Get to know the team!
Don Ense, Resident Elder
Don Ense was employed as a mental health worker at Native Child and Family Services from 2005 to 2021. He held the position of Elder-in-residence and Knowledge Keeper for two years from 2019 to 2021. Don brought a wealth of traditional knowledge, ceremonies, and teachings which he learned from his grandparents, Elders, and healers, and shared these teachings and ceremonies with the urban Native community. Don began learning about traditional medicines from his grandparents, Joseph and Louise Ense, growing up at M’Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island in the 1960s. Don started learning traditional knowledge in earnest when he began his Native art career in 1975 from many Elders from different tribal nations in Canada and the United States. One of his teachers was the late healer, Adam Lussier, from White Earth Reservation in Minnesota, who worked at Anishnawbe Health Toronto Centre for many years.
Don was trained by Adam Lussier’s Oshkawbewis, (helper) Patrick McCoy, to build and conduct sweat lodges and to gather traditional medicines in 2000-2002. Don brought a combination of both traditional and Western healing methodologies and modalities into his practice of social work. He developed medicine wheel modalities to address various mental health issues to facilitate intergenerational trauma healing. Native Child and Family Services mental health department still utilizes the use of his modalities to address various mental health issues with their clients. He graduated from Lake Superior State University at Sault Ste. Marie, MI, in Human Services and Sociology (majors) and Social Work and Native American Studies (minors) in 2005.
Also, Don is known for painting Anishinaabe legends and childhood memories of life on the reserve. His art and biography were published, along with other Native artists from Manitoulin Island, in an art book entitled, The Sound of the Drum: The Sacred Art of the Anishnabec, by Mary Southcott in 1984. Other publications followed and included encyclopedias, school textbooks, art calendars, greeting cards, art prints, art magazines, Native periodicals, exhibition catalogues, and media interviews. His work and interviews have been documented on APTN, TV Ontario, and Fireside Chats with Connected North. His artwork is displayed in many prestigious art galleries and museums in Canada, the United States, and Europe and is recognized nationally and internationally in the art world. He, along with six other Ojibwe artists from Manitoulin Island are the early members of the Manitoulin Woodland Art and is regarded as the Second Wave of Native artists in the Renaissance of Native Art in Canada.
Julie Debassige, Visiting Elder
Aanii. Boozhoo Julie Debassige nindishnikass. Hello, greetings from Creation. My name is Julie Debassige. I am Anishinaabe Kwe (woman) from M’Chigeeng First Nation.
I dedicated myself to serving my community and the larger Indigenous community here in Toronto since 1994. For the past 13 years as Traditional Counsellor/ Healer, I have practiced a holistic approach to healing, and I am endowed with cultural knowledge of Indigenous people and our traditions. I also lend my expertise to larger intuitions that are embracing a reconciliation framework through their Advisory Circles and/or committees.
My education plan is to become a registered counsellor/therapist so that I may continue to make a difference in Indigenous lives, especially in my home community. I have a commitment towards building capacity for Indigenous mental health practitioners to acquire professional training and certifications to serve their own communities. In addition, I am a proponent of lifelong learning who is currently in a Master of Counselling Psychology program.
I have a large family and look forward to supporting the George Brown community and supporting the needs of the students.
Jolene May, Indigenous Mentorship Program Lead
Jolene May (she/her) is Anishinaabe from Whitefish River Birch Island and a former graduate of George Brown College's Community Worker Program. She is highly motivated in Indigenous student success initiatives and was the first-ever elected Indigenous student representative to have a seat on the Student Association Board of George Brown College. Jolene is passionate about helping Indigenous students be successful in their education journey and is excited to help students by assisting them in their needs while attending George Brown College. Jolene is skilled at navigating application processes of bursaries and scholarships and has successfully created and implemented student support programs to help students navigate their learning successfully.
Jolene works closely with Indigenous Knowledge and Wisdom keepers to inform her practices based on cultural teachings and perspectives. She approaches her work with a holistic lens and seeks opportunities to build relationships with students and community, both internally and externally. Jolene is directly involved in George Brown College’s Annual Pow wow and additionally, supports the rollout of cultural events and workshops to help to create a home for Indigenous students studying at George Brown. She Is committed to the success of Indigenous students in her work, and she is willing and eager to help students in any way she can.
Laraine Hale, M.S.W., Indigenous Counsellor
Laraine is a woman of mixed ancestry (English, Irish, and Haudenosaunee), a mother, daughter, sister, auntie and friend. She possesses both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Social Work. Her professional pursuits span over 30 years and encompass the roles of clinician, researcher, educator and consultant. These experiences inform and inspire her investment in the lives of individuals, families, groups and First Nation, Metis, and Inuit communities where she continues to listen, share and learn. She is invested in advancing Reconciliation efforts personally and professionally and remains a passionate advocate for fostering antioppressive spaces and interfaces.
