Pathway to Reconciliation
Who is it for:
- Organizations committed to learning about and building relationships with Indigenous people
- Leaders who have a mandate to support reconciliation but aren’t sure where to start
- Project teams working in Indigenous cultural contexts who want to build and deepen relationships
How you will benefit:
- You will be able to articulate why reconciliation matters to you and what you are doing about it, and will be guided as you move through your reconciliation journey
- You will be guided through a customized and comprehensive pathway tailored to the needs of your organization, including reconciliation training, planning and coaching
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 your 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 amplify 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
