Well-being and YU Episode

What comes to mind when you think about Indigenous well-being? If your mind jumps straight to history or trauma, this episode will challenge and expand that perspective. 

As we approach Orange Shirt Day, we'll hear lots of conversations about truth and reconciliation. These conversations often centre harm and hardship and, while acknowledging those truths is necessary for healing, this episode invites a deeper reflection. What does Indigenous well-being look like beyond survival?  

In this episode, our host Susu B. sits down with Rainingbird Daniels, a proud Plains Cree, Sioux and Dakota student from Sturgeon Lake First Nation located on Treaty 6 territory (also known as Saskatchewan). Now in her fourth year of Indigenous Studies at York, Rainingbird is the President of the Indigenous Students Association, a work/study student at the Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Languages and an active student leader on campus. 

Together, they unpack what well-being can look like through an Indigenous lens: community, advocacy, culture and reclaiming joy. Rainingbird shares what it means to hold space in student leadership and everyday life while reflecting on the importance of community connection and cultural pride. They also explore how simple actions, like wearing an orange pin on Orange Shirt Day, can support the community in achieving collective healing.