In 2019, the Women’s Centre’s Truth and Reconciliation committee hosted a Tea and Bannock at the Centre in honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day. This was a kick start to a successful year filled with plenty of opportunities for women to learn about Indigenous history and culture. The Aboriginal Friendship Centre facilitated culture awareness workshops that gave women a chance to make their own authentic Indigenous crafts while learning about the history of the Indigenous crafts and their importance. We were also very honoured to have had elders and knowledge keepers facilitate discussions and share invaluable knowledge with our community. We even attended events outside the Centre to experience first hand the beauty of Indigenous culture and also the history of the people of this land.
Some highlights of the year were;
- A trip to Tsuu T’ina Powwow last summer
- The staff and board continued their learning with a trip to Blackfoot Crossing
- Our first ever Awareness into Action series on gender-based violence against Indigenous women, a three-part series, which we wrapped up by making signs and attending the Sisters in Spirit Vigil in Calgary
The Women’s Centre developed Elder protocols and guidelines in order to engage with Elders and knowledge keepers respectfully, the Centre’s Girl’s Programs incorporated Indigenous ways of knowing into their curriculum and Indigenous issues were shared in our monthly social issues’ readings. A new Reconciliation training will be launched and added to the Women’s Centre training series. The training will give you a chance to learn about the history, the impacts of colonization on Indigenous women, what reconciliation looks like at the Centre and how to be an ally. Watch out for the launch of our Reconciliation workshop, date to be announced soon.
We are also very proud to announce we will be hosting a National Indigenous Peoples Day event online on June 19, 2020, we have invited very special guests for a discussion and performance. We hope everyone can join us for this momentous occasion.
(Photo taken during the Tea and Bannock event, 2019)