"A celebration of us persisting”: Jocelyn Formsma on 50 years of the Indigenous Friendship Centre movement

Author Avanthika Anand
Formsma is the National Association of Friendship Centres’s executive director, and is gearing up for another 50 years of service to the movement

Why It Matters

Since its establishment in 1971, the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) has grown to become a non-profit supporting Indigenous communities from coast to coast across Canada. This year, the NAFC rings in its 50th anniversary, and executive director Jocelyn Formsma opens up about the movement’s importance to community members today and into the future.

var TRINITY_TTS_WP_CONFIG = {"cleanText":"\u201cA celebration of us persisting\u201d: Jocelyn Formsma on 50 years of the Indigenous Friendship Centre movement. Indigenous-led, Indigenous-serving organizations are no strangers to challenge.\u00a0 Even in the face of Canada\u2019s past and ongoing genocide of and atrocities against Indigenous people, this group of organizations has remained unwaveringly resilient in its service.\u00a0 The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has exacerbated the challenges that Indigenous Peoples face today \u2014 resulting in a growing demand for support for these communities, that Canada\u2019s Indigenous-led and Indigenous-focused social impact sector is struggling to meet.\u00a0 But even in the midst of a global pandemic, one Indigenous-led non-profit organization \u

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