Pathway to Reconciliation
After 25 years of working in the reconciliation space, we have seen a lot of change. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada spent seven years (2008-2015) travelling across the country to explore what reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people could look like and articulating why it matters so much. Since then, governments, private sector organizations, public service agencies, and non-profits have been tasked with key roles and responsibilities in supporting reconciliation.
At its heart, reconciliation is about healing a relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Many Canadians didn’t learn accurate or sufficient information about Indigenous people or the impacts of colonization through the education system and may feel at a loss stepping into the complex and sensitive space of reconciliation. Every context is different, and Indigenous cultures in Canada are extremely diverse, so there is no cookie cutter approach.
Pathway to Reconciliation is a proven process guided by expert allies and Indigenous consultants, who will support your organization to:
- Learn about what reconciliation means, how it applies to your organization, and what you can do
- Develop a clear plan to move forward with efforts towards reconciliation
- Guide you in building meaningful and respectful partnerships with Indigenous Peoples
- Support leaders and change makers to become empowered in leading reconciliation throughout the implementation of your reconciliation plan
Pathway to Reconciliation includes the following steps
Example:
We worked with an organization that had developed ad-hoc partnerships with Indigenous groups over the years but wanted a more systemic approach to boost their reconciliation efforts. Over a period of two years, we:
- Worked with them to identify their strengths and areas for improvement in supporting reconciliation
- Provided customized staff training (both in-person and online) on Indigenous Peoples, impacts of colonization, and the organization’s commitments and responsibilities to supporting truth and reconciliation
- Mapped their current relationships with Indigenous partners and identified areas of overlap or gaps
- Co-developed a reconciliation action plan with the leadership team
- Stewarded the development of a reconciliation committee to implement the action plan and empowered staff to take over the leadership of the committee
- Checked in annually and celebrated when they had completed their plan and significantly deepened their partnerships with Indigenous organizations
