Advancement of Reconciliation

NESTU’ET AQ TETAPU’LATL ~ BECOME KNOWLEDGEABLE AND DO RIGHT BY

(ADVANCEMENT OF RECONCILIATION)

The 94 Calls to Action detailed in the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015) place a responsibility on governments, businesses, educational and religious institutions, health care professionals, civil society groups, and all Canadians to recognize the value of Indigenous worldviews and practices. The report defines reconciliation as “…establishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples … there has to be awareness of the past, acknowledgement of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes, and action to change behaviour”. It is with this consideration that the EOED pilot sought to become knowledgeable of the ways in which this initiative could highlight Indigenous culture and traditions and do right by Indigenous communities, moving forward together, in a good way, with actions to back our intentions.

This project is an opportunity to take control and push the envelope; to try and incorporate as much Indigenous authority and ways of doing things into it as we could. - Strategic Group member

HIGHLIGHTS

This commitment to advancing reconciliation is unique and is not part of the participatory approach that is being implemented and evaluated by the Participatory City Foundation in East London, UK. As such, specific adaptations in Kjipuktuk-Halifax were informed by in-depth discussions with MNFC staff and Indigenous community members and should be further developed and led, alongside Halifax’s Indigenous community. We hope that this approach serves as a learning opportunity for partners and stakeholders to gain a better understanding of the significance and urgency in working towards reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous population and engaging in meaningful action.

This project is a learning opportunity and a chance to shift people’s thinking away from the colonial approach, pushing them to think differently.

- Strategic Group member

RECONCILI-ACTION (GOVERNANCE)

The EOED pilot incorporated Indigenous knowledge into the governance structure of the project. This was done by inviting an Elder to multiple EOED Strategic Group meetings to share teachings and insight into Indigenous ways of knowing and being in the world. Grounded in this knowledge, the group engaged in open dialogue and seven guiding principles were created. These were later revised based on feedback from group members. Near the end of the EOED pilot, we held a drop-in Zoom session with Strategic Group members to reflect on the impact of the principles on the work. Participants reflected on whether they had seen the principles in action. The limited timeline of the pilot meant that there was not enough time spent working together to meaningfully evaluate the impact of the guiding principles. When considering future

governance models, these principles offer a strong foundation to guide working relationships and decision making but require the collective identification of practices to support and evaluate progress.

I wish we had the principles sooner; it would have impacted how the group was structured; we could have referenced them. These principles are not like any other set of principles, like business, focused on profit, these focus on people. You can see how they are all interconnected and if you do not follow just one, you cannot follow the others. - Strategic Group member

RECONCILI-ACTION (NEIGHBOURHOOD PROJECTS)

There were five Indigenous themed sessions offered, plus additional sessions which included Indigenous content and teachings including the Tea and Bannock sessions. This provided participants, and in some cases the local community, with a chance to learn more about Indigenous culture and traditions and gain some hands-on experience with Indigenous crafting. Among

the participants we surveyed, the sessions with Indigenous content were the most popular.

The March Program provided an opportunity for non-Indigenous folks to sit down with an Elder from the community. This would not normally happen.

- Host

The EOED pilot helped to surface specific examples of how reconciliation could manifest and be experienced at the

neighbourhood level. While many of these observations were anecdotal, they offer insight into potential outcomes that can be further researched in future phases of work, including: • Using an Indigenous approach to relationship building. In particular, honouring the time needed to build meaningful and trusting relationships with the community and intentionally creating space to nurture these relationships, without rushing, throughout the entirety of the project. • Co-creating visual design elements (e.g., newspapers, space design) that honour and reflect Indigenous culture and serve as welcoming invitations for the whole community. • Building and strengthening connections between

Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations to help foster a network of safe and inviting spaces that support cultural exchange and inclusive participation. • Working with Elders and knowledge keepers to integrate practices/protocols that can support the respectful sharing and learning of Indigenous wisdom. • Creating safe and inviting spaces for neighbours (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) to participate in practical and enjoyable projects while also emphasizing the sharing of cultural knowledge and perspectives.

I have always wanted to know and learn more about this community and do things with the Indigenous community. That is what this program has meant to me... opening new doors to things I’ve wanted to explore for so long.

• There is no manual or “how-to guide’’ for reconciliation and the deeply relational nature of this work means that we need timeframes and structures that allow for trusting relationships to evolve, with the Indigenous community, the local community and other stakeholders and partners. • Team members experienced a “push and pull” between working within existing frames and structures to plan, strategize, and act swiftly versus deepening personal and collective learning around new systems and processes (ie. in service of reconciliation). Adequate time is required for discussing and building a process that helps to advance reconciliation across multiple levels (e.g., governance, co-design, projects). • MNFC staff and community members offered guidance and support to embed Indigenous knowledge into the foundation of the pilot and create the conditions for safe and respectful sharing of

Indigenous culture. This appeared to be well received and appreciated, and a driving force behind what made EOED particularly unique, with deeper meaning for residents. • The pilot offered a starting place to explore how

Indigenous knowledge can help to shape governance and accountability structures. By introducing

Indigenous teachings, with open dialogue around them, the work of the Strategic Group centered around co-learning and helped to explore new ways of how we may define and measure progress.

FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS

• Develop timeframes and structures that can support the integration of Indigenous wisdom into the EOED platform and particiaption ecosystem. This includes centering Indigenous voices and knowledge systems across all faucets of work and ensuring that this is reflected in the resource/budget plan (eg., dedicated staff working hours). • Maintain a focused effort on establishing new connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations to help foster a network of safe and inviting spaces that can support cultural exchange and inclusive participation within and across neighbourhoods. • Develop a Theory of Change based on the learnings from the pilot (grounded in reconciliation and inclusive particiaption), and use it to guide the evaluation of structures and frameworks that support and stregthen the work (ie. learning and evaluation frameworks, approach to governance, etc.).