Volunteerism: Reflections from working in the North

Mary Lou Ware

Member, CFUW St Catharines
CESO Volunteer

Tuesday, September 13, 2016
OPEN MEETING

Mary Lou Ware has lived and worked in Ontario, BC, Quebec and Europe. She brings experience and education in health administration, interdisciplinary clinical and health education and clinical nursing.

Since her retirement she has been active as a volunteer completing assignments with the Canadian Executive Services Organization (CESO/SACO) in Nunavut and Kawawachikamach, QC.

CESO’s mission is “To catalyze and strengthen sustainable economic and social growth in Canada and globally through the collaborative approach of our highly experienced Volunteer Advisors (VA)."

VAs are skilled individuals, often retired or semi-retired, who bring years of experience and vision to invigorate communities.

In working with First Nations, Mary Lou recognized a society that has experienced what has been defined as “cultural trauma.” She saw that to achieve positive outcomes in her work she had to learn about and respect the First Nations culture and take into account the experiences that have brought them to this point in the Canadian scene.