HEALING AND RECONCILIATION FOR COMMUNITIES AND FAMILIES
Talking Together
In the decade since the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Report in 2015, many Canadians have taken steps to understand and support tangible actions working towards reconciliation.
However, racism and contempt towards Indigenous Peoples still exists, with some choosing to blame them as architects of their own misfortune.
This is simply not good enough. Indigenous Peoples deserve to be heard and supported on their healing journeys.
To heal this divide in the spirit of reconciliation, the Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary (AFCC) has created Healing and Reconciliation exercises designed to facilitate dialogue between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. This series will provide education around historical traumas, their impacts and context as to why these issues continue today. By addressing difficult conversations in a safe space, the non-Indigenous community will be able to work on their personal reconciliation journeys while improving societal understanding and rebuilding bridges with Indigenous Peoples.
Understanding how complex a program like this is to create, the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund (IRF) is providing funding, primarily towards the development of a thoughtful, educational and carefully nuanced facilitation dialogue guide. A small portion of the funding will go towards administration costs. The project will operate for one year and the AFCC will also explore the potential of training Indigenous Peoples on how to facilitate these types of heavy discussions themselves for wider impact.
The AFCC is dedicated to removing barriers and empowering the urban Indigenous community in the greater Calgary area, where an estimated 30,000 Indigenous People live.
Diocese of Calgary
