Hotels & Logistics
About Us

When
April 8–9, 2026
Where
Edmonton EXPO Centre, Edmonton, Alberta
Who
Indigenous Leaders, Elders, Frontline Workers & Partners

The Home Fire is more than a theme-it's a way of understanding what keeps children safe and families strong. When the fire is tended, there is warmth, guidance, accountability, and belonging.

"Come as you are. Bring what you're carrying. Leave with stronger relationships, clearer pathways, and shared direction."

What This Gathering Offers
We hold deep respect for the many important conferences and gatherings happening across the country. This Summit adds a complementary focus by bringing together implementation-centered learning, research-backed practices, and integrated streams-all connected into one coherent 'Home Fire' approach.
Each Summit Stream is a 'log' on the Home Fire-a necessary element that keeps the whole system burning strong.
C-92 Implementation: Moving from Policy to Practice
Turning jurisdiction into operations: laws, agreements, staffing models, accountability, and real-world delivery
High-Risk & Complex-Needs Youth
Building culturally anchored pathways for youth who need the most support-without abandonment, without fragmentation
Workforce Wellness: Caring for Those Who Care
Preventing burnout, strengthening leadership, and protecting the people who carry the system on their backs
Funding Pressures: Sustainable Resources
Funding that matches reality-true cost, long-term stability, and models that don't collapse under chronic underfunding
Prevention & Kinship Pathways
Keeping families together through prevention, kinship care, reunification supports, and community-based planning before crisis becomes removal
Land-Based, Culturally Grounded Care
Bringing forward land, language, ceremony, and Indigenous healing approaches as core-not "add-ons"
This Summit is designed to close the gap between vision and operations, so our jurisdiction is not just recognized-it is resourced, staffed, protected, and sustained.
Who Should Attend
This Summit is for those who carry responsibility and care for Indigenous children and families:
Indigenous Leaders & Chiefs
Elders & Knowledge Keepers
Frontline Child Welfare Workers
Directors & Managers of Child & Family Services
Delegated First Nation Agency Staff
Policy Makers & Government Partners
Health & Mental Health Professionals
Education & Youth Services Providers
Community Support Workers
Anyone committed to strengthening Indigenous child and family systems
Whether you're building new systems, strengthening existing ones, or supporting those who do this work-this gathering is for you.
What You'll Leave With
Practical Strategies
Solutions you can implement immediately in your community and organization
Stronger Relationships
Connections across Nations, agencies, and partners built in relationship and trust
Shared Solutions
Frameworks for staffing, funding, programming, and governance that work
Renewed Strength
Clarity, courage, and community-the conditions needed to keep the Home Fire strong
What to Expect at the Summit
Keynote presentations from visionary Indigenous leaders
Concurrent breakout sessions across all six streams
Networking and relationship-building opportunities
Land-based teachings and cultural ceremonies
Home Fire Artisan Market
Practical tools and resources to take home
🔥 Home Fire Artisan Market & Teachings
At the heart of the Nipikiskwasiwan National Summit, the Home Fire is a sacred space for nurturing relationships, sharing wisdom, and safeguarding future generations. The Home Fire Artisan Market beautifully extends this principle, creating a vibrant hub where culture, connection, and community converge.
More Than a Market
Step into a unique space designed to honor Indigenous artists and makers as vital knowledge holders and carriers of culture. This is far more than a traditional vendor area – it's an opportunity to engage directly with the stories, teachings, and heritage embedded in every handcrafted item.
Each artisan shares their unique journey and the profound wisdom woven into their work, reflecting:
  • Their identity, Nation, and ancestral lands
  • The cultural significance and teachings carried within their creations
  • How their artistry supports children, families, land, and cultural continuity
Live Demonstrations & Teach-ins
Throughout the Summit, immerse yourself in the practice of learning at the Home Fire. Select artisans will lead engaging live demonstrations and teach-ins, bringing their crafts to life. Witness skills passed down through generations, hear inspiring stories, and participate in the dynamic exchange of knowledge.
These interactive sessions reflect key Summit themes, including:
  • Caring for those who care
  • Prevention and kinship pathways
  • Land-based and culturally grounded care
Explore unique marketplace offerings that celebrate Indigenous craftsmanship and support sustainable community initiatives.
The Home Fire Artisan Market is a space to slow down, connect deeply, and remember that strong systems are built through culture, connection, and shared responsibility, not solely through policy.
Registration Information
Final Call: Registration Closing Soon! Don't miss your chance to secure your spot for April 8–9, 2026.
Each registration includes:
  • Access to all plenaries and workshops on April 8–9, 2026
  • Cultural and wellness offerings
  • Daily refreshments
  • Networking and collaboration spaces
  • Digital access to selected materials and tools after the Summit
Pricing Details

If cost is a barrier for key people who need to be present such as Elders, youth, or small community agencies, please reach out to us. We are committed to ensuring that financial challenges do not prevent meaningful participation.
Vendors, Exhibitors & Sponsorship
We Welcome:
Indigenous artists, makers, and craftspeople
  • Community organizations and non-profits
  • Educational institutions and training programs
  • Wellness, healing, and cultural service providers
  • Government and for-profit organizations aligned with Indigenous child and family well-being
Sponsorship & Partnerships
Sponsorship and partnership support helps bring Elders and youth to the Summit, support participation from remote and under-resourced communities, provide wellness and cultural spaces, and strengthen the tools and resources we can offer to Nations and agencies.
To request the package or discuss a custom partnership, please contact: info@nipikiskwasiwan.com
Vendors & Exhibitors
Vendor and exhibitor spaces are limited to ensure a calm, relational environment that honors the spirit of the Summit. Details on setup, hours, and logistics will be provided upon confirmation.
Location & Stay Connected
Location
Edmonton EXPO Centre
Edmonton, Alberta
Further information on accommodation options, nearby hotels with conference rates, transit connections, and parking will be provided closer to the Summit dates.
Stay Connected
For updates on registration opening, Call for Presentations, speakers and agenda, vendor opportunities, and sponsorship options:
Email: info@nipikiskwasiwan.com
Tel: +1 780-914-9055
Follow us on social media for real-time updates and community engagement:
Nipikiskwasīwan National Summit 2026 is an invitation to sit together in a spirit of respect, to share what is working, to listen deeply, and to strengthen the circle of care around Indigenous children, youth, and families.
We speak with honesty. We lead with courage. We transform together.
Our Partners

We are grateful to the organizations and partners supporting this gathering. Their contributions help create space for learning, relationship-building, and practical pathways to strengthen Indigenous child and family systems- held in respect for Indigenous leadership and community direction.
About Us
Nipikiskwasīwan - We Speak
Nipikiskwasīwan means “We Speak.” It reflects our commitment to naming what is happening in Indigenous child and family systems and responding with care, clarity, and accountability.

We are a not-for-profit Indigenous organization (15061997 Canada Foundation), grounded in community and shaped by people who live this work every day, including Elders, frontline workers, youth, system navigators, and Nation-based leaders. We also work alongside trusted allies who show up with humility and walk in support, not ahead. Indigenous voices and priorities remain at the center of everything we do.
Nipikiskwasīwan exists to work in the spaces between intention and lived reality where jurisdiction is recognized but supports are uneven, and where families and workers are left to carry gaps alone. Our work focuses on strengthening the conditions that allow Indigenous children, families, and Nations to be supported safely and sustainably.

What We Do
National Gatherings & Summits
We convene purposeful gatherings that bring together Indigenous leaders, frontline workers, agencies, and partners to share knowledge, address real challenges, and move toward practical, Nation-driven solutions.
Systems & Governance Support
We provide hands-on support to Nations and organizations navigating systems change, particularly under Bill C-92. Our work bridges Indigenous values and external requirements - supporting governance, policy, and systems that are strong, durable, and aligned with community priorities.

Our approach reflects Two-Eyed Seeing in practice: keeping front-end realities visible while building back-end systems capable of carrying responsibility over time.

Our Belief
Every Indigenous child deserves to grow up surrounded by culture, supported by strong systems, and held by their people. This is the vision we carry and the work we invite others to walk alongside.

Our Mission
We walk alongside Indigenous communities to build systems, create space, and amplify solutions rooted in Indigenous knowledge.
Building Systems
Crafting sustainable frameworks that reflect Indigenous values and self-determination.
Creating Space
Fostering environments for dialogue, healing, and growth, guided by lived experience.
Amplifying Solutions
Highlighting and supporting community-led initiatives and self-determination.
At Nipikiskwasīwan, we believe Indigenous children deserve more than protection. They deserve to grow up surrounded by culture, held by family, and guided by the strength of their Nations.
Whether through national gatherings or quiet, behind-the-scenes support, we empower communities to lead, heal, and transform the systems around their children and families.
Our Values
Indigenous Voices First
Community priorities and Indigenous laws guide our work.
Walking With Care
We work through relationship, respect, and accountability.
Children at the Centre
Every decision is grounded in the wellbeing of Indigenous children.
Truth With Courage
We name what's happening so real change can take root.
From Intention to Practice
We focus on solutions that can be carried and sustained.
Culture as Foundation
Land, language, law, and community teachings are essential.
Our Leadership & Advisory

The Advisory Circle
The Advisory Council anchors Nipikiskwāsīwan 2026 in community priorities and lived realities. Council members bring wisdom, community based perspectives, frontline insight, and practical guidance to help ensure the Summit remains relevant, accountable, and grounded in what families, workers, and communities need now.
GILBERT FREDETTE
(Norway House Cree Nation)
Gilbert James Fredette is a proud Cree/Innu leader from Norway House Cree Nation whose work sits at the intersection of community healing, justice, and the wellbeing of children and families. Rooted in both lived experience and public service, he brings a grounded, straight-talking perspective on what it takes to rebuild safety and belonging where it matters most- at home, in community, and across systems.
Gilbert served his Nation as Vice Chief/Councillor and continues to advocate for solutions that are not symbolic, but practical and locally anchored. In recent work, he has spoken openly about the harms of “fly-in, fly-out” approaches and the urgent need for community-rooted supports that protect dignity and keep families from being pulled deeper into crisis.
He also brings depth as a storyteller and researcher. Gilbert has earned three degrees from the University of Manitoba - two Bachelor of Arts degrees and a Master’s degree and his graduate research documented the lived realities facing youth in Norway House Cree Nation, refusing to reduce young people’s lives to statistics and instead centering truth, context, and community responsibility. His digital story “Within Me” is part of a national project on intergenerational impacts of residential schools, reflecting his commitment to truth-telling that leads to healing.
At Nipikiskwasīwan 2026, Gilbert will share the teaching he learned from an Elder: “re-igniting our home fires.” It’s a powerful, practical way of naming what communities need, resources, healing, wraparound supports, and relational responsibility so children and families can thrive, and so helpers are not left carrying the weight alone.

The Governance Circle
Nitanis Group's leadership team embodies a unique blend of experience and commitment, driving our mission to provide unparalleled, culturally grounded care. Their combined strengths have secured our position as a leader in Indigenous youth services.
CHARLOTTE GIBBS
(Pelican Lake First Nation)
Governance Circle - Community, Systems & Indigenous Governance
Charlotte Gibbs is an indigenous professional with extensive experience across Indigenous child and family services, community-based programs, and systems navigation. Her work is grounded in close relationships with families, frontline teams, and community partners, giving her a clear sense of how policies and programs show up in everyday practice.
Alongside Lorraine Mlambo, Charlotte works at Nitanis (indigenous owned and led child and youth group care organization), where their combined efforts supported the organization in achieving 100% compliance under the Canadian Accreditation Council, including the Enhanced Indigenous Designation, an outcome held by a limited number of organizations nationally. This work reflects Two-Eyed Seeing in practice: keeping front-end realities visible while strengthening the systems that support them.
Charlotte also serves as a regulatory accreditation reviewer, bringing practical insight into how standards are assessed and meaningfully embedded. Within the Governance Circle, she helps ensure the Summit stays connected to lived experience, operational realities, and the needs of families and frontline workers.
LORRAINE MLAMBO
Governance Circle - Legal, Structural & Strategic Frameworks
Lorraine Mlambo is a member of the Law Society of Alberta, and child welfare lawyer with extensive experience advocating for Indigenous families in court systems, including the application and enforcement of Bill C-92. She has advocated for and reunited many indigenous children families, in Alberta's court system. Her work at the intersection of provincial legislation, federal reform, and frontline service delivery gives her grounded insight into barriers and opportunities for aligning systems with community needs.
Together with Charlotte Gibbs, Lorraine helped achieve 100 % compliance in Canadian Accreditation Council standards, for Nitanis (an indigenous only owned and led child and youth group home)including the Enhanced Indigenous Designation , an example of Two-Eyed Seeing in practice, where Indigenous perspectives and Western systems are balanced in service of community outcomes. In the Governance Circle, Lorraine focuses on regulatory clarity, structural planning, coordination, and systems design that support durable, accountable frameworks aligned with the Summit’s purpose.
Land Acknowledgement
We gather for Nipikiskwasīwan 2026 in Edmonton on Treaty 6 Territory, on the lands of the Cree, Dene, Blackfoot, Saulteaux, and Nakota Sioux peoples, and in the homeland of the Métis Nation of Alberta.

As we come together to re-imagine child, youth, and family systems, we do so with humility and gratitude, honouring the original stewards of this place. May this gathering help re-ignite the Home Fire-strengthening kinship, safety, and belonging for generations to come.
Ensuring your comfort and convenience is a priority for Nipikiskwasīwan 2026. We've compiled essential information regarding accommodation options, travel arrangements, and local insights to make your summit experience seamless. Find details on partner hotels, transportation guides, and important notes in our comprehensive logistics PDF.