X Helping Hands

08/23/2026

08/07/2026

One Day Left!

Tomorrow, we gather in circle to heal, reflect, and reconnect.

Join us for The Healing Circle — Saturday, August 8, 2026, at the Frank McKenna Centre for Leadership, StFX, Antigonish. Sessions run throughout the day, with our facilitators and panelists coming together to hold space for belonging, resilience, and healing.

See you there. 💛

08/06/2026

Meet our panelists for The Healing Circle:

Dr. Debbie Castle is a Founding Partner at People Development Ltd., where she's spent nearly fifty years helping groups across government, non-government, and community settings build authentic participation and capacity.

Dr. David Fletcher is a community resilience researcher and facilitator with over thirty years of work across ten-plus countries, centred on people-driven development, equity, and justice.

Dr. Chris Frazer is a StFX historian and longtime 2SLGBTQIA+ advocate who founded X Pride and has produced Antigonish's own drag show, Priscilla, Queen of the Highlands, for over 18 years.

Dr. Ajay Parasram is a Dalhousie professor whose research explores the "colonial present" — how colonial histories continue to shape race, class, and power today.

Olasupo (Ola) Fagbemiro is the Founder and Global Convener of The Rostrum Global Initiative, working at the intersection of leadership, innovation, and community engagement to turn dialogue into action.

Join us August 8 to hear their perspectives on belonging, healing, and resilience. 💛

08/05/2026

Meet the facilitators guiding us through The Healing Circle! 🌿

Session 1 – Reconnecting with Land & Community
Oksana Sichkar holds a PhD in Literature (Art) and is a certified psychologist. A refugee from Ukraine, she brings her own healing journey into her work, including Neurographic Art — a popular art therapy technique in Slavic countries that has helped her process trauma and that she believes can help others too.

Session 2 – Healing Circle: Reconnecting with Self
Jillian Marchand is the founder of Exploring Embodiment, a somatic healing community in Antigonish, and a Usui/Holy Fire® Reiki Master Teacher and Trauma-Informed Breathwork Facilitator. Her sessions create a safe, sacred space for people to reconnect with their bodies and release stress.

Two powerful approaches to healing, one meaningful day. 💛

Join us Saturday, August 8, 2026, from 12:00 PM – 7:30 PM at the McKenna Centre for Leadership, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS — free and open to all.

StFX UniversitySichkar OksanaExploring Embodiment

08/03/2026

🌿 Introducing The Healing Circle 🌿

A free, one-day community gathering built around belonging, healing, and resilience.

📅 Saturday, August 8, 2026
🕛 12:00 PM – 7:30 PM
📍 McKenna Centre for Leadership, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS

Join us for a day of storytelling, a healing & wellness circle, a panel discussion, community lunch, snacks, and a reception dinner — all completely free. 💙

Swipe to meet the mind behind it all →

Meet Tavneet Kaur, founder of X Helping Hands Association. A first-generation immigrant who moved to Nova Scotia in 2021, Tavneet is a secondary math educator with CCRCE and a StFX alumna. Since arriving, she's been deeply woven into newcomer, immigrant, and local communities — through the X Project, CMTOLC, EduNova, ACIC Halifax, and the Centre for Migrant Workers Rights, and as a delegate and panelist at events like the EduNova Study and Stay Retreat, the ACIC Global Youth Conference, and CPA National Conventions.

When she's not building community, you'll find her outdoors, on her yoga mat, near the water, or writing. Her mission: mentorship, community-building, and creating spaces where newcomers feel seen, supported, and empowered. ✨

Come as you are. Everyone is welcome. 🤝

📌 RSVP link in bio

07/10/2026

🧡 Building Stronger Communities, Together 🧡
At X Helping Hands, our mission is simple:
🤝 Connect communities
🌱 Create opportunities
✨ Inspire positive change
Every step forward starts with people showing up for each other. That's what we're here for. 💙
Follow along as we continue building something bigger — together.

07/08/2026

🌿 The Healing Circle: Reconnect with Land, Self & Community 🌿

Join us for a FREE community gathering — a full day of storytelling, connection, wellness, and a healing circle with shared meals💚

📅 August 8 | 12:00 PM – 7:30 PM
📍 McKenna Centre for Leadership, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS
✨ Limited spots available — scan the QR code or visit the link in our bio to register

Open to anyone 19+

Come as you are, leave feeling reconnected🤝

The Healing Circle is a free one- day community gathering focused on belonging, healing, and resilience. Join us on Saturday, August 8, 2026 from 12:00 PM – 7:30 PM at the McKenna Centre for Leadership, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS for a day of storytelling, community connection, ...