My vision is to improve the lives of Indigenous children and families by helping to shape better services through legislation, policy, and service delivery.
vision
mission
I provide values-based leadership and consulting services to First Nations and Indigenous organizations by embodying an Indigenous worldview with respect and reverence.
Kaniikaniit Consulting is an Métis owned consulting service. Kaniikaniit focuses on assisting First Nations communities gain the tools they need through legislation, funding proposals, and Indigenous organizational management. My passion is children. I believe that if our children can grow up healthy, strong, and connected to family, culture, and community with a strong sense of identity and belonging, then we will live in a much richer world.
Kaniikaniit Consulting is situated on beautiful Vancouver Island. We humbly and gratefully acknowledge the 50 First Nations of the Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Kwakwaka'waka people who have been stewards of this Island since time immemorial. These lands have never been surrendered. The values I bring to my work are to live and walk with integrity, practice deep listening, strive for excellence, respect for all people and things, build community, work collaboratively, honour the interconnectedness, communicate effectively, and transform systems.
MY TEAM
Kathy Waddell
Senior Consultant & Owner
Kathy Waddell has more than 20 years experience working with children and families and more than 15 years working with First Nations governments. Kathy has experience in strategic and operational plan formation. She is a facilitator, planner, and educator. She understands the complexities faced by First Nations people. Kathy is a citizen of the Métis Nation BC. Kathy holds a Master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and has a diploma in Early Childhood Education.
Kathy’s life purpose is to empower people through listening and creating safe places for people to share their thoughts and ideas. She enjoys looking at issues from a interdisciplinary lens. She believes that there are many ways to solve problems and that oftentimes, it is multiple solutions that will provide stability and a way forward. She is calm, respectful, and intuitive. Her unique skills are helping others to see things in different ways and being curious about why things are the way they are.
Gaileen Flaman
Consultant
Gaileen Flaman (she/her) is Métis, of Plains Cree and Scottish ancestry on her mother’s side, mixed European ancestry on her father’s side, and is a grateful visitor on the ancestral lands of the Hul’qumi’num-speaking people. She is an authentic leader and “life doula” with highly developed organizational and interpersonal skills, driven to align with others to steward their potential and realize their dreams. Gaileen has decades of community development experience within municipal government, strategizing and co-creating a better world with equity-seeking groups including newcomers, older adults, Indigenous peoples, youth, and persons with disabilities. She especially enjoys infusing artistic, playful, experiential activities and rituals into her practice to recover, repair and reconcile relationships with oneself and beyond. She is a fierce 5Rythyms dancer, a savvy Spotify playlist-curator, a rewilding woods-walker, and has a cat familiar named Cleo.
Nicolaus Waddell
Executive Assistant
Nicolaus Waddell is a Musical Artist who operates under the pseudonym "King Kael." He provides SafeTALK and ASIST Workshops with LivingWorks and the Metis Nation of British Columbia to communities in the Region 1 area. Nicolaus provides executive support to Kathy throughout her many projects and also provides photography and graphic design for Kaniikaniit Consulting. Nicolaus holds a Bachelor's of Journalism Degree an continually seeks out new education opportunities in a variety of areas most recently completing training in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills and Training (ASIST) Workshops by LivingWorks in partnership with the Metis Nation of British Columbia. Nicolaus holds several inter-sectional identities as a neurodivergent, Indigenous person who is a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. He is passionate about educating individuals on mental health and 2SLGBTQIA+ issues.