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Our Mission Statement:

The Mission of the Aboriginal Front Door Society is to foster, encourage and support the Downtown Eastside (DTES) Aboriginal People to walk through life with love, honor, respect, and compassion for all things in creation, including themselves. To secure, develop and operate a safe place for Aboriginal People in the DTES, which place will be the entry point to begin the implementation of an Aboriginal specific drug and alcohol strategy in the DTES.

Our Vision:

Be a place where Aboriginal People can experience, learn and participate in culture activities as part of their knowledge and growth through life's journey.

Be a place DTES Aboriginal People can call their own and feel at home. An informal, non-institutional place to come in for time out, help and activities.

Be an accessible storefront, which will have a ceremonial meet-ing area, a multi-use area and a food preparation area, if possible.

Provide leadership through the role models of respected Elders.

Be developed and operated by and with the DTES Aboriginal People themselves.

Over two years of hard work by the First Nations Caucus Working Group of Community Directions in Downtown Eastside Vancouver, the Aboriginal Front Door Society was created. It became a safe place for Aboriginal People in the DTES, the entry point to begin the implementation of an Aboriginal specific drug and alcohol strategy in the DTES. Aboriginal Front Door Society is unique in that is involves the use of Traditional healing, practices and teachings that, as part of the Healing process, will be passed on by our Aboriginal Elders of the DTES to our Aboriginal people of the DTES. Capacity building is taking place in this direct way by virtue of the Front Door being developed and operated by our Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people. Aboriginal Front Door Society respects and acknowledges all Traditional Aboriginal cultures, including the West Coast cultures, in whose traditional territories the Front Door operates. Aboriginal Front Door Society provides regularly services, cultural activities in the form of drumming, singing, food and Sweatlodge ceremonies, Moonlodge teachings, Sundance teachings, Family healing, traditional medicines, and gatherings. The Medicine Wheel teachings are based on a balance of the four aspects of life: mental, physical, emotional and spiritual, provides support and encouragement for each individual on their healing path. It is this fundamental principle of the Aboriginal way of life that has nearly been lost to Aboriginal People. The result of systematic oppression inflicted on the Aboriginal People at all levels of society for hundreds of years. Aboriginal Front Door Society will bring about increased awareness of, and reconnection to Aboriginal culture and to each other as human beings that is evident in the participation in the Ceremonies, the Sweatlodge and the Healing Circle. Our Elders will perform a very important leadership role at the AFDS. Aboriginal Front Door Society will act as a referral agency for people whose needs can be satisfied by other service providers in the DTES. Aboriginal Front Door Society will bring our people out of despair through the Traditional ways of Aboriginal people.