On May 8, 2019 we wrapped up our 2019 season with an thought-provoking and educational presentation from our guest speaker – Miranda Jimmy, Co-Founder of Reconciliation in Solidarity Edmonton (RISE) on the impact of residential schools on survivors, the mandate of TRC and the subsequent 94 Calls to Action, and the need to keep the conversation alive and on the minds of all Canadians and the Federal Government.

She shared many stories and quotes from residential school survivors regarding their experience and had participants read their quotes within their groups. The room was silent and the emotion palpable. By engaging us in the experience and with the words of the survivors, we were encouraged to no longer sit silent, to bear witness and carry the story – to watch, listen, show and respect those stories of experience.

We were then encouraged to write three things we would do to bear witness or to change in our practice and acknowledgment of reconciliation which she would take and mail back to us in three months to track participants progress.

Key Takeaways

• • The last residential school operated by the Canadian government, Gordon Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan, was closed in 1996.

  • The impact of residential schools doesn’t end with the closure of schools, it is felt through generations and only together can we heal, recover and rebuild

  • The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formed in 2008 with a mandate to create a historical account of residential schools, help people to heal, and encourage reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians.

  • The Commission conducted hundreds of interviews and events throughout Canada to document the impact and legacy of the residential school system

  • A report was produced in 2015 containing 94 Calls to Action were made, including:

    1. 1. • Overrepresentation of Indigenous children in government care.

          • High rates of violence in Indigenous households.

          • National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

Resources:

• http://risedmonton.ca/learn-more/

• https://www.thestar.com/edmonton/2019/03/30/five-years-after-the-truth-and-reconciliation-commissions-last-event-in-edmonton-what-have-we-accomplished.html

• http://trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf

Happy New Year! EBDN kicked off the start of 2019 with an in-depth panel discussion on the experiences of indigenous people in the workplace.

Many thanks to our panel members for taking the time to share their story with us and provide a meaningful dialogue with those in attendance. The conversation could have continued for much longer!

The panel included:

• Shelly Anderson: Partner – In Synch Consulting

• Terry Coye’s: Owner – Coye’s & Associates

• Francesca Kiyawasew: Recruitment Outreach & Programs Consultant: Indigenous Peoples, City of Edmonton

• Karen MacKenzie: Owner – MacKintosh Canada Inc.

Each panelist shared stories of their personal experiences within the work place and discussed how we can all make a difference in creating an inclusive environment.

Some key highlights pulled from the morning’s discussion include:

• Think differently about how we’re attracting, recruiting, and retaining people.

  • A story was shared about the new Edmonton Police Chief, Dale McFee, a Metis, and the work he had done in Prince Albert, where in the same role he grew the number of Indigenous officers to 38%.

• Be open and interested and acknowledge cultural differences

• Be flexible and prepared to meet people where they’re at

  • Shelly spoke to the importance of creating circumstances that generate a place where people want to work. She shared the story of Naoka Incorporated, an Indigenous owned company located in Sherwood Park where she employs a number of people who you may not typically see in a traditional workspace, but she has worked with her employees to find an arrangement that is both flexible and meaningful for all parties which has resulted in a very productive and inclusive environment

• Let go of your preconceived notions and perceptions

We look forward to continuing this discussion at a future session and more immediately online. Do you have questions, thoughts, ideas on this topic? If so take it to our Linkedin page (https://www.linkedin.com/company/ebdn/) and let’s take the discussion further.

If you are not yet a member, please review our Membership page and submit a request to join . A member of our team will be in touch.

EBDN looks forward to bringing you meaningful, engaging and thought provoking content throughout the remainder of the year.

Our next session is scheduled for March 13, 2019 on the topic of Microagressions with Farah Merali at the Stantec Tower. Stay tuned for more information in the month to come. If you are not on our distribution list, please email us at EBDiversityn@gmail.com

We started the 2018/2019 EBDN year with our annual “Looking Back and Moving Forward” event. During this session, we reviewed the past year, outlined our plans for this years’ events and provided those in attendance with the opportunity to share their thoughts about what EBDN means to them. Words shared included:

Game changer Growth Tremendous Intriguing Lucky Supportive Unlonely Community Comfortably uncomfortable Learning & sharing Refreshing Energizing Safe Tribe

We are pleased and proud to support our community in this way.

Your feedback matters. Thank you to everyone who participated in our annual member survey – we had our best response rate ever! The information gathered from this survey provides the EBDN Board with valuable insight and guidance on the topics that are important to you, our members. The feedback you share is used to determine our event topics for the year.

• Managing Diverse Teams

• Intercultural Competencies

• Difficult Conversations

• Microagressions

• Indigenous Awareness in the Workforce

As the EBDN board shared last year, we are committed to providing a session on Indigenous topics each year in support of the TRC.

The full calendar of events, covering the bi-monthly topics as well as the Conversation Cafe dates and locations can be found here.

Special Presentation – Managing Diverse Teams – presented by presented by Erin Waugh, Lead Diversity & Inclusion Consultant at NorQuest College.

Erin provided us with a new perspective on managing diverse teams; challenging us to think about how superhero teams, such as the “X-People”, Avengers and Fantastic Four” manage diversity. These teams are often comprised of unique individuals where everyone’s strengths are known, acknowledged and appreciated and utilized to achieve a common goal or outcome for the betterment of society (or a team). Raising the question – should we focus on managing diversity, rather than managing diverse teams?

If we were to ask – what would your superpower be?

Erin also brought forth the concept of a Do-ocracy versus Democracy, and how these teams move forward to their common goal by doing, not by discussing how to do it.

Thank you to the City of Edmonton for hosting, TD Bank for sponsoring breakfast and NorQuest College for sharing Erin’s time and experience with our group.

Details on our next session scheduled for November 6, in collaboration with ERIEC, can be found here.