Stardale Updates | May 2025
Stardale's Next Chapter: From Programming to Advocacy - Our Strategic Vision for Indigenous Female Empowerment
Stardale has undergone a tremendous shift in our organization moving away from our programming after decades of service and into our new chapter of archival and continued advocacy work. With so many changes we wanted to share a few updates with our wonderful supporters!
Our Strategic Path Forward
As we transition into this new phase, we remain deeply committed to our mission of empowering Indigenous females through targeted initiatives and evidence-based approaches. Our strategic plan focuses on five key pillars that will guide our work in the coming years:
1. Proactive Interventions for Indigenous Females
We're developing forward-thinking approaches that address challenges before they escalate, creating preventative support systems tailored specifically to the needs of Indigenous girls and women. These interventions draw on our decades of experience while incorporating innovative new methodologies.
2. Preventative Measures Addressing Abuse and Violence Through Artistic Methodology
Art continues to be a powerful tool for healing and expression. Our strategic plan emphasizes artistic practices as pathways for processing trauma, building resilience, and creating safe spaces where difficult conversations can happen through creative expression.
3. Cross-Cultural Exchange of Health and Social Development Issues
We're fostering meaningful dialogue between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities to address shared health and social challenges. This exchange of knowledge honors Indigenous wisdom while creating collaborative solutions that benefit all communities.
4. Develop Research and Learning Schemes
Our advocacy is strengthened by rigorous research. We're establishing new frameworks for documenting outcomes, gathering community insights, and creating accessible learning resources that can inform policies and practices across sectors.
5. Share Programming Strategy and Encourage Reconciliation
Drawing on our rich organizational history, we're archiving and sharing proven programming strategies with other organizations and institutions. This knowledge sharing advances reconciliation by embedding Indigenous perspectives in broader social service approaches.
Our transition from direct programming to advocacy and archival work represents an evolution rather than a departure from our mission. We invite our supporters to join us on this journey as we amplify the impact of decades of service through strategic advocacy, knowledge sharing, and continued commitment to Indigenous female empowerment.
Archiving Decades of Work
We are delighted to welcome Muse Laroyia to the Stardale Women's Group team as our new Research and Curriculum Development Intern. Muse brings a powerful combination of scientific inquiry, artistic expression, and community advocacy to our organization.
Meet Muse
Muse Laroyia, Research and Curriculum Development Intern
Muse Laroyia, Research and Curriculum Development Intern
“As Stardale’s Research Intern, I’m honoured to be developing “The Stardale Contribution,” a digital curriculum grounded in Stardale’s legacy of suicide prevention, cultural strength, and youth empowerment. I’m completing my MSc in Neuroscience, where my research explores memory, learning, and brain resilience. Working alongside the Stardale team and community knowledge holders, I’m committed to co-creating resources that honour Indigenous storytelling, build hope, and strengthen belonging.
Outside of Stardale, I’m involved in research and advocacy projects related to foster care reform, health equity, and accessible education. I also create artwork for galleries and community spaces where stories of resilience bloom boldly. No matter the space, my goal is always the same: to spark change through creativity, compassion, and collaboration, bridging research, advocacy, and art to build a more just, inspired, and inclusive world.”
A New Chapter for Stardale: Honoring Our Past, Innovating Our Future
As Stardale Women's Group embarks on this new chapter, we remain steadfast in our commitment to preserving our decades of research, collaboration, and community impact through thoughtful archival efforts. With Muse's development of "The Stardale Contribution," we are embracing digital innovation to honor Indigenous storytelling traditions while creating curriculum that strengthens belonging and healing. This digital transformation represents our evolution while staying true to our foundational principles of person-oriented, preventative, and culturally affirming approaches that have always guided our work with Indigenous girls and young women.
Looking Ahead
Stardale envisions a future where our comprehensive resources and healing methodologies reach even more communities through accessible, empowering digital platforms. We will continue to uphold our core values of community healing, cultural respect, and belief in human potential while expanding our capacity to support Indigenous youth on their healing journeys. This next phase of growth honors both our rich history and our responsibility to evolve, ensuring that the safe spaces we've created—where young women can express their experiences, traumas, and hopes—continue to thrive in an ever-changing world. Through this digital preservation and innovation, we reaffirm our commitment to equality, empowerment, and the inherent dignity of every person we serve and showcase the Stardale Contribution.
Uniting Strength and Awareness: A Commitment to Supporting Victims of Violence Campaign
At Stardale Women's Group, we are deeply committed to fostering resilience and healing among Indigenous girls and young women. This May, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our Skin Deep – Soul Strong campaign in collaboration with The Ministry of Skin. With Red Dress Day just around the corner, we are striving to raise awareness and offer an opportunity for both internal and external healing.
Connecting to Red Dress Day: Honoring and Remembering
Observed on May 5, Red Dress Day is a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S). An important day long woven into Stardale’s history, the day uses red dresses to symbolize the thousands of Indigenous lives lost to violence and to honor their spirits. In previous years Stardale girls have created their own red dresses and performed at a selection of community events.
In past years through the Red Dress Project, young Indigenous girls at Stardale have discovered their voices, reconnected with cultural pride historically denied to them, and developed capacities for healthier lives. Many of these urban youth have had limited access to Elders—the traditional knowledge keepers and mentors—making these connections profoundly transformative. Having faced racism themselves, addressing these painful realities through storytelling has opened pathways to healing that extend beyond individuals to entire communities.
This campaign emerges from a deep understanding that art and healing have always been intertwined in Indigenous communities. For First Nations, Non-Status and Métis peoples, art isn't merely decoration—it's life-breath, a sacred carrier of wisdom across generations. The oral traditions, rich with story, song, and ceremony, have preserved cultural knowledge despite tremendous adversity. Through this wisdom, we recognize that healing must honor both body and spirit. With this new chapter of Stardale beginning, we wanted to create a brand-new initiative to support the resilience and healing of women.
Our initiative offers more than compassionate scar removal and skin treatments—it provides a space where healing, empowerment, and dignity restoration can flourish. Our aim is to support survivors in reclaiming not just their physical confidence but also their connection to inner strength and cultural resilience and honour the wisdom of healing both body and spirit. The story we're weaving together highlights the resilience, inventiveness, and dynamic spirit of Indigenous women today.
Skin Deep – Soul Strong - Supporting Victims of Violence
Our skin is more than just our body’s shield—it carries our stories, our strength, and sometimes, our pain. For survivors of abuse and violence, visible scars can be a constant reminder of a painful past, making the journey toward healing even more difficult. Thanks to the generosity of Ministry of Skin Founder, Sairah Rhemtulla we can offer support and the opportunity to make that journey a little bit easier. Sairah, wanting to give back to the community and empower women is working collaboratively with Stardale Women’s Group to bring this campaign to life and share a message of hope. The Ministry of Skin has always been a judgment-free space where you can truly be yourself making it the perfect place for this transformation.
This campaign is about more than skin—it’s about healing, empowerment, and restoring dignity. Through compassionate scar removal and skin treatments, our goal is to support survivors in reclaiming their confidence and reconnecting with their inner strength. The Ministry of Skin has generously offered to provide customized skin treatments for a selected nominee as a vessel for personal empowerment and healing.
Learn More and Get Involved
To learn more about our Skin Deep Soul Strong campaign stay tuned on our social media. To nominate an individual please fill out our nomination form.
To learn more about The Ministry of Skin visit https://ministryofskin.ca/