"My goal is to be the person I so badly needed when I was young."
Shayne's story
Shayne McGregor is an Addiction & Mental Health worker for Indigenous children, youth, and families. Shayne is an advocate for LGBTQ+, Two-Spirit, and Indigenous folks, and is the Founder of AndThenIWasFree.
Shayne was removed from his biological family at age 6 and was placed with the Children’s Aid Society. During his adolescence, Shayne suffered from mental health issues, and in his adult years has struggled with alcoholism.
Shayne is now living a life of sobriety and advocacy. In sharing his story, and through AndThenIWasFree, Shayne aims to create visibility, encourage authenticity, promote inclusivity, and inspire compassion.
Our vision and purpose
To create a world where everyone is free to live authentically by sharing our stories, being vulnerable, and creating space for all to be visible.
How we'll get there
Through holistic programming, workshops, teachings, education, and visibility, we provide accessible, culturally specific resources and support for people exploring all aspects of their identity.
Guiding principles
The Seven Grandfather Teachings are a set of Indigenous teachings on human conduct towards others. They are moral stepping stones and a cultural foundation on which we apply throughout the work we do. These are our values.