Braiding financial wellness with community: Lessons from a Thunder Bay workshop

A hands-on workshop is helping shape new resources to support culturally grounded financial education in Indigenous communities. 

What does financial wellness look like when we consider more than money? How can financial education honour Indigenous teachings, reflect community realities and support people in achieving their goals? 

These were among the questions explored on September 22, 2026, when Prosper Canada partnered with Thunder Bay Counselling to host a full-day workshop centred on Braiding Mind, Body, and Spirit: A Financial Wellness Bundle. 

The workshop brought together 15 participants from Thunder Bay Counselling, Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre, Beendigen and Kenora Chiefs Advisory. Together, they explored the Bundle's activities, shared their experiences, and offered feedback to help shape a new Facilitator Guide. 

The day was led by Simon Brascoupé of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, alongside Prosper Canada, with the guidance and participation of two Elders. It opened with a smudging ceremony, drumming and a welcome from the Elders, and concluded with a talking circle and closing reflections. 

For Robin Larrett, Manager of Financial Health at Thunder Bay Counselling, the experience was both practical and meaningful. 

"It was inspiring. It was an opportunity to grow and learn as well," she says. 

Financial wellness beyond dollars and cents 

Originally developed to support Indigenous individuals and families navigating settlement payments and everyday financial decisions, the Bundle brings together practical financial tools and Indigenous approaches to wellness. Since its launch, it has been translated into French, Plains Cree and Ojibway. 

The workshop invited participants to experience the activities firsthand, exploring financial wellness through three interconnected strands: mind, body and spirit. 

Activities included identifying personal goals, developing spending plans, financial wellness journaling and reflecting on the role money plays in people's lives. 

One activity particularly resonated with Robin. It encouraged participants to consider the many forms wealth can take beyond financial assets. 

"Wealth is not always measured in money," she explained. 

True wealth also includes family, love, physical health, skills and knowledge. Recognizing these different forms of wealth can help people see the strengths and resources they already have as they work toward their goals. 

"The exercise is about having a goal and using different types of wealth to get to your goal," she said. "And it challenged people to think outside of the dollar sign." 

This perspective also connects with the Bundle's emphasis on balance and the relationships between the three strands. 

"We're having all this conversation about money, but we're not having the conversation about wealth," Robin reflected. "A medicine wheel is about balance. And so is the bundle." 

The opportunity to explore these ideas together helped create space for participants to reflect on their own experiences with money, even as they considered how to bring the activities back to their communities. 

Supporting financial decisions around settlement payments 

For many First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario, financial education around settlement payments is particularly relevant. 

Robin explained that some individuals in communities around Thunder Bay have received substantial payments related to land claims, child and family services settlements, water agreements and other settlements. 

Having culturally relevant resources available can help individuals and families consider how these funds might support their financial goals and longer-term well-being. 

Thunder Bay Counselling has already begun using the Bundle in its work, adapting activities for individuals and smaller groups. 

Robin shared the example of a young person who received a settlement payment and worked one-on-one with a staff member using the Bundle's workbook. Together, they developed a plan based on the young person's own priorities. 

The individual continues to meet with the worker to review their progress and stay focused on their goals. 

"Having those goals in place ahead of time, I think, is one of the key takeaways from the Bundle," Robin said. 

For Thunder Bay Counselling, experiences like this demonstrate the value of having resources that support financial planning while respecting each person's circumstances, priorities, and choices. 

Learning from the people who will use the Bundle 

A central purpose of the workshop was to gather feedback from frontline practitioners about how the Bundle could be delivered in their communities and what additional supports would be useful. 

This work follows growing interest in an accompanying Facilitator Guide, including feedback received when Prosper Canada shared the Bundle at the AFOA Canada conference in Montreal in February 2026. 

Prosper Canada is now exploring what practitioners need to facilitate the activities and how the Bundle can be adapted for different settings. 

For Robin, one message from the workshop was particularly clear. 

"One of the things that was loud and clear was a facilitator's guide would be helpful." 

She also suggested practical resources such as customizable PowerPoint presentations, allowing facilitators to add examples and information specific to the communities they serve. 

"So it's not just a one-size-fits-all, you're able to adapt," she explained. 

As an example, a facilitator working in a northern community might want to compare the costs and features of banking services that are available locally. 

Robin also emphasized the value of guidance on facilitation practices, including the involvement of Elders when delivering activities in group settings. 

These insights will help inform the development of resources that give facilitators useful guidance while allowing them to respond to local needs. 

The experience reinforces the importance of considering not only what resources contain, but also how people can access and use them. 

Building on community experience 

The Thunder Bay workshop was an important opportunity to learn directly from practitioners who support Indigenous individuals, families and communities. 

It offered a chance to experience the Bundle in a culturally grounded, interactive setting, while identifying practical ways to strengthen its delivery. 

Perhaps most importantly, it reinforced the value of bringing financial education into conversations about people's broader well-being, including family, culture, personal strengths, and hopes for the future. 

With continued collaboration among Indigenous communities, frontline organizations and partners, the Braiding Mind, Body, and Spirit Bundle has the potential to support more people in defining and pursuing financial wellness on their own terms. 

This work is supported through funding from the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO).