Work 2 Give is an initiative that offers offenders, particularly Indigenous men, an opportunity to learn valuable skills and give back to Indigenous communities in need, in the spirit of reconciliation.

This project is possible thanks to a partnership between the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and Movember Canada, a charity that supports mental health. The Work 2 Give program involves Indigenous men in Canadian prisons making handmade items for a good cause. The goal is to help them feel more connected to their communities. It’s a program created by Indigenous people, for Indigenous people, with a focus on supporting First Nations in meaningful ways.

True North Aid, an Indigenous charity, joined the partnership to help find out what communities needed and provide the materials. W2G runs workshops in four prisons in Ontario and Nunavut, with plans to open a fifth soon. W2G members visit Indigenous communities to find out what the community needs, and then the W2G participants handcraft those items. Since 2021, the program has helped incarcerated Indigenous men give back to their communities in meaningful ways, offering handcrafted items ranging from tiny homes to picnic tables to garden beds, dog kennels, feather boxes, hand drums, and other Indigenous ceremonial tools.

W2G works with the home communities of the offenders, offering them a chance to give back to the very places they may have harmed in the past. Movember is also identifying Indigenous communities across Canada where they can offer programs to fill important needs, and W2G will be a big part of that plan.

Source: Government Of Canada