Pearl Lorentzen
Lakeside Leader

Rosemarie Boucher from the Slave Lake area has started two related businesses to help people using a First Nations lens.

“I am a First Nation,” she says.

Standing in Unity came out of her research into the seven sacred teachings, also known as the seven grandfather teachings. These are love, respect, courage, truth, honesty, humility, and wisdom.

She has learned about these teachings from family members, elders, and other research.

“I also did some deep healing myself,” she adds. “I tried these out, and it helped me.”

Standing in Unity offers one-on-one or group workshops focused on “teaching the seven sacred teachings from the First Nations perspective before and after colonization,” says Boucher.

Boucher has worked in offices for about 20 years. She also has a social work diploma.

In the past when Boucher taught workshops on the seven sacred teaching, people asked if there was a business in the area that helped people with the paperwork and understanding the system. She said no, but that she advocated as a volunteer. She has advocated since 2010.

This is where the second business, Unity Services Corporation, comes in.

Asked what her advocacy looks like, she says, “Helping people talk. Being their voice in hospitals, to doctors, to government.”

She plans to use the seven sacred teachings and her experience letter writing, understanding government documents, and helping people understand what is being asked of them.

The end goal of both businesses is “the improvement and wellbeing of the individual to be able to interact effectively with society,” says Boucher. “They are separate but also connected.”

With the two businesses, her hope is to do this work full time helping people.