HEALING AND RECONCILIATION FOR COMMUNITIES AND FAMILIES
Building a Welcoming Community
Despite Canada’s commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, many newcomers to the country, as well as ethnocultural communities, continue to have limited exposure to the histories, cultures, and lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples.
This gap is especially visible in urban centres where Indigenous Peoples and newcomers often live side-by-side yet remain socially and culturally disconnected.
Without meaningful opportunities for learning and relationship-building, reconciliation efforts remain abstract.
To fill the gap in cross-cultural reconciliation, Saskatoon-based registered charity, the People’s Bridge Advocacy (PBA), is introducing intergenerational sharing circles, cultural exchanges, and Truth and Reconciliation education sessions for new Canadians. The purpose of this initiative is to create respectful spaces for storytelling, learning, and relationship-building, while meeting the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action #93 and #94, centred on newcomer education and citizenship. The project will be led by Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and residential school survivors who will teach traditional prayers and smudging, and explain significant cultural and spiritual ceremonies. These shared experiences will help foster respectful understanding of Indigenous worldviews while supporting healing through dialogue between Indigenous and newcomer communities.
The Indigenous Reconciliation Fund (IRF) is providing funding for this initiative, making it possible for newcomers to meaningfully engage with Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and Survivors, while creating accessible opportunities for ethnocultural communities to learn and connect. The IRF’s support will help strengthen intercultural understanding, promote healing through dialogue, and build inclusive communities rooted in respect, accountability, and shared responsibility for reconciliation.
Diocese of Saskatoon
