Episode Six: A Two-Spirit Journey to Freedom, Knowledge, and Change with Kurt Blind

Episode Six: A Two-Spirit Journey to Freedom, Knowledge, and Change with Kurt BlindEpisode Six of Stolen Voices features a powerful and personal conversation with Kurt Blind. Drawing from lived experience, Kurt speaks openly about surviving residential school, addiction, and his journey toward healing through culture, ceremony, community, and connection to the land. Through their work at the Calgary Drop-In and Rehabilitation Centre as a First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Cultural Liaison, Kurt shares firsthand insight into the vulnerabilities that place Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit peoples at greater risk of exploitation and human trafficking, particularly within urban centers and unhoused communities.This episode explores the intersection of colonial systems, poverty, racism, displacement, addiction, and identity, while also shining light on the importance of culturally safe spaces, Indigenous-led healing, land-based teachings, language revitalization, and community connection. Kurt speaks candidly about the ongoing impacts of systemic discrimination, the lack of safe supports for Two-Spirit and queer Indigenous peoples, and the urgent need for prevention rooted in empathy, education, and Indigenous ways of knowing.At the heart of this conversation is hope. Kurt shares powerful reflections on ancestral memory, resilience, and the responsibility we all carry to create safer communities for future generations. Through humour, honesty, compassion, and wisdom, this episode reminds listeners that healing is possible; that our spirits remember who we are, and that Indigenous voices, teachings, and lived experiences are essential in the fight against human trafficking and violence.This is a grounding, emotional, and inspiring conversation about survival, accountability, identity, and reclaiming Indigenous strength in a world that too often tries to erase it.