Content/Trigger Warning:
This post explores topics of systemic racism in philanthropy, including colonialism and anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. For culturally safe and accessible resources for Indigenous peoples, available 24 hours a day, please visit: First Nations Health Authority –Mental Health and Wellness. For culturally safe and trauma-informed support for Black peoples, visit Black Mental Health Canada.
--
Vancity Community Foundation operates on the lands of many Indigenous Nations. We bring our hearts and minds together and acknowledge the territories of these Nations. Our office, 312 Main, is located on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ílwətaʔ /Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
--
September 30th is Orange Shirt Day, a grassroots Indigenous-led movement that started in 2013 in response to a challenge posed by Murray Sinclair, the Chief Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, for survivors to keep the Reconciliation process alive. Orange Shirt Day drives awareness of the intergenerational impacts of Residential Schools on individuals, families and Indigenous communities for over a century.
September 30th also marks nine years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada formally published 94 calls to actions to advance Reconciliation. Call to Action #80 states: “We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Indigenous peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that the public commemoration of the history and legacy of Residential Schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process”. And, this is the fourth year since the Government of Canada officially made September 30th the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in 2021. Currently, four provinces and territories observe this day as a statutory holiday with pay for all workers. In parts of Canada where September 30th is not a holiday, employers decide whether to grant the day off.
Canadians are all at different stages of their personal learning journeys as they take steps towards systemic and societal change. This can include unlearning antiquated histories taught through settler and colonial lenses, learning the truth of harms and injustices in Canada (past and present) and making changes to systems and policies so they are more equitable for Indigenous people in Canada now and in the future. There is a long journey ahead for us to repair generations of colonialism, systemic harm and physical and cultural violence, and to address the ongoing racism and social injustice Indigenous people continue to face today.
Vancity Community Foundation is a settler-based Canadian philanthropic organization. Recognizing that we, like many other charitable organizations, are at the early stages of our change journey, we believe it’s important to be transparent about our actions and learnings and bring our community along on this journey with us. In that spirit, we invite other settlers and settler organizations to learn alongside us.
Our Continued Journey
Last year, Vancity Community Foundation (VCF) shared an article about the truths and injustices of the philanthropic sector and how settler-led philanthropy often overlooks Indigenous communities, with limited charitable giving towards Indigenous organizations.
We also shared how we had started our learning journey, and our ambition to “reimagine" what philanthropy could look like at our organization – a journey that was first seeded several years prior with VCF signing onto The Philanthropic Community’s Declaration of Action created by The Circle on Philanthropy.
As we build upon these first steps, we’d like to share some of the activities, deep learning and reoriented practices we have undertaken.
We have continued to learn and unlearn, and we acknowledge that everyone’s relationship, understanding and proximity to Truth and Reconciliation is unique based on their own lived experience as a Canadian living on the traditional territories and lands of the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island. We believe in the importance of establishing foundational knowledge and understanding so that we can foster greater intercultural sensitivity and humility and conduct our work and business with a good heart and mind. That is why we have invested time, resources and energy in creating deeper learning and experiential opportunities for staff members in community.
This year’s journey began in January when we launched our new strategic plan, Thriving Communities, formalizing our commitment to prioritizing HOW we do our work over WHAT we do, as well as affirming our commitments towards Truth and Reconciliation.
In February, staff participated in the MMIWG2S Women’s Memorial March, marching alongside the community in solidarity. 312 Main (our head office, and a project of VCF) opened its doors to offer space for volunteer training, in addition to donating chairs and tables for the event and storage space for banners and event materials. VCF also provided financial support to the organizers to help purchase blankets that were provided for the families during ceremony.
As Winter turned to Spring, we deepened our intercultural sensitivity and humility as we acknowledged and commemorated days of significance and provided education, resources and information to staff. In May, we honoured Red Dress Day. In June, we commemorated National Indigenous History Month and observed June 21st, National Indigenous People’s Day, as a statutory holiday to ensure staff members who are Indigenous had an opportunity to rest, restore and be in community.
This Summer, we hosted a series of townhalls for staff to engage with Truth and Reconciliation. Townhalls are a time for staff from across the organization to come together and partake in learning and bonding.
Our first Truth and Reconciliation-focused townhall was about discovery. We fostered a sense of understanding of where our internal team is at on our journey, shared foundational education and resources, then worked as a team to reflect on where we have opportunities to act.
Our next townhall deepened our mental and emotional awareness of Truth and Reconciliation, where we invited Knowledge Keeper Elder Shane Pointe of the Musqueam Nation to share his wisdom and lived experience with us. We learned about the impact of Residential Schools and the lasting intergenerational effects colonialism has had on people and the spaces and places we occupy in our daily work and lives.
At our latest townhall, we embraced the physical and spiritual/sacred aspects of Indigenous wisdom by immersing ourselves in cultural practices and on the land for our learning. This session took place on X̱wáýx̱way, a Squamish Nation village site now known colonially as Stanley Park, where we were nourished with a wonderful meal prepared with care by Mr. Bannock. Talaysay Tours lead our team on a walking tour, where they generously shared their deep knowledge about how Indigenous people have traditionally utilized the land and nature for food, medicine and technology and continue to nurture and care of the land today. It was an opportunity for our team to learn about the reciprocity between the land and Indigenous people – the land provides for the people, and people care for the land.
We would like to honour and give thanks to our colleague, Deborah Baker (Ancestral name K’ana) of the Squamish Nation, who opened each of our townhalls with a ceremonial welcome consisting of singing and drumming and territorial acknowledgements, in addition to generously sharing personal stories of her family and ancestors with the VCF team.
Throughout the seasons, staff have been actively participating in training, wisdom gathering/sharing and workshops around Truth and Reconciliation and themes of decolonization. For example, the Philanthropy team toured the Museum of Vancouver’s the c̓əsnaʔəm – The City Before the City tour to learn more about the traditional Musqueam territory. In addition, many staff members across the organization participated in The Circle on Philanthropy's Partners in Reciprocity program and the Restorative Philanthropy learning series offered by the Yellowhead Institute and Recast Philanthropy.
We also would like to give thanks to Len Pierre Consulting for their online training and webinars, which are available and accessible for free. Many of our staff members have attended their workshops and studied and benefitted from their resources, which offer insight from an Indigenous lens on topics such as Cultural Protocols, Professional Anti-Racism Tools, Indigenous Cultural Safety and Navigating Indigenous Tokenism and Saviorism and Appropriation.
Looking Forward
2024 has been a year of learning, new experiences and change for Vancity Community Foundation. As we acknowledge and honour Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation this year, we are grateful for all the wisdom and relationships that have been gifted to our organization so far. We are excited to continue to learn, grow and apply what we’re learning throughout our work as a Foundation into 2025 and beyond, and to share with our community along the way.
In a few days we will be sharing more information on how you can get involved and take action on September 30th.