Meet the Voices Behind the Vision
Val Monk
Val Monk is a board member of Kahanee and brings decades of experience shaped by entrepreneurship, healing work and community leadership. Inspired by her parents’ entrepreneurial spirit, she founded her own business in 1984 and has been guided throughout her life by a commitment to live with integrity, care and purpose. She is the author of numerous articles and the book Abuse, which has been widely used in university courses, social service programs and the development of trauma and PTSD treatment approaches. Val has served as faculty with the William Glasser Institute, directed family programs at Pine River Institute supporting youth in addiction recovery and most recently led programming at Clan Mothers Healing Village and Knowledge Centre, focusing on family systems and generational trauma. Her background also includes mediation, facilitation, leadership coaching, communication design and system improvement work. Val’s connection to Kahanee is rooted in a deep belief that people are more alike than different and that storytelling, dialogue and compassion are essential to nurturing peace within individuals, between communities and across society.
Playful and giggly. I was always very curious and asked a lot of questions. As a youngster, I remember being very curious about elderly people and wanting to talk to them. I was a tomboy. My regular playmates were all boys – I enjoyed physical games, climbing trees, playing soccer, exploring. I was not a “play with dolls” kind of girl.
My neighbour Linda had three sons and I became her “little girl”. Every morning, I’d run right over to her place and she would sing songs to me, tell me nursery rhymes, play childhood records for me and let me unscrew her wooden leg…which was a mythical part of our playtime. Linda was somebody who modelled for me that play was important. Having a sense of humour was a big part of that. I also felt loved and accepted, because she made time for me, and cheerfully engaged with me.
When I was five my family went on a trip to Toronto for Christmas. When I came back, I found out that Linda had taken a job as postmistress for our small town. I was very upset with my parents for taking me to Toronto because I believed that Linda had gotten lonely and that’s what made her go out and get a job. Also, a positive and major influence that shaped the person I am today is growing up in a country village. I could walk to my grandparent’s farm and would spend day after day with my grandparents and uncles, helping them on the farm.
It gave me an appreciation for self-sufficiency, developing my creativity, and creating a close and intuitive connection to nature and animals. I also learned a lot about the importance of working together; helping one another.
Absence of fear. Cohesion – People are appreciated for what their part can bring to the whole. The whole is contributing towards an outcome of authenticity.
Kahanee reflects the values and beliefs that I strive to live by. It aligns with my personal vision and compass to “live by soul, not ego.”
Children – their innocence, their authenticity, curiosity.
