Past Recipients of the Claudette Bradshaw Innovation Award

2022 Recipient: Piruqatigiit Resource Centre

Piruqatigiit is a grassroots organization that serves individuals with suspected and confirmed FASD across Nunavut. “Piruqatigiit” means grow/growing together. Everything they do is centred on Inuit-led and informed knowledge and worldview. All their service provision, knowledge translation, and communications are translated in English and Inuktitut.

Prior to Piruqatigiit, there were no FASD specific services in Nunavut and very few FASD-informed educators and service providers. Jennifer & Noah Noah recognized this gap and started providing free support for community members and education for Government departments in 2016. In 2018, they, along with community members, founded Piruqatigiit as a nonprofit society.

“Piruqatigiit Resource Centre has applied for the Claudette Bradshaw FASD Innovation Award because we are innovation at our core. We strive to support Nunavut communities through innovative programming, resource development and knowledge translation activities that are culturally safe.”

2021 Recipient: Lakeland Centre for FASD (LCFASD)

After years of volunteer effort to prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and support those affected by it throughout north eastern Alberta, the Lakeland Centre for FASD opened its doors in 2001. In addition to providing an FASD diagnosis and support to children and adults throughout the north east region, the Lakeland Centre has developed other services for people affected by FASD over the years including: a summer camp for children, supports for youth transitioning to adulthood, mentorship programs for women at highest risk of FASD births, as well as a continued commitment to education and public awareness. In 2011, the 2nd Floor Recovery Centre was developed by the Centre to provide addiction treatment services for women who are pregnant or at high risk of pregnancy who are actively using substances and want to stop. The “2nd Floor” name came from the fact that it is located on the second floor of the main offices of the Lakeland Centre for FASD and is part of their full spectrum of services for individuals potentially affected by FASD.

2020 Recipient: The Asante Centre

Since November 2017, the Asante Centre has been running its FASD Youth Peer Mentorship Program for youth aged 12-25 with FASD. Unique to the Asante Centre, the program is a youth- and community-driven response to significant gaps in mental health and preventative substance use services. Lead by adult staff of the Asante Centre with lived experience of FASD, the Peer Mentorship Program offers participants the opportunity to meet regularly to build relationships, and share strengths, successes, and challenges; to foster positive self-identifies; and to learn valuable life skills and self-advocacy. The current pandemic health crisis and resulting limitations have sidelined some in-person sessions but have encouraged creative, virtual meetings and socially distanced events.

2019 Recipient: NB FASD Centre of Excellence | Centre d’excellence TSAF du N.-B.

The inaugural award goes to the team of service providers at the New Brunswick FASD Centre of Excellence. This is one of two centres that offer FASD assessment in the province of New Brunswick, and one of only two bilingual clinics in Canada. They are making waves in the field of FASD assessment and support through their Dream Catcher service delivery model.

The Dream Catcher is an innovative model designed in partnership with Indigenous elders. It provides a framework for service providers to tailor resources and supports specifically to each client. It takes into consideration the skills and needs of not only the client, but also their support system. This holistic, person-centered practice ensures that Indigenous clients with FASD and those surrounding them are involved in supporting the individual across the lifecourse. The Dream Catcher Service Delivery Model serves not only First Nation communities, and the New Brunswick FASD team has also implemented this approach with all of their clients across the province.