Celebrating Indigenous Expertise in Sustainability

Hosted by Concordia University, this event brings together guest speakers to discuss and celebrate Indigenous expertise in environmental sustainability. Sub-events include “Decolonizing Climate Policy in so-called Canada”, “Co-developing knowledge with Indigenous communities to facilitate sustainable fisheries management”, and “Partners in Indigenous Conservation and Environmental Futures”.

MusiCounts – Kanata: Contemporary Indigenous Artists and their Music

MusiCounts is a Canadian music education charity started in 1997. It works from an  understanding that the success of the music industry strongly relies on the past generation of musicians, and that the next generations will be influenced by how (or if) music is taught in their schools. The Kanata Music program brings in supports for educators and help them bring Indigenous perspectives and music into their classrooms. All the materials are free to use and download, and can be utilized for in person, or online learning. The program also aligns with curricular requirements. 

Beyond 94 – Truth and Reconciliation In Canada

This website began in 2018, and is designed to allow all citizens and internet users to view each aspect of the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions 94 calls to action. It explains what the TRC is and why it was formed. It has an active list of each call that has been met, the calls with projects currently running, the calls with projects being proposed, and the calls that have not been started yet.

Good Fire Podcast

The Good Fire podcast is a show that began in 2019 to provide insight into the vast benefits of intentional practices by many First Nations around the world. This includes cultural burning, seasonal burns, and more, which rejuvenate the landscape by clearing out dead underbrush and delivering essential nutrients to the ecosystem. They discuss how Indigenous fire stewardship is critical to cultural empowerment of many nations, since it is a practice that brings together community, acknowledges cyclical events, and provides intense healing and release. Good Fire subverts Western notions of fire as destructive and “evil,” by recentering Indigenous knowledge and practices of fire as balancing.

Elephant Thoughts – The Indigenous Journey

Elephant thoughts is a charitable organization that was founded in 2002 with goals to effect change in education not only within Canada, but across the globe. They work within over 100 Indigenous school communities across Canada on a yearly basis. They have online e-learning portals for visitors to the website to access. The first option under their e-learning selections is titled The Indigenous Journey. “We believe everyone has a responsibility to expand Knowledge of Indigenous Education” (2021). They also understand that educators, new and old may encounter some difficulties with the changing curriculum in Canada and aim to address this issue with the Indigenous Journey modules and teachings.

First Nation Child & Family Caring Society – Spirit Bear’s Calls to Action

Author, Spirit Bear, published the booklet titled, Calls to Action, in 2020. This booklet is a “youth-friendly guide to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada 94 Calls to Action.” The booklet contains the “94 activities all governments, courts, businesses, schools, and people living in Canada can do to help fix the mistakes of the past and present so that all children – including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children – can grow up happy, healthy, safe, and proud of who they are.”

University of Alberta – Indigenous Canada

The University of Alberta is offering a free course titled Indigenous Canada under the faculty of Native Studies. This online course has 12 modules of study and approximately takes 21 hours to complete. The course is done through an Indigenous perspective addressing significant issues. Indigenous Canada has flexible due dates, a sharable certificate upon completion, and subtitles in 7 different languages. This course is recommended for beginners who want to start to their journey into learning Indigenous history, and contemporary Indigenous life. 

The Witness Blanket

The Witness Blanket was created by artist, Carey Newman Hayalthkin’geme, to bring educational awareness to residential schools. This art installation was designed out of reclaimed pieces from “residential schools, churches, government buildings and traditional and cultural structures including Friendship Centres, band offices, treatment centres and universities, from across Canada.”

Halifax Thunderbirds Inclusion and Empowerment Program

Announced in November 2020, the Inclusion and Empowerment Program is a collaborative initiative between the Halifax Thunderbirds professional lacrosse team, Black Lacrosse Alliance, Turtle Island Lacrosse, Indigenous Players Lacrosse Association, and Nova Scotia Sirens Female Lacrosse Program. This intersectional partnership is based in Mi’kmaq traditional territory, known as Nova Scotia. They have committed “to hosting a series of interactive community ‘Try Lacrosse’ programming and will join community members on monthly Zoom calls to discuss local matters, social issues, and most importantly: to listen” (2020).

York University’s Indigenous Environmental Justice Project: Aki-naagadendamowin Youth Outreach

The Aki-naagadendamowin Youth Outreach program offered through York University’s Indigenous Environmental Justice Project is an initiative which recruits Indigenous youth (either in high school or university) to engage in storytelling, events, and other outreach projects to present at local schools in the GTA. This program is broken down into three sections—Climate Change Futures, Listening to the Land, and Changing Your World—

Decolonization Toolkit

The Decolonization Toolkit was developed by the Victoria International Development Education Association with the Vancouver Foundation and other partner organizations. It includes a facilitator guide so the toolkit can be taught widely. This toolkit is a beginner guide of decolonizing, which includes many steps and questions surrounding reconciliation, positionality, relationships, and Indigenous knowledges. The toolkit is organized in six main categories:

Land and Treaties: Indigenous Orientation Toolkit for Newcomers to Canada

This lesson plan from The National Centre for Collaboration (Indigenous Education) is designed to educate newcomers to Canada of Indigenous histories and the country’s current relationship with Indigenous peoples. This one-day workshop was developed in Treaty 1 with Immigration Partnership Winnipeg and multiple partners, and has a lesson plan and facilitation guide allowing for different facilitators across Canada to deliver it.

University of Toronto Aboriginal Worldviews and Education Online Course

The University of Toronto has developed an Aboriginal Worldviews and Education online course offered through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC). This 14-hour course is intended for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals to learn about Indigenous knowledges, ways of knowing, and ways of being. As stated on the website, “Topics include historical, social, and political issues in Aboriginal education; terminology;

Queen’s University – Treaties Recognition Week

Treaties recognition week was introduced across Ontario in 2016, to help settlers recognize and understand the importance of Indigenous Treaties. Treaties teach us about the importance of our relationships and responsibilities to our ancestors and how to honour these Indigenous Treaties. Recognizing the importance of the many Treaties in Ontario, helps non-Indigenous people understand the need to honour these treaties and acknowledge the traditional territory they learn, work, and thrive on, daily.

How to Be an Ally to Indigenous Peoples

Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario created a webpage that expresses the importance of creating alliances with Indigenous peoples. This webpage was designed to express the privileges that white settlers have taken for granted in the past and in today’s society as well as helping to remove obstacles that continue to disturb the rights of Indigenous peoples. This online resource gives students and community members a good place to start when it comes to creating

Indigenous Days of Significance – Toronto District School Board

The Toronto District School Board provides educational resources on their website that are related to the importance of Indigenous education and historical events that continue to affect Indigenous peoples in Canada. Throughout the school year, the schoolboard promotes Indigenous education among all its schools to express the cultural importance of Indigenous peoples in Canada. On their webpage, the Board provides the public with significant days to honour Indigenous people in Canada including Orange Shirt Day (September 30),

Pine Tree Talks

The Pine Tree Talks are a series of lectures that are supported by the Wenjak School for Indigenous Studies at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. These lectures are held throughout the year and are available to University students and faculty as well as other community members. Within each lecture, scholars and community leaders are invited

The Path: Indigenous Cultural Competency

As a cultural competency and Indigenous awareness learning module, The Path is a paid educational tool created by NVision Insight Group Incorporated. Based out of Canada, the course is available for Canadian companies, government departments, not for profit organizations and individuals who want to learn more about Indigenous issues, history and reconciliation in Canada.

@Decolonial.Meme.Queens

Decolonial Meme Queens is a meme-based Instagram account. The account engages in the popular social media trend of memes; an image with text overlaying it, to create a narrative for the emotion/feeling that is displayed in the image, they are intended to be humorous. Decolonial Meme Queens produce easily accessible and digestible memes that relate to the topics of reconciliation,

Map of Ontario Treaties and Reserves

An interactive map and list of treaties and reserves as recognized by the Ontario Provincial government. You can click and zoom in on parts of Ontario to see what treaty covers a section of land. Users can scroll further down on the page for a summary of the treaty they have clicked on.

Indigenous Climate Action

Indigenous Climate Action (ICA) was founded in 2015 by Indigenous women from Alberta who sought to begin a dialogue about climate change and Indigenous rights. ICA is an Indigenous-led grassroots organization made up of a vast group of Indigenous knowledge keepers, water protectors, and land defenders. The organization models their work and structure on systems of free, prior

Orange Shirt Day

Orange Shirt Day is the legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School Commemoration Project and Reunion in 2013. Former student Phyllis (Jack) Webstad told her story of her first day at the residential school when her new orange shirt, bought by her grandmother, was taken from her by school staff. On September 30^th,

Visiting with Anishinaabe and Cree Knowledge Holders (Nipissing University Video Series)

In partnership with their Summer Indigenous Institute (a month-long culturally-based transition program designed for Indigenous students entering university) Nipissing University has created a 6-part video series that privileges the voices and teachings of local Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Holders. The series, which is accessible to all,

Indigenous Heritage Action Plan (Library and Archives Canada)

The Library and Archives Canada Indigenous Heritage Action plan was developed in 2019 in collaboration with an appointed Indigenous Advisory Council. The plan serves as a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission ‘Calls to Action’, and outlines 28 concrete steps that will be taken in the next five years; specifically, regarding the

Promising Practices in Indigenous Education: A Martin Family Initiative

The Promising Practices in Indigenous Education initiative was created by the Martin Family Initiative (MFI) in 2009 as a public virtual collection of curriculum resources “for policy makers, researchers, health professionals, community workers and funders, those who work directly and indirectly with Indigenous students” (Martin Family Initiative) in order to improve elementary and secondary education for Indigenous students.