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FEBRUARY 2012 - IN THIS ISSUENEWSPut Yourself in the Picture! Honouring the Children: Indigenous Children's Rights at the United Nations In Peace and Friendship: Indigenous Rights and Our Common Future Fundamental Justice Issues at Stake in Gateway Pipeline Debate Remembering Bishop Samuel Ruiz: Justice & Indigenous Rights in Mexico and Canada Congolese Elections: A Step Backwards
FEATURE RESOURCEHonouring the Children FEATURE PARTNERCindy Blackstock from First Nations Child and Family Caring Society
of Canada  Demonstrate your commitment to being Put yourself in the PictureDo truth, equity & reconciliation matter to you? Do you want to work for more equitable future for Indigenous peoples in Canada? Then wait no longer to participate in KAIROS's call to action and put yourself in the picture! Gather your friends, family, church community, or any other group of justice-minded folks with a big, bold sign that says "Truth, Reconciliation & Equity: They Matter to Us!" Then send it along to KAIROS for inclusion in our massive public witness campaign. All the instructions you need are here. There's even an easy to use online tool, so you can participate with just a few clicks of the mouse! You can see who has already participated and follow the campaign on Facebook and Flickr. 
The McNairnay and Superkoski families showing that Social Media
And that's not all! Since about half of all Canadians are on Facebook, KAIROS has created a cover image just for this campaign. This banner is the perfect size for the new Timeline cover images and is a great way to make a bold statement supporting work for truth, reconciliation & equity. Just click here to download the image!
Group ActivitiesWant to get your whole worship community, school, or group involved? KAIROS has activities for you! There is an entire Truth, Reconciliation & Equity workshop and ecumenical worship resource - right down to hymn suggestions and set-up instructions. You can download the resource here or email orders@kairoscanada.org to get your own snazzy print copies. Be sure to check out these refreshing ways to engage issues of Indigenous rights! Are you feeling dramatic? Great! We have a neat little skit prepared to bring this campaign to life in your community. You can download 'Truth, Reconciliation, Equity (and Google) - They Matter to US!' right here. It makes for a fun way to start a committee meeting, a great children or youth time activity for worship . . . it could even be your ticket to YouTube stardom if you're brave enough to film your efforts! For more information contact Julie Graham, Education and Program Campaign Coordinator, jgraham@kairoscanada.org Honouring the Children: Indigenous Children's Rights at the United Nations In October, KAIROS and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada submitted a shadow report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to assist the Committee's upcoming review of Canada's compliance to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child later this year. As part of this review, the Committee is holding pre-sessional hearings with members of civil society on February 6 in Geneva. KAIROS, the Caring Society, and the Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, are sponsoring six Indigenous youth ambassadors from Canada to participate in the pre-sessional meeting, and to speak directly to the committee members about their daily human rights challenges. One of these ambassadors is Helen Knott, a 24 year old woman from Fort St. John, British Columbia. Her participation in the Geneva events is directly supported by KAIROS. KAIROS and the Caring Society are also organizing an informal gathering while in Geneva to provide individuals and organizations in Geneva the opportunity to meet and get to know the youth better. To learn more about this event and meet the youth delegates, please click here. You'll want to keep up with Ed and Helen while they're in Geneva. They'll be sending us postcards and we'll be posting them here. Keep in touch! For more information, please contact Ed Bianchi, Indigenous Rights Program Coordinator, ebianchi@kairoscanada.org. In Peace and Friendship: Indigenous Rights and Our Common FutureFrom May 24 to May 27 This workshop focuses on community building, sharing experiences, and learning from local Indigenous organizations and initiatives as they relate to the work of human rights education and empowering Indigenous leadership. Visit the Naramata Centre website for more information and to register for this exciting and meaningful event! Remembering Bishop Samuel Ruiz: Justice and Indigenous Rights in Mexico and CanadaOn January 24, 2011 Bishop Samuel Ruiz of Chiapas, Mexico died at the age of 86. He had been bishop for 51 years, including 40 in Chiapas. With his death, the church lost a great leader; his ministry was a model for church leadership, for justice, and for Indigenous rights in Mexico and beyond. To honour his impact on ecumenical, social justice, and human rights communities in Canada, KAIROS collected testimonies and photos from people who have been inspired by his life. You can see them here.
One year later we are still remembering and commemorating. A public
event and liturgy is scheduled for February 29 in Toronto. Father
José Aviles, Vicar for Justice and Peace for the Diocese of San Cristobal
de las Casas, and Bishop Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Bishop
of the Anglican Church of Canada, will participate. Details are available
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FEATURE RESOURCE Honouring the Children
Honouring the Children is a Shadow Report to Canada's
3rd and 4th Periodic Report to the United Nations Committee on
the Rights of the Child. It is a joint effort of KAIROS and the
First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada. This
detailed report outlines the inequities faced by Indigenous children
in Canada and outlines a series of recommendations to correct
these injustices. FEATURE PARTNERCindy Blackstock & the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada
Cindy is the Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada and is a member of the Gitksan Nation. She is well regarded in her field, with over two decades of experience in the field of child and family services. She is committed to exploring and addressing the causes of disadvantage for Indigenous children and families by promoting equitable and culturally based interventions. In her capacity as Executive Director of the Caring Society, Cindy has worked with KAIROS on Indigenous rights. Her latest efforts included contributing to Honouring the Children, which was a joint submission of KAROS and the Caring Society to the United Nations. You can learn more about the Caring Society and their important work
at www.fncaringsociety.com.
Congolese Elections: A Step BackwardsWhile the African Union and neighbouring countries have accepted the results of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) recently held presidential and parliamentary elections, most national and international observers have said that the results were marred by substantial electoral irregularities and that the results lack credibility. KAIROS human rights partner in eastern DRC, Héritiers de la Justice, has joined with other civil society groups in asking that the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) transparently publish the results by voting stations and compilation centres in order to reassure the Congolese people. To read a KAIROS analysis of the Congolese elections, please click here. To learn more about the Democratic Republic of Congo, a KAIROS Country of Concern, please click here. For more information please contact Jim Davis, Africa Partnerships Program Coordinator, jdavis@kairoscanada.org. Fundamental Justice Issues at Stake in Gateway Pipeline DebateEnbridge's Northern Gateway project, comprising two pipelines from northern Alberta across Indigenous lands to Kitimate, BC poses fundamental questions of social and ecological justice. Construction of the pipeline potentially trangresses the rights of the Indigenous peoples who have since time immemorial inhabited the lands and waters it would cross. The government has a responsibility to recognize Indigenous peoples' rights to determine whether any pipeline can traverse their lands. Take a few moments and learn more about this crucial justice issue
and how it impacts some of Canada's most vulnerable lands and people.
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KAIROS Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives |
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at the Naramata Centre in British Columbia KAIROS staffer Sara Stratton,
along with Natalie Maxson from Naramata, are offering a three-day
program bringing together Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants
to learn more about human rights and what we can do to move the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples into action. 
