19 May Jen Turner Vancity

Jen Turner is a Cree from the Pimicikamak Cree Nation. She was raised in the small northern Métis community of Cormorant, Manitoba. One of the founders was her great-great grandparents Alfred and Eliza Fenner. Her traditional name is White Thunder Rock Woman. She is a mother to her daughter Rachel and a proud Kookum to two grandsons, Landyn and Aerys.

Jen has worked in the financial industry for over 15 years, first with First Nations Bank of Canada and presently with Vancity. She currently holds the position of Associate, Indigenous Partnerships, and she is proud and humbled to facilitate Vancity’s financial literacy workshops “Wealth Mindset – Indigenous Financial Resilience.” She creates a culturally safe learning experience to empower Indigenous people to build on their financial skills and develop a positive relationship with money based on their values. Jen also trains and supports Indigenous Vancity staff to facilitate these workshops and community partners.

Jen’s journey to find her voice, through her storytelling to overcome her fear of public speaking and tell her story of healing started with Walk With Me, in the RavenSPEAK Mastery Program in 2020. Jen is currently enrolled in the Aboriginal Management Program at the UBC School of Sauder, focusing on Indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs. Jen is driven by her compassion, empathy, and love for her people to make banking a positive experience and to promote financial literacy in Indigenous communities.

“The Wealth Mindset Circle Module is unique in that it explores history, colonization, and assimilation as they relate to values and wealth. I learned that external factors such as racism, discrimination, societal expectations, and dehumanization have no control over me, my values, or my voice. This work has empowered me. As uncomfortable as public speaking was, I found my voice in delivering these workshops to empower myself and my people. Wealth Mindset did that for me, and I am so grateful.” ~ Jen Turn