Marking a milestone in its mission to empower Indigenous women, First Nations Executive Education (FNEE) hosted the 10th cohort of its Women Leadership program at the HEC Montréal in September.
Offering three cohorts per year in both English and French, the program has already trained more than 200 women from 10 First Nations and Inuit communities, focusing on growth, connection and intergenerational knowledge-sharing across the Nations.
Brigitte Skeene, an Innu from Mashteuiatsh and the academic co-lead of the program, describes its core mission as deeply personal and community centred.
“The objective is to help Indigenous women recognize and strengthen a leader that already exists within them,” Skeene said. “We don’t teach leadership in the traditional hierarchical sense, but we help participants explore who they are, what makes their leadership unique and how they can use that to create positive impact in their communities or organizations.”
According to her, each module of the five-day intensive session is facilitated by an Indigenous and a non-Indigenous person “because we live in a world where these two worlds exist.”
Skeene said the program follows the Two-Eyed Seeing principle developed by Mi’kmaq Elder Albert Marshall. It’s a concept that encourages viewing the world through two lenses – Indigenous knowledge and Western perspectives – and using them in harmony.
Instead of focussing on academic case studies, Skeene said learning takes place through sharing circles and storytelling, with discussions ranging from imposter syndrome and leadership styles to inspiring examples of Indigenous women leaders.
“They’re learning from each other,” she explained. “The circle is part of the Indigenous way – nobody’s voice is more important than the other. Every single voice counts and every single voice can be heard.”
When participants have the courage to speak up and share “it becomes a positive experience for them because it happened in a safe place,” said Skeene, adding that every woman in the program walks away with something valuable.
“There’s something for everyone in this program,” she stated. “Whether it’s a leadership tool, a personal connection, or the sisterhood that we build, because actually we are leaders regardless of our titles and positions.”
For Skeene, the most rewarding part is witnessing the spark of transformation.
“What touches me most is seeing how each woman who joins the program is giving herself permission to take up space and to lead, to dream, to be seen. Because when women rise, communities rise with them.”
Autumn Godwin, an educator at John Abbott College and a member of the Montreal Lake Cree Nation, reflects on the Women Leadership program.
For her, the week-long sessionwas more than just professional training, it was a deeply personal and transformative experience.
“The way that it was facilitated was absolutely amazing,” she said. “Just being around other Indigenous women felt strong, powerful and safe.”
Godwin said it created a sense of belonging that is often missing in her day-to-day work.
“It brought out my strong attributes but also pointed out where my weaknesses fall in leadership,” she shared. “We’re all scared of our vulnerabilities, but it felt really good to see that other women struggle and exceed in similar ways.”
Throughout the program, Goodwin explored different leadership models and styles, including the balance between emotion and strategy in decision-making, which she said was one of the most impactful sessions.
“We had two women who were talking about leadership styles and leading with emotion, and it was cool to see how we balance that out,” she said.
Godwin feels the experience provided spiritual nourishment and renewal.
“Having these conversations and programs is rejuvenating,” she added. “You are inspired to keep moving forward.”
As an educator, Godwin hopes to integrate what she learned into her workplace with colleagues and students.
“We should have more programs like this, not just for Indigenous women, but for all women working within similar institutional structures,” she said. “It was great to have these spaces where you could reflect on your own.”