2011-2012 Advocacy and public information projects

Project Lead: Assembly of First Nations
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is a national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada. The AFN is proposing an advocacy and communications strategy to ensure the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA), the Independent Assessment Process as well as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Commemoration are understood and accessible to all eligible former Indian Residential School students and their families. One area of focus will be on engaging youth and survivors through social media to discuss reconciliation and the IRSSA.

Project Lead: Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

The primary objective of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) Residential Schools Unit is to properly inform Manitoba First Nation of initiatives, programs, services and/or benefits resulting from the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement regardless of where they reside within the province of Manitoba. In 2011-2012, AMC will engage youth and Elders, public sector organizations and institutions in dialogue on the legacy of residential schools and in implementing recommendations from the Hidden Legacy Conference, held in February 2011. Educational resources will also be developed for professionals working in schools, public safety organizations and other front line services.

Project Lead: The Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat
Location: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

The Atlantic Policy Congress (APC), was federally incorporated in 1995 and is tasked with conducting policy research and advocacy for 38 Mi'kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy and Innu chiefs, nations and communities in Eastern Atlantic Canada. APC will focus on reaching out to Aboriginal youth in Atlantic Canada through partnership with the Mi'kmaq Maliseet Atlantic Youth Council.

Project Lead: Coqualeetza Cultural Education Centre Association
Location: Chilliwack, British Columbia

Coqualeetza Cultural Education Centre Association (CCECA) was incorporated in 1973 as a non-profit charitable organization and recognized as a successful Aboriginal cultural centre in British Columbia. CCECA will tour local communities impacted by residential schools and work with district school boards to engage Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth in healing and reconciliation.

Project Lead: Dene Nation
Locations: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

The Dene Nation serves the 29 Dene Chiefs and Communities in Denendeh, Northwest Territories. Dene Nations' mandate is to advocate, inform, and coordinate on Dene issues. A series of community workshops will be held to promote healing and reconciliation, with a particular focus on reaching youth and intergenerational survivors, high-risk and difficult-to-reach segments of society (incarcerated, homeless, remote communities, etc.), health care and social service providers, and the general Canadian public.

Project Lead: Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations
Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Indian Residential School Program's vision is to provide information, education, support and access to information for former students of Indian Residential Schools (IRS) in Saskatchewan. In 2011-2012, FSIN will develop a communication plan to reach survivors, front-line workers, youth and intergenerational survivors on the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) and its components, and will also engage youth through a conference to promote reconciliation.

Project Lead: Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission
Location: Wendake, Quebec

Founded in 1994, the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission assists Quebec and Labrador First Nations and Inuit communities and organizations in defending, maintaining and exercising their inherent rights in the area of health and social services, and in developing and delivering these programs. In 2011-2012, FNQLHSSC will travel with the museum exhibit "Territoires Etrangers" to numerous venues across Canada to educate Canadians on residential schools history in Quebec.

Project Lead: Gathering Nations International
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

Gathering Nations International is a First Nations founded and run non-profit corporation with the purpose of bringing reconciliation, healing and unity in people, nations, churches, and governments. Building upon the "Journey of Freedom" and "National Forgiven Summit" from 2010, GNI will promote the healing power of forgiveness and strengthen individuals and communities through a focused youth investment by creating a forum for and building relationships with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth from Ontario and Quebec.

Project Lead: Indian Residential Schools Survivor Society
Location: Vancouver, British Colombia

The Indian Residential Schools Survivor Society (IRSSS) was created in 1995 as a subcommittee of the First Nations Summit under the title Provincial Residential School Project and in 2001 was incorporated as a non-profit society, to fully serve all Indian Residential School (IRS) survivors in British Colombia. Funding will help IRSSS continue its mandate of providing information and healing workshops to IRS survivors, communities and the general public. IRSSS will focus particularly on youth, intergenerational survivors, and the general Canadian public to build an understanding of the impacts of Indian Residential Schools on Aboriginal Communities.

Project Lead: Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
Location: Inuvik, Northwest Territories

The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation was established by the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, also known as the Western Arctic Claim. Funding will help reach Inuvialuit former Indian Residential School students who may require assistance with the Independent Assessment Process (IAP), and to provide supports to Inuvialuit former students to allow them to participate in the IAP knowledgeably and safely; provide former IRS students in remote communities with access to estate and legal planning services; and promote healing and reconciliation through the activities of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Project Lead: Legacy of Hope
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

The Legacy of Hope is a national Aboriginal charitable organization whose purpose is to educate and create awareness and understanding about the legacy of Indian Residential Schools (IRS), including the effects and intergenerational impacts on First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, and to continue to support the ongoing healing process of IRS Survivors. In 2011-2012, the Legacy of Hope Foundation will build upon existing exhibits that contribute to reconciliation and which reflect the experiences of survivors and intergenerational survivors. Additionally, LHF will target youth and education by mounting a large-scale effort to implement curriculum on residential schools across Canada, giving survivors a voice in classrooms and connecting youth with intergenerational survivors. Expanding distribution of resources developed in the past by LHF will give educators the tools they need to raise awareness about the legacy of residential schools among youth and create dialogue on reconciliation.

Project Lead: Métis National Council
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

Since 1983, the Métis National Council has represented the Métis Nation nationally and internationally. The broad objectives of the Métis National Council with regard to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement are to engage in an information sharing process within the Métis community and with Métis survivors to contribute to the enhancement of benefits to eligible Métis recipients. This year, MNC will focus its efforts on intergenerational healing and reconciliation with a youth-led engagement strategy and outreach campaign that promotes healing and reconciliation and raises awareness of the distinct history of Métis in terms of experiences with residential schools.

Project Lead: Montana First Nation
Location: Hobbema, Alberta

Montana First Nation is one of the four (4) Hobbema Nations in Central Alberta. In its first year as an APIP partner,  Montana First Nation proposes to contribute to healing and reconciliation by establishing a youth forum for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth to learn about and share knowledge of the Indian Residential School legacy. Partnering with Elders and historians, the youth will gain knowledge about residential schools and their impacts on Aboriginal communities.

Project Lead: Mushkegowuk Council
Location:  Mushkegowuk Territory, Ontario

Since 1984, the Mushkegowuk Council has provided political leadership for the unified interests and concerns of the seven First Nations in Mushkegowuk Territory as well as for the provision of guidance and assistance in the development of communities. Funding in 2011-2012 will be applied to address the impacts of the legacy of residential schools in the region.  Mushkegowuk Council will engage high school aged youth through workshops on intergenerational impacts of residential schools to promote healing and for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth to promote reconciliation.

Project Lead: Native Counseling Services of Alberta
Locations: Edmonton, Alberta

The Native Counseling Services of Alberta (NSCA) was established in 1970 and has grown into an agency focused on healing and harmony within the Aboriginal community. NSCA has been hosting the National Day of Healing and Reconciliation (NDHR) campaign since 2004. In 2011-2012, NCSA will build upon the campaign from previous years by expanding efforts toward reconciliation through education and outreach, with a particular focus on Aboriginal, non-Aboriginal and ethnic communities. Organizers of NDHR have moved the date to June 11th to coincide with the Anniversary of the Prime Minister's Apology.

Project Lead: Native Women's Association of Canada
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

Since 1974, the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) has worked with Aboriginal women and Aboriginal women's organizations increasing awareness of the differential impacts and unique realities of Aboriginal women and girls in Canada. In 2011-2012, NWAC will provide an important step toward resolving the legacy of residential schools by creating dialogue about the intergenerational impacts of residential schools on Aboriginal women and girls, particularly Aboriginal women and girls who are in conflict with the law, and by providing support for young Aboriginal girls through education and healing initiatives.

Project Lead: Pauktuutit Inuit women of Canada
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

Pauktuutit is the national representative organization of Inuit women in Canada. The goal of this year's APIP project is to help Canadians, particularly youth (Inuit, First Nations, Metis, non-Aboriginal, new Canadians and immigrants) understand the impacts that the legacy of residential schools has had on Inuit and their communities in order to promote the goal of better understanding of the legacy of the Inuit residential school experience. This project will be conducted in partnership with the Terry Fox Canadian Youth Centre.

Project Lead: Rolling River First Nation
Location: Erickson, Manitoba

In 2011-2012, the Rolling River First Nation members and Erickson Collegiate will develop awareness and promote healing through art, music and acting for descendents of former residential schools students through various one-day events, including a youth-empowerment workshop. The major focus at each event will be the effects and after-effects of the Indian Residential School era.

Project Lead: Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism Committee
Location: Sioux Lookout, Ontario

The Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism Committee provides communities in Sioux Lookout and Northwestern Ontario with a forum for building, nurturing and sustaining relationships among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. This project will engage Canadians in reconciliation through an oral history project on the life of Garnet Angeconeb. As a central figure in this part of Canada's history, Garnet's entire experience – from childhood, through residential school, to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement process, to the way forward – puts him in a unique position to share his personal story.

Project Lead: Tunngasuvvingat Inuit
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

Tunngasuvvingat Inuit (TI) has provided support to Inuit living in Ottawa since 1987 and operates the Mamisarvik Healing Centre, an Inuit-specific, eight-week residential addiction program. This project will promote healing and reconciliation by distributing wellness manuals at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission National Event in Inuvik, NWT.

Project Lead: Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth
Location: Calgary, Alberta

For over a decade, Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth (USAY) has developed culturally based programs and strategies that empower and enrich the lives of urban Aboriginal youth residing in Calgary. In 2011-2012, USAY will be engaging youth through the development of a Special Edition of New Tribe magazine, focussed entirely on the legacy of residential schools and its impacts on Aboriginal communities.

Project Lead: Vancouver Aboriginal Community Policing Centre Society
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia

The Vancouver Aboriginal Community Policing Centre Society (VACPC) provides community leadership in promoting healthy, positive, transformative relationships between the Vancouver Police Department and the Aboriginal Community by fostering accessible programming that empowers individuals and communities. This project will contribute to reconciliation by developing educational materials to promote awareness of residential schools and its effects on Aboriginal communities.

Project Lead: Wawatay Native Communications Society
Location: Sioux Lookout, Ontario

The Wawatay Native Communications Society (WNCS) serves the communication needs of First Nations people and communities of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation territory. In 2011-2012, WNCS will promote healing, understanding and reconciliation by engaging youth and local communities in developing a radio series and a special magazine publication on the legacy of residential schools, particularly on intergenerational survivors, and reconciliation.