2012-2013 Advocacy and public information projects

Project Lead: Aboriginal Healing Foundation
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

The Aboriginal Healing Foundation will reprint the collection of essays, personal accounts, and stories from the Aboriginal Healing Foundation's three volume series Truth and Reconciliation – which comprises titles from the Truth to Reconciliation, Response, Responsibility and Renewal; and Cultivating Canada.  Based on the response from the first edition of Speaking My Truth, particularly from educators and educational administrators, the Aboriginal Healing Foundation has decided to produce a new Scholastic Edition of Speaking My Truth which will feature a revised selection of texts, samples from government and church apologies, and "questions for reading" that are gauged at readers in upper level high school and university classrooms.

Project Lead: Assembly of First Nations
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

The Assembly of First Nations will continue to advocate to assist former students in gaining complete access and equal participation in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. They will use existing networks to continue to advocate and facilitate an effective and efficient communications strategy on the IAP deadline, as well as liaise and facilitate access on the development of the CEP credits terms and conditions.

Project Lead: Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

The primary objective of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) Residential Schools Unit is to properly inform Manitoba First Nation of initiatives, programs, services and/or benefits resulting from the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement regardless of where they reside within the province of Manitoba. In 2012-2013, AMC will engage youth and Elders, public sector organizations and institutions in promoting healing and reconciliation amongst youth and intergenerational survivors through a liaison with Manitoba Youth Council. Educational resources will also be developed for professionals working in schools, public safety organizations and other front line services.

Project Lead: The Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat
Location: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

The Atlantic Policy Congress (APC) was federally incorporated in 1995 and is tasked with conducting policy research and advocacy for 38 Mi'kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy and Innu chiefs, nations and communities in Eastern Atlantic Canada. In 2012-2013, APC will continue to focus on reaching out to Aboriginal youth in Atlantic Canada through partnership with the Mi'kmaq Maliseet Atlantic Youth Council.

Project Lead: Canoe Lake
Location: Canoe Narrows, Saskatchewan

With 2012-2013 APIP funding, Canoe Lake First Nation in northern Saskatchewan will bring youth and elders together to address the intergenerational effects of the legacy of residential schools and its impacts on the community. Canoe Lake First Nation will participate in the Returning to Spirit workshop model to empower the community toward reconciliation.

Project Lead: Chief Robert Joseph and Associates
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia

Chief Robert Joseph and Associates (CRJ) is an Aboriginal-owned and operated educational firm based in North Vancouver, British Columbia specializing in building relationships that contribute to the renewal underway as Aboriginal communities collaborate with other Canadians to achieve reconciliation. CRJ will hold a series of Bright New Day workshops to motivate individuals and organizations to take ownership of their personal and collective responsibilities for reconciliation. Emphasis in 2012-2013 will be placed on intergenerational survivors, urban Aboriginal youth and non-Aboriginal participants.

Project Lead: Community Holistic Circle Healing Inc.
Location: Wanipigow, Manitoba

The Community Holistic Circle Healing Inc., of Hollow Water First Nation, provides holistic healing approaches to Aboriginal children and youth, based on principles of restorative justice and personal responsibility. In 2012-2013, they will partner with Returning to Spirit School Reconciliation Program to deliver a youth leadership project that is aimed to create leaders for the future, addressing intergenerational impacts of residential schools and empowering youth in a community-based process.

Project Lead: Dene Nation
Locations: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

The Dene Nation serves the 29 Dene Chiefs and Communities in Denendeh, Northwest Territories. Dene Nations' mandate is to advocate, inform, and coordinate on Dene issues. A series of community workshops will be held to promote healing and reconciliation, with a particular focus on reaching youth and intergenerational survivors, high-risk and difficult-to-reach segments of society (incarcerated, homeless, remote communities, etc.), health care and social service providers, and the general Canadian public.

Project Lead: Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations
Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Indian Residential School Program's vision is to provide information, education, support and access to information for former students of Indian Residential Schools (IRS) in Saskatchewan. In 2012-2013, FSIN will develop a communication plan to reach survivors, front-line workers, youth and intergenerational survivors on the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) and its components, and will also engage youth through a series of gatherings to create dialogue and promote reconciliation.

Project Lead: Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission
Location: Wendake, Quebec

Founded in 1994, the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission assists Quebec and Labrador First Nations and Inuit communities and organizations in defending, maintaining and exercising their inherent rights in the area of health and social services, and in developing and delivering these programs. In 2012-2013, FNQLHSSC will continue to serve as an information resource to survivors and also to promote healing and reconciliation with the unveiling of the museum exhibit "Territoires Etrangers" in remote communities in Quebec to educate Canadians, particularly Quebec youth, on residential schools history in Quebec.

Project Lead: Indian Residential Schools Survivor Society
Location: Vancouver, British Colombia

The Indian Residential Schools Survivor Society (IRSSS) was created in 1995 as a subcommittee of the First Nations Summit under the title Provincial Residential School Project and in 2001 was incorporated as a non-profit society, to fully serve all Indian Residential School (IRS) survivors in British Colombia. Funding will help IRSSS continue its mandate of providing information and healing workshops to IRS survivors, communities and the general public. IRSSS will focus particularly on youth, intergenerational survivors, and the general Canadian public to build an understanding of the impacts of Indian Residential Schools on Aboriginal Communities.

Project Lead: Inter Tribal Health Authority
Location: Nanaimo, British Columbia

The Inter Tribal Health Authority was established in 1996 and represents 14,000 people and 29 member Nations. In 2012-2013, they will deliver a series of programs for youth, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, that raise awareness about the legacy of Indian Residential School, particularly intergenerational impacts, and that promote healing and reconciliation, leading to an enhanced quality of life and well-being for its membership.

Project Lead: Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
Location: Inuvik, Northwest Territories

The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation was established by the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, also known as the Western Arctic Claim. In 2012-2013, APIP funding will augment the availability of clinical counselling services to youth and intergenerational survivors in the Inuvialuit region and will provide former IRS students in remote communities with access to estate and legal planning services.

Project Lead: Legacy of Hope
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

The Legacy of Hope is a national Aboriginal charitable organization whose purpose is to educate and create awareness and understanding about the legacy of Indian Residential Schools (IRS), including the effects and intergenerational impacts on First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, and to continue to support the ongoing healing process of IRS Survivors. In 2012-2013, the Legacy of Hope Foundation will build upon existing exhibits that contribute to reconciliation and reflect the unique and regional experiences of survivors and intergenerational survivors. Additionally, LHF will target youth and education by advancing a large-scale effort to implement curriculum on residential schools across Canada, giving survivors a voice in classrooms and connecting youth with intergenerational survivors. Expanding distribution of resources developed in the past by LHF and creating mobile applications will give educators the tools they need to raise awareness about the legacy of residential schools among youth and create dialogue on reconciliation.

Project Lead: Métis National Council
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

Since 1983, the Métis National Council has represented the Métis Nation nationally and internationally. The broad objectives of the Métis National Council with regard to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement are to engage in an information sharing process within the Métis community and with Métis survivors to contribute to the enhancement of benefits to eligible Métis recipients. In 2012-2013, MNC will continue to focus its efforts on intergenerational healing and reconciliation with a youth-led engagement strategy and outreach campaign that promotes healing and reconciliation and raises awareness of the distinct history of Métis in terms of experiences with residential schools.

Project Lead: My People International
Location: Evansburg, Alberta

My People International (MPI) is an Aboriginal, non-profit organization to develop the capacity of Canadian Aboriginal and other Indigenous peoples and their communities to foster and healthy lives, spiritually, physically and emotionally. Through the Osmosis – Reconnecting the Generations project in 2012-2013, MPI will promote and facilitate the intergenerational healing capacity of reconciliation between youth, elders, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, by bringing them together in a facilitated experience of exploration of the IRS story.

Project Lead: Native Counseling Services of Alberta
Location: Edmonton, Alberta

The Native Counseling Services of Alberta (NSCA) was established in 1970 and has grown into an agency focused on healing and harmony within the Aboriginal community. NSCA has been hosting the National Day of Healing and Reconciliation (NDHR) campaign since 2004. In 2012-2013, NCSA will build upon the campaign from previous years by expanding efforts toward reconciliation through education and outreach, with a particular focus on Aboriginal, non-Aboriginal and ethnic communities. Organizers of NDHR have moved the date to June 11th to coincide with the Anniversary of the Prime Minister's Apology.

Project Lead: Native Women's Association of Canada
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

Since 1974, the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) has worked with Aboriginal women and Aboriginal women's organizations increasing awareness of the differential impacts and unique realities of Aboriginal women and girls in Canada. In 2012-2013, NWAC will continue to strengthen healing and increase understanding of intergenerational impacts of residential schools with theatre and dialogue-based programs designed for Aboriginal girls at risk, by contributing to reconciliation education among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth through the development of leadership abilities in reconciliation, and by providing support to Aboriginal girls through education and healing initiatives.

Project Lead: Nishnawbe-Aski Nation
Location: James Bay, Ontario

Nishnawbe Aski Nation represents 49 First Nation communities within the territory of James Bay Treaty 9 and the Ontario portions of Treaty 5. The regional organization was formed in 1973 to represent the political, social and economic interests of the Aboriginal people of Northern Ontario. In 2012-2013, NAN will continue to provide resources and important information to NAN communities and residential school survivors as well as create and foster dialogue across the NAN territory, promoting healing and reconciliation among survivors, integenerational survivors and communities.

Project Lead: Nuyyumbalees Cultural Centre
Location: Cape Mudge, British Columbia

The Nuyyumbalees Society provides a platform for advocacy, public education, healing and reconciliation. With the passing of elders, traditional languages have been disappearing at alarming rates. Nuyyumbaleese Cultural Centre will undertake a comprehensive Kwak'wala/Liqwala language documentation and preservation project using various forms of media to aid in the preservation of these distinct languages. The goal of this project is to provide residential School survivors and their descendants with the necessary tools to learn their traditional language and cultural traditions and to be able to transfer this knowledge on to future generations.

Project Lead: Okanagan Nation Alliance
Location: Westbank, British Columbia

The Okanagan National Alliance (ONA) is the Tribal Council representing seven (7) member bands in British Columbia. Building upon outcomes achieved through Commemoration funding in 2011-2012, ONA will use APIP funding in 2012-2013 to promote healing and reconciliation by engaging elders and youth in gatherings and by developing educational tools that will create awareness and dialogue among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians.

Project Lead: Pauktuutit Inuit women of Canada
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

Pauktuutit is the national representative organization of Inuit women in Canada. In 2012-2013, Pauktuutit will use the organization's holistic approach to healing to address lingering impacts of residential schools on Inuit communities, with a particular focus on youth. The goal of the project is to create a positive shared experience between youth and adult and elder survivors of residential schools through creating a community story, by introducing healing and self-care to youth and adults, creating safe-places and making healing fun. This project will be conducted in partnership with BluePrintForLife's "Social Work Through HipHop".

Project Lead: Returning to Spirit
Location: Tatamagouche and Antigonish, NS

Returning to Spirit is a charitable organization that has been delivering an innovative, focused and transformational process of reconciliation in many parts of the country, drawing on Aboriginal teachings, values and traditions, as well as transformational principals that foster forgiveness and reconciliation. In 2012-2013, Tatamagouche Centre in Nova Scotia will host Returning to Spirit to deliver its workshops for Maritimers in Tatamagouche and Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and help take these communities beyond healing by providing conditions for transformation.