This toolkit is designed to help staff move beyond simply checking a box and arm you with the principles and practices needed for relational, informed, and reciprocal communication. It’s a starting point to help you ask better questions and ensure your work affirms Indigenous sovereignty and honours specificity.

By using this toolkit, you will be able to:

• Take Ownership and Build Confidence: Gain the specific language recommendations, foundational principles, and reflection prompts needed to self-assess your work and lead communications efforts with humility and clarity. This reduces the need to constantly rely on the Indigenous Office for basic guidance.

• Lead with Relationship: Shift your focus from "What should we say?" to building sustained, accountable trust and understanding who you're speaking with before crafting a message.

• Be Specific, Not Generic: Identify and correct frequent pitfalls like pan-Indigenous generalizations, treating engagement as a one-time event, and using outdated or harmful terminology rooted in colonial violence.

• Avoid Common Missteps: Identify and correct frequent pitfalls like pan-Indigenous generalizations, treating engagement as a one-time event, and using outdated or harmful terminology rooted in colonial violence.

• Master Respectful Writing: Use the practical guidance, Do's and Don'ts, and real-world rewrite examples to avoid "saviour" language, centre community strengths, and always secure consent before sharing stories or teachings.

• Assess Your Work Critically: Utilize reflection prompts and activity exercises, like the "Editing Checklist" and "Message Mapping," to audit your communications for consent, compensation, and accountability before you publish or share.