ABOUT OWEN

Owen Pelletier is of Plains Cree ancestry from Cowessess First Nation Saskatchewan. He is a loving father of five, as well as a mushum/grandfather. Currently residing in Regina, Saskatchewan, Owen is a recent graduate of the First Nations University of Canada with a degree in Indigenous Social Work. He is now a Registered Social Worker with the Saskatchewan Association of Social Workers.

Having been born into abandonment, neglect, abuse and addictions; Owen has struggled with intergenerational traumas for much of his life. Both of Owen’s parents were victims of the residential school and the Sixties Scoop government projects. Placed in the child welfare system at a young age, Owen found himself exposed to racism, rejection, and discrimination. Owen discovered that drugs, alcohol, violence and individuals such as himself were the answers to his circumstances.

His membership and activities with a Regina street gang fueled a lifestyle of crime, violence and general negativity, which meant custody as a young offender and eventually incarceration and time served in various Saskatchewan Correctional Centers.

Owen enjoys being a full-time entrepreneur and currently works in the child and family services. Owen has worked for STR8 UP as an Outreach Worker as well as a Federal Reintegration Worker based out of the Saskatchewan Penitentiary in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. By sharing his story through writing and speaking, Owen has chosen to utilize all his life experiences as tools to help guide those who may be struggling with the same realities he has survived and overcome.

Owen shares his experiences with abandonment, neglect, and abuse. Addictions, violence, and jails were a normal part of his life as a gangster. He also speaks about the child welfare system, racism, and intergenerational traumas. Balancing these issues, Owen also speaks about healing, recovery, forgiveness and pursuing your dreams.

​Owen entered recovery through addiction counsellors, detox centers, and treatment facilities. As well as sober living, Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, sponsorship and outreach programming. Owen uses his education, combined with his lived experience, to give back to communities in a healthy way.

With all this experience, Owen now shares his story through Professional Speaking Engagements, Healing Workshops, Mentoring, Medicine Wheel presentations, and more!