All of our employees have attended Indigenous Training provided by the Government of Alberta. Many of us didn’t have the exposure in school so it really helped educate us. We have had speakers come in as a part of our equality, diversity and inclusion training. Orange Shirt Day is in office. We do not receive the day off (or in-lieu) as we are provincially regulated which has upset some employees.
A couple of years ago, we invited Hunter Cardinal from Naheyawin to share more about Indigenous Culture with our team members. Hunter is an great speaker (his title at Naheyawin is Director of Story) and he created an engaging one-hour session live on-line for our group. We received very positive feedback on the initiative and the plan was to continue the relationship with the organization and build on the education received that day. Sadly, I departed the organization before we were able to gain traction and I am not sure if the organization moved forward after I left.
That sounds incredible. I think it is so important to personalize it so everyone can have a better understanding and appreciation. That is a good way to foster positive change. Hopefully they have kept up with the momentum.
I’m fortunate that I work in an Indigenous organization–my education is daily & ongoing, from many sources. As a company we recognize Truth & Reconciliation day with discussions, sharing, luncheons & of course our Orange Shirt day. We are given the day off in recognition & remembrance, even tho it’s not mandated by our province.
I am sure it is very valuable to be able to have that level of exposure and education. I can imagine that it makes participation in Truth & Reconciliation day, and beyond that, even more personal.
We are lucky enough to have the day off to honor Truth and Reconciliation Day but since we are a school board we also benefit from all the speakers that come in to talk to the children. There are many events that we can participate in and a lot of emails going out to staff to increase awareness. We have Orange Shirt Day as well.
