National Indigenous History Month

Sunbeam Community and Developmental Services is committed to taking specific action related to the Calls to Action identified in Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.  As an organization and as individuals we have a responsibility to enthusiastically and actively engage in the work of reconciliation, and Sunbeam has identified opportunities in the areas of:

• Training
• Perspective
• Cultural Competence
• Access & Choice and
• Skills Based Training

Wherein our work in the community and developmental services sector can contribute to positive forward motion.  You can see all the details here.

We are happy to dig into this work, and encourage every individual who calls Canada home to do the same!  It can certainly feel a little overwhelming to get started down this path, but we’re here to help!  Here are 6 great resources to help you begin your own work toward reconciliation:

If you are a student at heart, the University of Alberta’s course on Indigenous Canada is a great source of in depth information!  More details and enrollment can be found here.

If TV and Film are your favourite ways to learn, carve out some time to watch The Meaning of Empathy (approx 2 hr watch time) or Reservation Dogs (30 min episodes)

More of a reader?  Don’t worry, there are lots of options for you too!  Check out the work of Helen Knott, Harold R Johnson, Lee Maracle, David A Robertson, Tanya Talaga, Jesse Thistle, and Richard Wagamese.

And finally, for those auditory learners, two great podcasts to check out are “ Telling Our Twisted Stories” and “Finding Cleo”

We can no longer simply acknowledge the pain inflicted on Canada’s first people – it is up to all of us to learn, love, and move forward together.