Indigenous Rights
“We’re definitely not the best nation in the world,” school children learn about colonialism
December 5, 2018
“Getting to the truth was hard, but getting to reconciliation will be harder. It requires that the paternalistic and racist foundations of the residential school system be rejected as the basis for an ongoing relationship. “Reconciliation requires that a new…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
The KAIROS Blanket Exercise in Ireland
December 3, 2018
A KAIROS Blanket Exercise (KBE) team travelled to Ireland in November to facilitate the exercise for Trócaire, a development and emergency relief agency that works “to support the most vulnerable people in the developing world, while also raising awareness of…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Ecumenical Community writes PM regarding recent Supreme Court decision
November 21, 2018
On November 5, in response to the Mikisew Cree First Nation v. Canada Supreme Court of Canada decision, KAIROS Canada and Mennonite Church Canada (MCC) wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to ensure that Indigenous Peoples are fully involved…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Winds of Change: Education for Reconciliation update in BC
November 7, 2018
On October 30, 2018 a delegation consisting of Janet Gray (BC-Yukon KAIROS Regional Representative) Susan Draper (KAIROS Victoria), Rev. Laura Kavanagh (KAIROS national steering committee member), Ruth D’Hollander (Aboriginal Neighbours), and Indigenous leaders and educators, Nella and Alex Nelson, met…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Ontario mustn’t backslide on education about Indigenous issues
October 29, 2018
It was déjà vû. When the Ontario government cancelled curriculum-writing sessions this summer on truth and reconciliation, I was immediately taken back to 1998 when I was part of a team writing curriculum for the Ontario Ministry of Education. At…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
NEW VIDEO: Launch of updated Education for Reconciliation Report Card
October 10, 2018
Photo: Ellen Wood, Jennifer Henry, Alison Cox, Shannon Perez, Cheryl McNamara, Susie McPherson and Ed Bianchi. The E4R Report Card was released on October 9th, 2018 at a press conference at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg….
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
MEDIA RELEASE: Encouraging progress on TRC Call to Action 62.i: Education for Reconciliation
October 9, 2018
(Ottawa, ON) – The majority of provinces and territories are making progress towards implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) Call to Action 62.i – also known as Education for Reconciliation, according to KAIROS Canada in its updated…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Media Releases
At University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, leaders take part in KAIROS Blanket Exercise that teaches Indigenous history and trauma
September 27, 2018
Photo by Liam Mitchell: Department chairs and senior leaders in the Faculty of Medicine participate in the KAIROS Blanket Exercise. Dr. Lisa Richardson, co-lead of Indigenous Medical Education in the MD Program, says that the KAIROS Blanket Exercise is…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Spirited Reflection: Orange Shirt Day
September 18, 2018
Orange Shirt Day is on Sunday, September 30. The day is inspired by Phyllis Jack Webstad’s experience. On her first day at residential school in 1973, Phyllis was stripped of her new orange shirt, a shirt that had brought her…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Spirited Reflections
Urge Senators to support the UN Declaration Act
September 18, 2018
Join KAIROS in urging all Senators to vote in favour of Bill C-262, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. KAIROS is part of a Coalition of Faith Based Organizations* that is focused on ensuring that the…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, UNDRIP Blog Updates
Federal Court of Appeal overturns approvals for Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project
September 14, 2018
September 5, 2018 “I’m glad today the courts heard the teachings of our culture and our spirit…” Chief Rueben George, Tsleil-Waututh First Nation KAIROS Canada recognizes the importance of the August 30 Federal Court of Appeal decision to overturn…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Indigenous Rights
800 students learn to “combat racism and ignorance” through the KAIROS Blanket Exercise
August 17, 2018
The blankets represent land in Canada and the participants are the Indigenous people or European settlers Photo: Students were placed into groups and were asked to pick and sit on a blanket of their choice. The blankets represent land in Canada,…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
KAIROS Signs-on to letter in response to killing of Guatemalan land and life defender Ángel Estuardo Quevedo
August 8, 2018
In response to the killing of human rights defender Ángel Estuardo Quevedo on July 12, 2018 in the municipality of Santa Rosa de Lima, Guatemala, KAIROS has joined over 60 civil society organizations from across Canada and the United States…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
Witness to Injustice: The KAIROS Blanket Exercise
August 8, 2018
Photo: This painting features an Onondaga Gustoweh (headgear) by Onondaga artist Josephine M. Cook for the Two Row Wampum Renewal Campaign. Posters can be purchased online. This article was written by Kaluhyanu:wes and Michelle Schenandoah and originally published in Onoñda’geh…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships: Building relationships of solidarity
July 25, 2018
Guests of the Festival of Faith were invited to participate in a workshop presented by Alfredo Barahona and Dawn Maracle that shared experiences with the KAIROS Blanket Exercise and the KAIROS project, Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships for a Just and Inclusive Community. While…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Why this blanket exercise is now essential training for RCMP cadets
June 26, 2018
The exercise synthesizes 500 years of colonization under the observation of a local Indigenous elder. This past winter, the RCMP introduced a new educational tool at its Regina training academy: the KAIROS blanket exercise. Developed by its namesake ecumenical advocacy organization,…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Blanket exercise coordinator educates non-Indigenous people about shared history of Canada
June 22, 2018
Susan Beaudin knows about the power of a blanket. The educator from Cowessess First Nation is a residential school survivor. She is also the Kairos Blanket Exercise Coordinator for Saskatchewan. In her role, she travels to different communities, institutions, and…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
New Video: Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships for a Just and Inclusive Canada
June 21, 2018
Indigenous and newcomer communities came together in five Canadian cities for delicious feasts, cultural exchanges, and dialogue from October 2017 to March 2018. As part of KAIROS’ Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships for a Just and Inclusive Canada project, refugees, immigrants…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice, Video Playlists & Photo Albums
The KAIROS Blanket Exercise goes to Alaska
June 21, 2018
Interest in the KAIROS Blanket Exercise (KBE) is growing beyond Canada’s borders In late May I traveled to Anchorage, Alaska with Lillian Underwood, an Indigenous KBE trainer and facilitator based in B.C., and my colleague, KBE Coordinator Sara Anderson, for…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Coalition welcomes House of Commons commitment to implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
May 31, 2018
The Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples – made up of Indigenous Nations, Indigenous peoples’ organizations, civil society groups and individual experts and advocates – is commending Members of Parliament on the adoption of Bill C-262, a private…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Bill C-262 provides principled framework for implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
May 29, 2018
Open Letter to All Members of Parliament Our nations and organizations are urging all Members of Parliament to support Bill C-262 in a non-partisan manner when it comes to a vote at third reading. The government of Stephen Harper endorsed…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, UNDRIP Blog Updates
KAIROS joins Burnaby Mountain Trans Mountain pipeline protest, April 28
April 25, 2018
KAIROS Executive Director Jennifer Henry to stand in solidarity with members of T’sleil-Waututh, faith leaders and people of faith (Toronto, ON) – KAIROS Canada’s Executive Director, Jennifer Henry, will join members of Tsleil Waututh, faith leaders and other people of…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Indigenous Rights, Media Releases, UNDRIP Blog Updates
KAIROS Statement: Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project
April 25, 2018
KAIROS is honoured to have been invited by members of Tsleil-Waututh to stand with them and alongside other faith leaders and people of faith in defence of the lands, waters, and climate we all share. The faith action planned for…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Indigenous Rights
Letter to the Editor: First Nations need to be at Trans Mountain negotiating table, says Lorimer
April 23, 2018
Re: “Prime Minister Trudeau’s decision to interrupt his foreign trip to help resolve Trans Mountain pipeline expansion issue a step in the right direction,” (The Hill Times, April 16). While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may have been right to interrupt his trip to bring B.C. Premier John…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Indigenous Rights
Indigenous & Newcomer Friendships wrapped up in Thunder Bay
April 5, 2018
The final of five Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships events was held on March 22 in Thunder Bay, on the traditional territory of the Fort William First Nation. Entitled Moving Forward Together, it attracted more than 200 people to Dennis Franklin…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Reflecting on the KAIROS Blanket Exercise
March 14, 2018
The KAIROS Blanket Exercise (KBE) is a tool developed in 1997 by KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives in which participants learn about European colonization of Turtle Island (North America), the accompanying dispossession of Indigenous peoples (reflected by the steady removal…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
MEDIA ADVISORY: Edmonton Indigenous and newcomer communities gather for reconciliation, March 10
March 1, 2018
Edmonton event is one of five KAIROS’ Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships events in four cities and provinces (Edmonton, AB) – KAIROS Canada, in partnership with local organizations, presents Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships for a Just and Inclusive Community in Edmonton…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Media Releases
Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships – for a just and inclusive community
February 28, 2018
KAIROS and its partners invite Indigenous peoples and newcomers in Canada to join in a series of reconciliation events running until March 2018 entitled, Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships for a just and inclusive community. KAIROS believes Canada’s future can be…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice
