Georgian College

10 GEORGIANVIEW SPRING 2022 PREMIER'S AWARDS Butterflies in the Rain | Lisa Marie's sound can be described as Indigenous folk pop. Her silky vocals, beat-driven rhythm guitar and unwavering lyrics, embody the contemporary Anishnaabe Kwe. "I remember coming to college carrying much of the trauma that has afflicted Indigenous communities," shares Lisa Marie Naponse, a 2004 graduate of Georgian's Native Education – Community and Social Development program. "Georgian's Indigenous Resource Centre became a home- away-from-home for me, and a place where I learned to manage many of the feelings – like self-doubt, shame and unworthiness – that I was experiencing at the time." Lisa Marie's Anishinaabe name is Odemin Kwe, meaning 'Strawberry Woman.' In her culture, the strawberry is known as the heart berry, nourishing the body, mind and spirit, as well as connecting emotions. So, it came as no surprise when she graduated and began to immediately work with Indigenous communities across Ontario. Following her graduation from Georgian, Lisa Marie worked with Indigenous people in urban settings including Ottawa and Sudbury, but felt a disconnection from her community and wanted to bring some of the programming that she was working on back to her people. She returned to Atikameksheng in 2012, and now works as an Aanjichigewin health educator and promoter with Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services, helping to deliver health education and community-based programs and initiatives to Atikameksheng, Sagamok, Serpent River, Mississauga, Thessalon, Garden River and Batchewana First Nations, as well as the Indian Friendship Centre of Sault Ste. Marie. A major focus of Lisa Marie's work is on normalizing physical activity and promoting positive health behaviours to prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer – both which carry higher rates of affliction in Indigenous people. Her work places an emphasis on engaging family units rather than individuals alone. "It's about strengthening factors that protect our people from disease and health problems," she says. "I work to build resiliency with my community, but I do this while honouring our traditional beliefs and values and incorporating Indigenous language and culture into the programming, because this is important for positive and sustained outcomes." In addition to this work, Lisa Marie is also an active community leader and volunteer, an award-winning singer/ songwriter, and has captured multiple medals at the North American Indigenous Games as a player and coach. Remembering all the ways that Georgian has impacted her life, Lisa Marie smiles as she shares that Georgian was the first place she ever felt confident enough to perform her music in front of people. The very first single she released was a song that she wrote about her college friendships called Butterflies in the Rain.

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