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This Report Is Made Possible Through the Department of Public Safety Canada, in Co-Operation With… This report is made possible through the Department of Public Safety Canada, in co-operation with various First Nations including Ojibwe, Mi’kmaq, Dene, Salish, Blackfoot, along with Aboriginal organisations in Toronto The views expressed in this report are those of the participants and are not necessarily those of Public Safety Canada COMMUNITY MOBILISATION DIALOGUE WITH ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES APC 30 CA (2009) Aboriginal Peoples Collection Single copies of this report may be obtained by writing to: Aboriginal Corrections Policy Unit Public Safety Canada 340 Laurier Avenue West Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0P8 This report is also available on the Internet at http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca If more than one copy is required, please feel free to photocopy any or all of this report. Cat. No.: PS4-80/2009E ISBN No.: 978-1-100-14299-9 Table of Contents Acknowledgements............................................................................................................. 1 Executive Summary............................................................................................................ 3 Chapter 1 - Introduction...................................................................................................... 5 Purpose of the Report...................................................................................................... 5 Background - Setting the Stage....................................................................................... 5 A Period of Change......................................................................................................... 8 The Beginning of a Renaissance and Lessons Learned.................................................. 9 A Strategy to Move Forward ........................................................................................ 10 Methodology................................................................................................................. 14 Common Themes.......................................................................................................... 16 Defining Community Mobilisation workers/facilitators........................................... 16 Tradition and Community Mobilisation ................................................................... 17 Elements Needed for Mobilisation ........................................................................... 19 Priority Issues for Mobilisation ................................................................................ 19 Models for Community Mobilisation ....................................................................... 19 Skills for Community Mobilisation .......................................................................... 20 Lessons Learned for Community Mobilisation ........................................................ 21 Chapter 2 - Southeast Tribal Council, Manitoba .............................................................. 22 Meeting Summary......................................................................................................... 22 Discussion Findings and Outcomes.............................................................................. 23 Organizational Culture.............................................................................................. 23 Skills and Knowledge of a Facilitator....................................................................... 24 Needs Assessment..................................................................................................... 26 Community Collaboration ........................................................................................ 27 Accountability........................................................................................................... 28 Duration of community Mobilisation initiative ........................................................ 28 Chapter 3 – Mi’kmaq Nations Halifax, Nova Scotia........................................................ 30 Meeting Summary......................................................................................................... 30 Discussion Findings and Outcomes.............................................................................. 30 Chapter 4 - Dene Nation Yellowknife, North West Territories........................................ 43 Meeting Summary......................................................................................................... 43 Discussion Findings and Outcomes.............................................................................. 44 Chapter 5 - Kwakwaka’wakw - Quadra Island BC .......................................................... 51 Meeting Summary......................................................................................................... 51 Discussion Findings and Outcomes.............................................................................. 52 Examples of traditional forms of community mobilisation ...................................... 54 Chapter 6 - Aboriginal Urban Organisations Toronto, Ontario........................................ 60 Meeting Summary......................................................................................................... 60 Discussion Findings and Outcomes.............................................................................. 62 Chapter 7 - Blackfoot Nation Calgary, Alberta ................................................................ 70 Meeting Summary......................................................................................................... 70 Setting the Stage ........................................................................................................... 70 Discussion Findings and Outcomes.............................................................................. 71 Chapter 8 - From talk to action: Testing the Community Mobilisation Process in the Community ....................................................................................................................... 81 The Process ................................................................................................................... 82 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 87 Acknowledgements This report could not have been done without the insight, guidance, participation and prayer of the Elders, who attended the Community Mobilisation - Semaganisak Gatherings across Canada. Thanks and gratitude is extended to all of the participants who attended the two-day dialogue sessions from across Canada. Your willingness to share your knowledge and experiences on First Nation and Aboriginal traditions, as well as new approaches, on community mobilisation was insightful and important. Collectively, your contributions will be useful in shaping new approaches to policy development. Glossary Aboriginal people(s) “Aboriginal people” is a collective name for the original peoples of North America and their descendants. The Canadian Constitution (the Constitution Act, 1982) recognised three groups of Aboriginal Peoples –Indians, Métis and Inuit. These are three separate peoples with unique heritages, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs.1 Community Mobilisation - Community Mobilisation is a deliberate, inclusive and participatory process. It involves local organisations, leaders (i.e. Elders, elected and hereditary Chiefs and Council, traditional persons, community leaders), community groups and individual members of the community to organise for united action towards a common purpose. Community Mobilisation in the Aboriginal community is characterised by local customs, tradition and culture and is specific to the needs of a particular Aboriginal community. First Nation(s) Although the term First Nation is widely used, no legal definition of it exists. Among its uses, the term “First Nations peoples” refers to the Indian peoples in Canada, both Status and Non-Status. Some Indian peoples have also adopted the term “First Nation” to replace the word 1 http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ap/pubs/wf/wf-eng.pdf 1 “band” in the name of their community.2 First Nation “First Nation” has been adopted by some Indian communities to replace the term “Indian Band.” A band is defined as a body of Indians for whose collective use and benefit lands have been set apart or money is held by the Crown, or declared to be a band for the purposes of the Indian Act.3 Frontline Worker - is the description of an individual whose job is to work directly with community members, i.e. social worker, drug and alcohol counsellor, youth co-ordinator. Semaganisak - Semaganis is a Cree word that literally translated to ‘spear carrier’ and is thought of in a modern context as “policeman”. The concept of Semaganis speaks to leadership, and the value of collective leadership, that was traditionally common among Cree people. Traditionally, Semaganisak were responsible for ensuring that everything ran smoothly during buffalo hunts or when the community had to move. While Semaganisak belong to Cree tradition, one could turn to any other Aboriginal nation and find that they had processes to ensure collective decision-making and movement; although the way in which the collective approach was achieved was different. It speaks to the danger of accepting the advice and “wisdom” of someone who does not understand the people or culture. It also speaks to the value of moving collectively in a common direction, with shared responsibility, and a clear
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