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A House Of Healing: The Importance Of Friendship Centres To Urban Aboriginal Populations, Emily Pitts

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Friendship Centres seek to fill an important gap in service provision by providing Aboriginal-based and community-run programming. More than simply a social service provider, however, Friendship Centres offer individuals a safe, supportive environment in which to address issues of trauma and to explore their own identities. This leads individuals to develop a strong sense of place and positive-place identity. Research was conducted between May and August 2017 at the N’Amerind Friendship Centre in London, Ontario. Research methods included participant-observation, ethnographic interviewing, and the creation of a short ethnographic film. The thesis concludes that Friendship Centres are significant landscapes due to …