This year the Circle Project hosted its16th Annual Elder’s Christmas Party in celebration of our community Elders. Our MC (aka Santa’s little helper) kicked off the event with all his Christmas cheer by introducing the drum group for the opening honour and prayer song. The Christmas party guests enjoyed a delicious turkey dinner with all the fixings. While enjoying their tea and dessert, joy and laughter was felt throughout, as old friends caught up, and new friends were introduced. Our musical guests, Brian Sklar and the Tex Pistols entertained the crowd with some good old time music! There was a lot of toe tapping, singing along to old tunes and even some jigging from the crowd. A free photo booth, complete with Christmas props, was there for everyone’s fun and enjoyment.  Elders enjoyed donning reindeer ears and Santa hats to have their photo taken with friends. Thanks to a little help from a special volunteer photos were printed on site allowing for participants to take home with them a special memento of the evening.  Towards the end of the night, each Elder received a present! A Christmas goody bag filled with some traditional Christmas treats like shortbread and Christmas cake for them to enjoy, or maybe even share! Circle Project’s version of the “twelve days of Christmas” was twelve gift giveaways done twice throughout the evening. Elders that were lucky to have their name drawn received a festive gift! The Circle Project staff and Council also gathered together to croon, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” to the Elders. All in attendance joined hands for a roundance to end the night. And so it was…“a Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.”

Our friends at K+S Potash Canada assisted us in providing a special evening to celebrate and honor our elders this holiday season. With their sponsorship we were able to provide an extra special evening. Circle Project would like to take this opportunity to thank K+S Potash Canada for their generous contribution this holiday season!

Circle Project was very pleased to be featured in an article in the Regina Leader-Post on Monday November 16, 2015. The article titled “Circle Project Looking Towards the Future” shares how the Circle Project began, where we are today and our hopes for the future.

Check out the article at leaderpost.com using the link below

http://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/circle-project-looking-towards-the-future

A picture does say a thousand words!  On October 29th, 2015, through a generous donation from a long time Circle Project friend and supporter, our newly renovated space is now home to three original artwork pieces by renowned artist Simone McLeod.  The series in the set are titled “Guidance”, “Guidance From Our Ancestors” and “Journey” and were commissioned in 2003 to celebrate the importance and development of partnerships.

The artwork was donated by Victoria Gubbles of Regina, as a gift to celebrate Circle Project’s long standing commitment of working in the community through partnerships to help people help themselves. At the presentation Victoria said “the artwork is a reflection of great community work done by the organization for many years.  I can’t think of an organization more deserving than the Circle Project to receive this gift because they embody the philosophies reflected in the artwork perfectly in all of their work.  Whether it’s providing support for parents who are going to school to try to get ahead in the future, planning community Elder’s Christmas party, helping to ease the suffering of someone caught in the cycle of domestic violence or hosting the Circle Project and Friends National Aboriginal Day annual event, the organization is there…working in the community as was envisioned by the community founders of the Circle Project.”

To celebrate the launch of our new website and recently completed renovations at 1102 8th Avenue, the Circle Project is pleased to host an Open House on Thursday, October 29, 2015.

Our new website features artwork by renowned Aboriginal artist Simone McLeod, information on the complete range of Circle Project programs and services, and photo galleries of some of our special occasions and favourite memories. Development and launch of the website was made possible through the generous contribution of Scratchcat Communication Consulting. Take a look and let us know what you think.

With a busy summer behind us, the renovations at Circle Project’s main location were completed in September 2015, and it is now the perfect backdrop for our collection of commemorative artwork and articles. Our new collection displays the commissioned Circle Project – 20th Anniversary piece by artist Richard Dubois. One of our most valued articles is a handmade and hand-beaded leather vest donated by the family of the late Walter (Stony) Stonechild, one of the founding Elders of the Circle Project.

On Friday, October 23, 2015, Circle Project was thrilled to have five Australian nursing exchange students and their instructor join us and experience who we are and what we do at the Circle Project. The students were given a tour of Circle Project’s Infant and Toddler Centre, Children’s Centre and our main office the “Big Circle.” The nursing students learned a little bit about each centre—and we made new friends.

At the Infant & Toddler Centre, students were able to experience the calm and nurturing atmosphere, ask questions, and make comparisons between childcare and early childcare education in Australia and Canada.

At the Children’s Centre, students got a full tour of the centre and were surprised to hear our Children’s Centre is made of straw bales (enclosed in walls of course!). They had the chance to learn about the inclusive and holistic environment at the Children’s Centre and, in particular, the new “Marvelous Me” school age literacy program staff created for school aged children who are falling behind in reading and writing.

The last stop was Big Circle where students learned all about the programs and services offered at the Circle Project. They had the opportunity to interact with both program and administrative staff to learn more about “how it all works together.” They also learned about the how the medicine wheel and its teachings are incorporated into all our programs and services at the Circle Project and how, through holistic healing practices, we encourage people to help themselves.

At the end of the tour, staff and our visitors gathered, and each student and their instructor was gifted with a hand-beaded Circle Project key chain made by a staff member. The instructor accepted a piece of artwork, painted by a former Circle Project program participant, to take back to Australia. We then shared stories, experiences, and bannock! What a wonderful afternoon we shared, learning about how much we are the same and also how different we are!

At the “Big Circle” we love having visitors to our “home.” We were humbled by being invited to host these special guests and thrilled to make new friends from so far away.

The summer of 2015 will go down in the Circle Project history books as the Summer of the Hammer and Dust.

In order to better serve our program participants, we made some major changes to our main office space at 1102 8th Avenue. With the help of some community members who were transitioning back into society from recent incarceration, we were able to transform our space on the 2nd floor in a matter of a few weeks.

In addition to removing an office area to make way for an amazing new group room (complete with plenty of natural light and a supply storage area), we also created a multi-functional space for our newest program called H.O.M.E.S. Some of the existing program areas were also spruced up with some new paint and or a change in décor.

Although it was a lot of work, staff did a great job in showing great cooperation and flexibility in their schedules while still continuing to provide services through the renovation. All in all, it was a great teambuilding and bonding experience for the staff, and the changes will benefit the community for many years to come.