Supporting Healing Through Culture

Stepping Stones Crisis Society is pleased to welcome Jayda Maciborski as our new Cultural Navigator, a role dedicated to helping clients incorporate culture into their healing journey while strengthening connections between Stepping Stones and the communities we serve.

Jayda explained that culture is an essential component of the healing processes of the women and children at Stepping Stones Crisis Society. “Culture is important for everybody,” she said. “For many Indigenous clients, having access to their culture while they’re healing is incredibly important. But every person brings their own culture, and we want to support that as part of their healing journey.”

As Cultural Navigator, Jayda will help clients gain access to cultural teachings, activities, and community resources within Stepping Stones and in the community. This includes organizing workshops like ribbon skirt making, beading, and other traditional crafts that can become both creative hobbies and meaningful healing practices. She also plans to bring clients into the community to participate in cultural events, such as local Treaty Days celebrations, while seeking to bring more cultural experiences into the Stepping Stones facility.

One of the first major projects will be the installation of a 16-foot teepee on the Stepping Stones grounds. Clients and their children will be invited to leave handprints on the teepee, symbolizing the families who have found healing and support through the organization.

Jayda will also work to bridge the gap between clients and community services. She will help clients with Indigenous funding opportunities, housing supports, educational and post-secondary resources, employment services, and other culturally relevant programs. By building relationships with Indigenous communities and service providers, she hopes to make it easier for clients to access the supports they need during and after their time at Stepping Stones.

For many Indigenous clients, knowing that a Cultural Navigator is available can make a significant difference.

“When they walk through the door, they know there’s someone who understands that cultural connection,” Jayda explains. “It helps them feel less like an outsider and reduces the disconnect that can happen when someone leaves their community to come into a shelter.”

This support is especially meaningful given the population Stepping Stones serves. Approximately 75 to 80 percent of clients identify as Indigenous, many coming from communities where barriers such as limited transportation and access to services can make it more difficult to seek safety and support.

Jayda joined Stepping Stones as a consultant in October 2025, where she created and facilitated the Pathways Program, a 30-session curriculum that blends traditional Indigenous knowledge with practical life skills, creating opportunities for participants to build confidence, strengthen cultural identity, and develop tools for long-term wellness. Open to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous women, the program encourages healing through connection, self-discovery, and community while honouring Indigenous ways of knowing.

Now working full-time as Cultural Navigator, Jayda is excited to continue expanding opportunities for cultural learning and community engagement. She also looks forward to helping Stepping Stones recognize important dates such as National Indigenous Peoples Day, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and Red Dress Day, using these days to share teachings and create opportunities for reflection and learning.

Through this new role, Stepping Stones is strengthening its commitment to culturally responsive, trauma-informed care.