I am nehiyaw iskwew (Plains Cree) from Saddle Lake Cree Nation, AB but was adopted and raised in Sault Ste Marie ON. I am a community organizer, social justice advocate, author and kokum. Since 2014 my colleague and I have organized six national 60s scoop gatherings in Ontario bringing hundreds of 60s scoop survivors together. Along the way we have been raising the issue of the 60's scoop at an international level to the displacement and loss of identity survivors have experienced. As a family member of two women who have been murdered, I speak publicly and candidly about MMIW2SG and the impacts of the 60’s Scoop drawing critical connections between colonial child welfare removal policies and her lived experiences and those of women in her family. I am passionate aboit to addressing gender-based violence, while giving context on the making of Canada, treaty relationships and the on-going dehumanization of Indigenous people through policy and media. Living with complex ptsd, recovering from child hood trauma and abuse while reconnecting to culture is a life long journey.I am the author of the Ohpikiihaakan-ohpihmeh (Raised somewhere else): A 60s Scoop Adoptee’s Story of Coming Home as well as spear-heading the GIS mapping the 60s Scoop Diaspora, and being awarded the Ontario Premier's Award for Outstanding Community Service. Currently Colleen is a Trauma Informed Resolution Health Support worker and Lead Facilitator for the Sixties Scoop Network / Edbendaagzijiig (e dben daag zi jig)