BC Business
Make this a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation tradition.
Today is Canada’s second official National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day is meant to honour the lost children and survivors of Canada’s residential schools, as well as their families and communities. For non-Indigenous folks, it’s a designated day to reflect and take action, and donating money to Indigenous charities and organizations that support Indigenous people is a good start.
The following is a list I’ve put together of local groups who are doing great work, plus some details about their programs and how they support Indigenous community members in B.C. Many of these organizations have robust programming that includes youth mentorship, accessible housing, elder support, health care, recreation—the list goes on!—that’s impossible to reduce to a list, so I encourage you to click on the links for each one to get a better idea of the scope of their work.
What they do: A sewing club and community garden for elders, sports programs like a basketball league for youth and recreational soccer for adults, pre-employment assistance, support groups for Indigenous parents, a mat and blanket shelter, and more Website: vafcs.org Donate here
What they do: Drop-in centre and 24-hour emergency shelter, a kitchen that provides 500 meals each day, and Indigenous women’s projects that include Indigenous plant walks, outings for Indigenous women, counselling, cultural and community art projects and workshops. Website: dewc.ca Donate here
What they do: Weekly Zoom drum circles, an elder support program, mentorship programs for youth, Indigenous language classes, home care services, counselling for Indigenous people with missing or murdered family members, an Urban Butterflies program for girls and the PAFNW Awards Fund, which provides postsecondary scholarships for Indigenous women Website: pafnw.wordpress.com Donate here
What they do: Two streams of programs—one is youth camps that empower Indigenous kids and teens, the other is a two-day workshop for anyone who works with Indigenous communities (nurses, employers, youth leaders, et cetera) that teaches ways to engage with members Website: indigeneyez.com Donate here
What they do: A transformational housing program that offers 16 suites for mothers and children who are at risk of homelessness or child welfare intervention, plus childcare and other programs including parenting workshops, housing and resources workshops, life skills workshops and self-care workshops Website: aboriginalmothercentre.ca Donate here
What they do: Provide employment training (life skills coaching, work experience and team-building activities) and leadership training for work in the recreation, child care, cultural and food security fields, offer recreational activities at schools, community centres and parks throughout the city, and organize Indigenous cultural programs in collaboration with community partners Website: redfoxsociety.org Donate here
What they do: Partner Indigenous elders living in the Downtown Eastside with health-care professionals to provide physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual care Website: kilalalelum.ca Donate here
What they do: UNYA has four major program areas—education and training (including an alternative education program for Indigenous youth), health and wellness (including a mediation program, Aboriginal outreach team and clinical counselling), housing and transition (including an Aboriginal youth safe house), and Community and Connection (including mentorship, sports and recreation and a Two-Spirit collective) Website: unya.bc.ca Donate here
What they do: WISH provides a drop-in centre and shelter, mobile outreach services, a health clinic, music therapy and transition services for street-based sex workers in the Downtown Eastside (50 percent of its participants are Indigenous) Website: wish-vancouver.net Donate here
What they do: Workshops and theatre development year-round, plus the production of the Talking Stick Festival, an annual celebration and showcase of Indigenous performance art Website: fullcircle.ca Donate here
What they do: Help Indigenous communities develop culturally grounded community child-care services through providing workshops, curriculum kits and academic resources Website: acc-society.bc.ca Donate here
What they do: Family, elder and youth services for Indigenous folks, including a youth justice program that uses restorative justice practices, homelessness and housing support, and employment services Website: kfs.bc.ca Donate here
What they do: Provide holistic services to foster the health and wellbeing of the Métis community, including an Aboriginal infant development program, trauma therapy, mental health counselling, substance use counselling, an Aboriginal fathers program and more Website: mcsbc.org Donate here
What they do: Raise legal funds for Indigenous folks’ access to justice. Their work covers environmental justice, stopping fossil fuel expansion and open-pit mining, and standing up against environmental racism Website: raventrust.com Donate here
What they do: Provide two housing locations in Victoria for Indigenous people who are experiencing homelessness. SpeqƏȠéutxw (SPAKEN) House offers culturally supportive housing and services to 22 Indigenous women, and the Culturally Supportive House offers culturally supportive housing and Indigenous alcohol harm reduction services to 10 members of the Indigenous Street Community (ISC) in Victoria’s downtown core. Website: acehsociety.com Donate here
What they do: Support the spiritual health of Indigenous people suffering from the multigenerational impacts of colonization (addictions, mental health, homelessness) through daylong nature retreats, weekly hot meals, and connecting people with their families and community Website: oasisvic.org Donate here
What they do: Provide a drop-in centre with access to internet, laundry and showers, overdose prevention services, a community food hub, help with filing income taxes and essential services Website: squamishhelpinghands.ca Donate here