work on strengthening their partnerships and collaborating on projects that support indigenous students on campus.

Additionally, the Dibaadan project created a monthly professional development day for the staff from both SDS and OII to learn more about Anishinabek values, ceremony, cultural awareness and insight about post-secondary indigenous student stories. Other practices such as brief individual counselling, sharing circles, and drop-in time supporting the seven grandfather teachings were implemented by the project.

Currently, the Dibaadan project continues to grow and develop collaboratively with the students that participate. The advisory circle members meet bi-annually to discuss the future of the Dibaadan Project. Indigenous holistic programing will continue to be available on campus to aid all students in their post-secondary journey.

Cultural Knowledge Building, Relationships and Community!​​

Dibaadan Report

Indigenous Helplines and Resources

Talk 4 Healing

Talk 4 Healing - 1-855-554-4325
Talk4Healing offers 24/7 help, support and resources for Indigenous women, by Indigenous women, all across Ontario.

Hope for Wellness Help Line - 1-855-242-3310
Offers immediate help to all Indigenous peoples across Canada.
Counselling and crisis intervention is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
 

North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre

Mental Health & Wellness Program - 705-472-2811 ext. 217
daw@nbifc.org
 

Giiwedno Mshkikiiwgamig North Bay Indigenous Hub

Giiwedno Mshkikiiwgamig North Bay Indigenous Hub - 1-705-995-0060
Traditional Healing services and Mental Wellness and Social Services are offered.