Donating to support reconciliation efforts is a concrete sign of your commitment to reconciliation. We are asking you to take another step. As a sign of your ongoing commitment to the work of reconciliation, please choose at least ONE action from the suggestions below (or another action of your own choosing) and indicate this commitment by completing the form. 

Not sure where to start? People will chooses different actions, depending on their talents, interests, and daily activities. It cannot be stressed enough that one of the most important things you can do and the best place to start is to learn! Go to Indigenous events, (online) talks, book launches, etc. and listen to the experiences and concerns of our Indigenous brothers and sisters.
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Without these ongoing commitments, there is a danger that our donations will be mere performative acts that allow us to absolve ourselves of our continuing responsibility. We need to commit to the work of reconciliation, and it truly makes a difference. See this "thank you" from Michael Champagne as one example of the impacts that can come from healing and reconciliation.

SEE WHAT OTHERS HAVE COMMITTED TO

Pledge your commitment

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Suggested Actions

Child Welfare (Calls to Action 1-5)

• Write your MLA or MPP to ask for child welfare policies to support families instead of breaking them up and to make it illegal for Indigenous children to be removed from their families for poverty reasons.
• Ask child care workers in your community do the Kairos Blanket Exercise and learn about the impacts of colonialism and Residential Schools on Indigenous peoples in Canada. 
• Read Jesse Thistle’s bestseller From the Ashes, which tells the story of the impacts of colonialism on his family and his childhood
• Read "Spirit Bear's Guide to Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action" from First Nations Child and Family Caring Society
• Call on your elected representatives to pass the Spirit Bear Plan to end inequalities in public services for First Nations kids and families
• Read the resources on intergenerational trauma and healing from the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative and the Palix Foundation
• Watch this video from the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative on brain development

Education (Calls to Action 6-12)

• Write your MLA and local school board to ask if they teach kids K-12 about Residential Schools and Canada’s colonial history, the treaties, and Indigenous culture.
• Participate in the Kairos Winds of Change Campaign asking for Indigenous content in K-12 curriculum
• Complete the "Finding Our Place in Reconciliation" exercise from the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society

Language and Culture (Calls to Action 13-17)

• Seek out Indigenous language classes taught by treaty partners in your area to learn Indigenous language.
• Discover Indigenous  writers and musicians who do work in their Indigenous language, such as Florent Valent, Kelly Fraser, Kashtin, M'Girl performing "Wichita Do Ya", and Josephine Bacon.
• Support local Indigenous creators, entrepreneurs, or businesses

Health (Calls to Action 18-24)

• Write letters to your MP asking for equal funding for First Nations
• Speak to doctors who work up North and people from Indigenous communities to find out what they think needs to change and then write to the  Ministry of Indigenous and Northern Affairs
• Become a Health Buddy who accompanies Indigenous people to the doctor to ensure that they have their questions answered satisfactorily and get proper care, or start a Health Buddies program in your area in collaboration with your local Indigenous community
• Read Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Indigenous Life by James DaschukP
• Participate in the Arctic Indigenous Youth suicide prevention initiative
• Support the We Matter Campaign for those contemplating suicide, and watch Helen Knott's message to Indigenous Youth

Justice (Calls to Action 25-42)

• Read the final report of the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls 
• Read In My Own Moccasins: A Memoir of Resilience by Helen Knott
• Ask your police force if they have done the Kairos Blanket Exercise
• Read Listening to Indigenous Voices, available through the Jesuit Forum 

The Government of Canada and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) (Calls to Action 43-44)

• Read the UNDRIP and familiarize yourself with Indigenous rights

Royal Proclamation and Covenant of Reconciliation (Calls to Action 45-47)

• Take a course on Indigenous legal traditions, like the University of Alberta's free course on Indigenous Concepts of Law through Coursera
• Go to Indigenous events, especially those organized by the chiefs of your territory that discuss treaty rights

Settlement Agreement Parties and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Calls to Action 48-49)

• Watch Reserve 107. This film documents how, in the Treaty 6 settlement of 1876, the Government of Canada assigned a 30-square-mile piece of land near Laird to the Young Chippewayan Indians. Three years later, the government reassigned the land to incoming Mennonite and German Lutheran settlers.
• Read Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery

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Equity for Aboriginal People in the Legal System ​(Calls to Action 50-52)

• Read up on Indigenous land title and consent or UNDRIP 
• Consult the First Peoples Law website to make sure you are following proper procedure for any projects you are proposing to Indigenous communities

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National Council for Reconciliation ​(Calls to Action 53-56)

• Write your MP to find out what is happening with the National Council for Reconciliation

Professional Development and Training for Public Servants (Call to Action 57)

• Read An Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King
•  ​Read The Colonizer and the Colonized by Albert Memmi 
• If you provide public services (social services, law enforcement, health services, child welfare, etc.) ask to do the Kairos Blanket Exercise with fellow employees in your department
• Ask public services (municipal, provincial, and federal) what training they are doing and whether they have done the Kairos Blanket Exercise. If they haven’t, suggest they do so.
•  Ask your department to bring in speakers to speak about stereotypes, racism, and colonial policies
• Invite colleagues to attend Indigenous events with you

Church Apologies and Reconciliation ​​(Calls to Action 58-61)

• Write your bishop and the Papal Nuncio/Pope and let him know that you support the Pope to coming to Canada to apologize
• Organize a Kairos Blanket Exercise for your parish
• Plant a heart garden. Read Kairo's Heart Garden for inspiration. 
• Invite Indigenous speakers from your community to come to your parish or organization (e.g., Catholic Women's League, Knights of Columbus) to talk about Residential Schools, treaties, current topics, or campaigns that they would like support from the community. Inquire with with speakers about payment and/or thank you protocols.
• Host a letter-writing campaign. Invite everyone to pop into the hall to take 10 to15 minutes after Mass to write a letter for a cause that the Indigenous community needs support with (e.g., changing laws to reduce the number of Indigenous children in child welfare, opposing laws/ bills that would put Indigenous people at a disadvantage, supporting equal funding for education).
• Sister with an Indigenous parish in your diocese and invite them for supper or lunch at your parish.
• Invite some of your treaty partners for lunch or dinner at your parish 
• Invite your congregation to attend Indigenous events such as talks, marches, and powwows
• Have a Kairos Winds of Change campaign asking the government and school boards to make age appropriate curriculum on Residential Schools, treaties, and Indigenous peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada
• Support Indigenous organizations that promote Indigenous languages, culture, relationship building, spirituality, self-determination, Reconciliation, and programs that promote educational success and nurture traditional culture developed by Indigenous parents and community members​
• Put up orange ribbons for the children found in unmarked graves of Residential Schools.
• Read up on how to respond if you see an Indigenous person being treated racistly
• Learn about colonization and how you can decolonize yourself, and consider organizing a workshop in your parish

Education for Reconciliation ​​(Calls to Action 62-65)

• Do the Kairos Blanket Exercise 
• Contact Indigenous educators and learning circles to find out what resources they have to offer
• Attend an Indigenous educators conference, such as the Full Circle for Indigenous Education Winnipeg annual conference​

Youth Programs ​​(Call to Action 66)

• Volunteer with an organization working with Indigenous youth​
• If you coach a youth sports team, host a get together or use the beginning of a practice to have a discussion on a topic involving reconciliation

Museums and Archives ​​(Calls to Action 67-70)​

• Locate a museum or archive near you that contains material pertaining to the Indigenous Peoples in Canada and plan a visit
• Encourage your local museum/archives to comply with the UNDRIP and UN Joinet-Orentlicher Principles
• Indigenize your museum or archives with input from Indigenous peoples so as to include everyone's history
• Plant a healing garden at your local museum
• Check out what the Musée Heritage in St. Albert, Alberta is doing

Missing Children and Burial Information ​​(Calls to Action 71-76)

• If you live near a Residential School site, ask how you can help
• It is important to find the names of students who attended the schools and records of their attendance. Offer to look for school records, such as in the Walter Rudnicki Fonds at the University of Manitoba.​​

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation ​​(Calls to Action 77-78)

• Visit the NCTR website and familiarize yourself with the information it contains ​
• Arrange a digital or material exhibit for your place of work, parish, or movement
• Create a program for Truth and Reconciliation Week in your workplace, parish or movement

Commemoration ​​(Calls to Action 79-83)

• Ask your local MLA or MPP, city/town council, parish or other regional body to consider installing a commemorative monument to victims of residential schools. If possible, ask an Indigenous artisan to create it or design it.​
• Create a prayer space within your parish that is dedicated to praying for healing and reconciliation
• Consider marking National Truth and Reconciliation Week by travelling to a monument or commemorative spot near you for a prayer service or sharing circle, or attend Indigenous events near you that commemorate the lives lost through Residential Schools or colonization 

Media and Reconciliation ​​(Calls to Action 84-86)

• Challenge yourself to watch primarily Indigenous media for a month​, such as programming through APTN
• Go through and read CBC Indigenous news or watch CBC Indigenous programming

Sports and Reconciliation ​​(Calls to Action 87-91)

• Donate sports equipment to an Indigenous community or school (after consulting them on their needs)
• Go to Indigenous sporting events​

Business and Reconciliation ​​(Call to Action 87-92)

• Read Shaun Loney’s An Army of Problem Solvers
• Encourage your workplace to study the UNDRIP together and use this document as a framework
• Include Indigenous project and business partners in your general practice
• Discuss partnerships or awareness events between your local business association and local treaty partners or Indigenous businesses/communities​​
• Consider supporting local Indigenous businesses in your purchasing

Newcomers to Canada ​​(Calls to Action 93-94)

• Even if you are not a newcomer, read through the Manitoba newcomer guide and identify an area you need to learn more about​