Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association - ANFCA

10/04/2026

Today, on Sisters in Spirit Day, the Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association (ANFCA) and our network of Friendship Centres across Alberta stand in solidarity to honour the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Gender-Diverse People (MMIWG2S+).

We remember those who have been taken from us, we lift up their families and loved ones who continue to carry the pain of their absence, and we honour the resilience of Indigenous communities working tirelessly for justice and systemic change. Friendship Centres remain committed to being safe, supportive, and culturally grounded spaces.

We walk with you, we remember them, and we demand an end to this ongoing national tragedy. To everyone grieving or impacted: you are not alone, and your loved ones will never be forgotten.

10/02/2026

Haven't joined Rise Up yet? We are still accepting youth!

Take a look at how previous youth participated in the Rise Up Forum in February 2026 in Edmonton.

Rise Up: Empowering Urban Indigenous Youth is still accepting youth into the current cohort. Through active participation in Rise Up and in your community, you could attend the 2027 Rise Up Youth Forum!

Reach out to Matt at [email protected] for more information and how to join Rise Up!

A weekend to empower Indigenous Youth. Developing relationships, ...

09/30/2026

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
As we walk the path of Truth and Reconciliation, we turn to the Seven Sacred Teachings: Wisdom, Love, Respect, Bravery, Honesty, Humility, and Truth as our guides.

These ancestral gifts remind us that every child is sacred, carrying inherent worth, culture, and promise. In honoring the Survivors, remembering the children who never returned home, and uplifting the spirits of future generations, we affirm that Every Child Matters, today and for all generations to come.

09/29/2026

ANFCA is thankful to our Elders Wisdom Circle and our Provincial Emerging Adults Council for their decisions regarding the additions to made to the new ANFCA Eagle Staff and to Kelly Benning for facilitating the teachings and discussion.

09/26/2026

If your ears aren't still ringing from the paper cuts and pure Auntie energy, were you even at the ANFCA AGG last week?

The Big Auntie Earring Championship was absolute legend, and the competition was downright ruthless. We’re talking 12-inch paper fringes, poster-board chandeliers, and neck muscles of steel holding up literal construction paper architecture.

Things got so fierce that a black-market paper trade broke out. There was aggressive-hoarding and blocking to the construction paper, hiding the supplies under their chairs, and guarding the good craft scissors like family heirlooms. If you blinked, the paper loops were gone.

Shoutout to the champion, Mannawanis Friendship Centre, whose paper masterpieces entered the room three full seconds before she did, and to everyone who survived the supply wars.

Thank you to the Bonnyville Friendship Centre for hosting such a fun event.

09/24/2026

Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association (ANFCA) delegation—including ANFCA President - Miranda Ferguson, National Board Representative - Bob Oshanyk and ANFCA CEO - Jeannette MacInnis were in Ottawa this week taking part in the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) Advocacy Days.

Friendship Centres serve as essential hubs for urban Indigenous families across Canada, providing culturally grounded programs, housing support, youth initiatives, employment resources, and community care. As demand for these vital services continues to grow, direct and dedicated advocacy on Parliament Hill remains critical.

Through collaborative dialogue, ANFCA alongside our provincial and territorial counterparts nationwide to ensure decision-makers hear a unified message: investing in Friendship Centres is an investment in the health, well-being, and future of urban Indigenous communities.

09/23/2026

At our 56th Annual General Gathering, the Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association (ANFCA) raised our hands in deep respect to present the very first ANFCA Rising Generation Award to Brianna Anderson of the Mannawanis Native Friendship Centre .

This honour recognizes Brianna's path with the Friendship Centre, from the very beginning she stepped into every opportunity with openness - ready to learn, ready to grow, and ready to shine.

Brianna began her journey with Friendship Centres at the age of 4 when she began Aboriginal Head Start and basically grew up there. She continued her involvement throughout her life and eventually became a participant in ANFCA's Rise Up: Empowering Urban Indigenous Youth where she contributed over 200 hours of volunteerism to her community in a short amount of time. She was also a successful candidate for the Friendship Centre's Mental Health Circle of Care program supporting Elders and Seniors where her natural warmth and compassion flourished.

Through mentorship, guidance, and the supportive community around her, Brianna continues to evolve into the remarkable young woman we celebrate today. She represents her community on the Provincial Emerging Adults Council where she advocates for her community and shares best practices and successes with other youth from across Alberta.

​The ANFCA Rising Generation Award recognizes an exceptional youth who exemplifies leadership, inclusivity, and community spirit within the Alberta Friendship Centre movement. This award celebrates young leaders like Brianna who bridge generations, foster welcoming environments for their peers, and actively contribute to the vitality of their local Friendship Centre and community.

We are deeply proud to honour her, to support her journey, and give thanks for the incredible future she has before her.

09/23/2026

At our 56th Annual General Gathering, the Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association (ANFCA) raised our hands in deep respect to present the very first ANFCA Legacy Award to Métis Elder, journalist, author, educator, activist, and photojournalist Terry L***y.

This honour recognizes Terry’s more than six decades of foundational leadership, devotion, and service to The Canadian Native Friendship Centre in Edmonton and our broader Friendship Centre family across Alberta.

​For over 60 years, Terry has walked alongside our people, helping tend the fire of the Friendship Centre movement. He has spent his life clearing a path for urban Indigenous families, cultivating safe spaces grounded in culture, building bridges of community support, and standing as a strong, fearless voice for our people.

​As a survivor of both the residential school and foster care systems, Terry turned his own lived journey, research, and truthful storytelling into a tool for healing and accountability, helping light the way toward real truth and reconciliation across Canada.

​Today, Terry continues to share his wisdom and teachings as a respected traditional Elder for the Canadian Native Friendship Centre in Edmonton. Through ceremony, quiet guidance, and traditional teachings, he wraps his care around youth, families, and our gatherings.

​The ANFCA Legacy Award celebrates a true cornerstone of our movement. Terry’s legacy is woven from six decades of living the sacred teachings, walking with deep humility, respect, responsibility, and an unending love for the community. We are deeply humbled to honour him, to carry his story forward, and to give thanks for the lasting tracks he leaves for the generations to come.

09/19/2026

Jeannette JJ MacInnis: Congratulations on your appointment as ANFCA's CEO. 💘

On behalf of all ANFCA's member Friendship Centres, Executive Committee, and staff, we are truly so happy to see you fully step into this role, and we want you to know how much your leadership already means to us.

You have brought something very special back into our organization: a renewed sense of culture, belonging, inclusion, connection and, perhaps most importantly, a deeper understanding of who we are and why we exist as Friendship Centres.

You have reminded us that our culture is not something that simply sits beside the work we do.

It is part of the foundation of who we are.

You have brought cultural ways of knowing and being back into how we think about our work, how we come together, how we govern and how we make decisions.

You have created space for our people, our communities, our Elders and Knowledge Holders, and our collective history to be recognized and respected.

What we appreciate most is that you are genuine, lead with your heart, and inspire us to move forward together.

You truly love Friendship Centres.

You believe in the work they do, you understand the difference they make in people's lives, and you carry a deep respect for the people who have built and sustained this movement over generations.

Your leadership has brought a feeling of reconnection: to our roots, to our purpose and to one another.

You have reminded us that while governance, policies, programs and operations are necessary, the heart of ANFCA and its member Friendship Centres, has always been the relationships, the connections, and the community.

There is something incredibly powerful about having a leader who understands that. Someone who can honour where we have come from while helping us find our way forward.

You are helping us reconnect with the heart of what Friendship Centres are all about.

We are genuinely excited to see where you take us in this next chapter.

This is an important moment for our organization, and we are grateful that we get to experience it with you.

Congratulations. Much love.💘 You have earned this moment, and we are so excited to celebrate you and the leader you are. ❤️