Thirteen MOONS
Indigenous Women’s+ Leadership
Overview
In 2021, Stina Brown collaborated with Kelly Terbasket, Co-Founder and Program Director, and the IndigenEYEZ team on the transformative 13 MOONS Indigenous Women’s+ Leadership Program. This program brought Indigenous Women+ (including two spirit and indigiqueer) together to honor their identities, strengthen resiliency, and amplify their capacity to drive change in their communities. The program emphasized unity and healing across diversity, recognizing the unique power and potential of women+.
Stina Brown’s Role and Contribution
Stina Brown served as a thought partner, co-designer, co-facilitator, ally, and graphic recorder for the program. Her contributions included:
- Co-Designing the Program Framework:
Collaborating with the IndigenEYEZ team to integrate transformative leadership methodologies with Syilx cultural principles. - Facilitating Leadership Development:
Guiding participants through reflective and interactive processes to strengthen their resilience and leadership capacity. - Graphic Recording:
Creating visual representations of key insights and discussions to deepen understanding and connection. - Allyship and Thought Partnership:
Providing supportive and inclusive facilitation, fostering a safe space for authentic dialogue and growth.
Conclusion
The 13 MOONS Indigenous Women’s+ Leadership Program exemplifies the power of culturally rooted and collaboratively designed leadership training. Stina Brown’s contributions were instrumental in creating a safe, transformative space that honored the identities and strengths of all participants, enabling them to envision and enact meaningful change in their communities.
Wahbung: Our tomorrows imagined
Overview
In 2019, the Wahbung: Our Tomorrows Imagined process brought together leaders, collaborators, and partners to create a shared vision for Mino-Pimatisiwin, or “the good life,” for the First Nations of Manitoba. Overseen by Adam Kahane of Reos Partners, this collaborative effort explored potential scenarios for the future, aiming to inform a needs-based health strategy and provide evidence for a jurisdictional framework in partnership with regional stakeholders.
Purpose: The central question guiding this initiative was: What could First Nations in Manitoba do to create Mino-Pimatisiwin (the good life)?
Stina Brown’s Role and Contribution: As Artist in Residence, Stina Brown worked closely with Adam Kahane and the Reos Partners team to bring this visioning process to life. Her contributions included:
- Live Graphic Recording:
Capturing real-time discussions and insights during collaborative sessions through visually engaging illustrations. - Studio Graphic Charts:
Creating detailed and polished visual representations of key outcomes and scenarios to support the final report and presentations. - Artistic Residency:
Infusing the in person process with creativity and visual storytelling, making complex ideas accessible and inspiring for all participants. Being a witness to the conversation, ensuring all voices are documented and valued.
Key Outcomes
- Shared Vision: A collaboratively articulated pathway toward Mino-Pimatisiwin for Manitoba’s First Nations.
- Informing Strategy: The visual outputs supported a needs-based health strategy and jurisdictional framework.
- Engaged Collaboration: Stina’s graphic work fostered deeper engagement and alignment among participants.
Conclusion
The Wahbung 2.0: Our Tomorrows Imagined initiative exemplifies the power of creative facilitation and visual storytelling in shaping a shared vision for the future. Stina Brown’s role as Artist in Residence brought clarity and inspiration to the process, ensuring the voices and aspirations of Manitoba’s First Nations were meaningfully represented and vividly articulated.
Reconciliation Canada
Overview
Between 2016 and 2019, Stina Brown worked with Reconciliation Canada to support several strategic initiatives aimed at fostering reconciliation and building networks of support among Indigenous matriarchs, community leaders, and organizations across Canada. These initiatives emphasized collaboration, resilience, and shared visioning for a reconciled future.
Projects and Initiatives
- Reconciliation Collaborative National Strategy (2016):
Brought together organizations actively working towards reconciliation to explore strengths, strategic goals, and opportunities for mutual support over the next two years. - Indigenous Women’s Resilience (2018):
Focused on building a strong fabric of support and leadership among Indigenous matriarchs to advance reconciliation efforts. - Association of Mining Executives Dialogue on Reconciliation (2019):
Facilitated conversations with industry leaders to foster understanding and commitment to reconciliation within the mining sector. - RC Strategic Planning (2019):
Supported Reconciliation Canada’s leadership in defining their strategic direction and priorities for the years ahead.
Stina Brown’s Role and Contribution
Stina Brown’s contributions to Reconciliation Canada’s initiatives included:
- Strategic Facilitation:
Guiding collaborative processes to align participants on shared goals and actionable strategies. - Thought Partnership:
Providing insight and support to leadership teams in navigating complex and sensitive reconciliation topics. - Graphic Recording and Visual Storytelling:
Creating visuals that captured the essence of discussions, making abstract ideas tangible and actionable. - Building Trust and Connection:
Fostering spaces where participants felt heard, respected, and empowered to contribute.

Vision
“Let us find a way to belong to this time and place together. Our future, and the well-being of all our children, rests with the kind of relationships we build today.” — Hereditary Chief Dr. Robert Joseph Gwawaenuk Elder
aboriginal headstart association of bc & national council
Overview
In 2018 and 2019, Stina Brown partnered with Aboriginal HeadStart BC to support key strategic gatherings that amplified collective wisdom and set the stage for future growth. Her work was to be a witness, a graphic recorder, documenting the voices and priorities of attendees. In one engagement Stina was the strategic planning co-facilitator, working with the Executive Director to guide the process for envisioning the future. In that session Michelle Buchholz was the graphic recorder.
Projects and Initiatives
- National Headstart Council Conversations (May 2018):
Delivered three days of live graphic recording in Vancouver, capturing real-time insights and the energy of national dialogue. - AHSABC Strategic Planning Journey (November 2018):
Facilitated a two-day session where Board members reviewed accomplishments, shared best practices, and mapped out strategic priorities for the future. - Elders’ Gathering (November 2019):
Provided live graphic recording at a Richmond-based event, visually preserving the wisdom and stories shared by elders.
Stina Brown’s Role and Contribution
- Strategic Facilitation:
Guided reflective conversations that helped participants identify strengths and define actionable priorities. - Visual Storytelling:
Employed live graphic recording to turn complex discussions into clear, tangible visual narratives. - Building Trust and Connection:
Created a collaborative environment where participants felt valued, heard, and inspired to work together for a shared vision.