Auntie-in-Residence

Kelly Brownbill is YPT’s Auntie-in-Residence. She is an experienced voice with an Indigenous perspective who the YPT community can go to for guidance, cultural support, or with questions they have related to any part of the company and its programming; artistic, educational and otherwise.

About Kelly Brownbill

Kelly Brownbill’s spirit name, Wabunnoongakekwe, means Woman Who Comes from the East and she is proud to be Waabizhashi Dodem, Marten Clan. She is a member of the Flat Bay community of the Mi’kmaq Nation in Newfoundland, and of the Three Fires Midewiwin Lodge. As an educator on Indigenous issues, she has conducted countless cultural awareness training sessions across a broad range of service sectors including key staff from both the provincial and federal governments. She guides organizations in forging more respectful and equitable relationships with Indigenous communities and agencies. For 10 years she filled the role of peer referral agent for Canada’s largest single site employer of Indigenous people. She has also worked with Indigenous communities, both on and off reserve, to develop healthy agency models and to further develop counselling skills with Indigenous clients. Kelly has twice published Indigenous perspectives in peer-reviewed publications on workplace wellness and addiction and for 7 years was the Senior Editor and Cultural Advisor for 4 Canoes, a periodical series of books showcasing individual Nations around Turtle Island and Canoe Kids, a series of culturally inspired children’s books. She is also proud to be the Auntie-in-Residence for Young People’s Theatre in Toronto. For more information, please visit www.kellybrownbill.com.

In Conversation with YPT’s Auntie, Kelly Brownbill

To learn more about Indigenous Learning at YPT, click here.