National Hub Resources

All resources in this section are copyleft. We invite you to use and share them freely, whilst crediting the source.

Advocacy

Immigrants and Precarious Employment – A Popular Education Workshop

The Catalyst Centre

This manual has been assembled to support facilitators, community activists, people in precarious employment and educators to make change around precarious employment and to develop an expanded notion about what makes a job precarious. The exercises in the manual are intended to promote reflections, discussions and even plan for actions that will result in better, more decent jobs for all. The activities are participatory and based on a popular education approach to communication and learning, drawing on the knowledge and experience of participants.

Participant kits in English and Spanish available through York University Publications

History of Hate

Getting a Grip in Order to Move Ahead

Study Circle Plan

by Renee Vaugeois, John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights

According to Stats Canada, hate crime in Alberta rose 39% in 2015, the highest increase seen across the country. In order to grapple and deal with hate however, it is important to understand its historical foundations. This study circle plan will engage participants in learning and discussing our complex history, with a focus on Alberta, and reflect on how this history manifests in communities today. We will engage in a reflection on how we as individuals can respond and act towards hate in our communities.

Making Votes Count Where We Live

Coalition of Community Health and Resource Centres (CHRC) and City for All Women Initiative (CAWI) have joined together in a three year project to increase voter turnout in low-income neighbourhoods and among people living in poverty, in both urban and rural areas of Ottawa. Making Votes Count Where We Live seeks to engage residents, community partners and governments in putting into place strategies to increase voter turnout and long-term civic engagement.

PDF: Making Votes Count Where We Live

Creating the Change We Want

CAWI has worked with Safe People, at Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre to lead the creation of this guide for the Community Development Framework (CDF). Creating the Change We Want provides exercises and workshops for strengthening the capacity of neighbourhood residents to create positive change.

PDF: Creating the Change We Want

Women’s Civic Participation Toolkit

Since 2004, City for All Women Initiative has provided Women’s Civic Participation Training where a total of 150 women have learned how city government works and how to bring their views forward. And of those, about 80% shared their views for the first time. This 9 month training program consists of 4 – 5 full day workshops and working in Action Teams to apply their learning in the municipal election, city budget process and on issues of concern arising at City Hall.Women listen to the concerns of their communities, and bring those concerns forward to their Councillor through e-mails, phone calls, meeting with Councillors and presenting deputations. Currently, CAWI provides this training to women in selected neighbourhoods, who form Neighbourhood Action Teams, so as to engage their neighbours in city issues.

PDF: Women’s Civic Participation Toolkit

Equity and Inclusion Lens Handbook

By CAWI

Currently being implemented in the city of Ottawa, this comprehensive handbook helps staff and management in any organization view their planning and program development and delivery activities to ensure they are inclusive of the full diversity of men and women

PDF: Equity and Inclusion Handbook

Mi’kmaw Community Engagement Toolkit on Sexual Violence

The Mi’kmaw Community Engagement Toolkit on Sexual Violence is a workbook to address sexual violence, created specifically for Mi’kmaq communities and community members to use in strengthening their response to and prevention of sexual violence, drawing from the many learnings of the Responding to and Preventing Sexual Violence Project in Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation, a collaborative project between the Paqtnkek Health Centre and the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre & Sexual Assault Services Association from 2014 to 2016, funded by Status of Women Canada.

Mobilizing Ideas

Mobilizing Ideas publishes interdisciplinary perspectives on social movements, social change, and the public sphere. To enhance dialogue between scholars and activists, Mobilizing Ideas hosts exchanges between leading scholars from the social sciences and humanities and the activists they study, featuring original essays responding to a wide variety of problems related to social movements and social change.

This Is an Uprising

From protests around climate change and immigrant rights, to Occupy, the Arab Spring, and #BlackLivesMatter, a new generation is unleashing strategic nonviolent action to shape public debate and force political change. When mass movements erupt onto our television screens, the media consistently portrays them as being spontaneous and unpredictable. Yet, in this book, Mark and Paul Engler look at the hidden art behind such outbursts of protest, examining core principles that have been used to spark and guide moments of transformative unrest.

Beautiful Trouble

Beautiful Trouble is a book, web toolbox and international network of artist-activist trainers whose mission is to make grassroots movements more creative and more effective.

beautifultrouble.org

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Decolonization

Building Relationships Between Indigenous, Immigrant and Refugee Communities

In this episode of Righting Relations Radio, we are in conversation with Alfredo Barahona from Kairos, exploring relationship-building between Indigenous, Immigrant and Refugee communities which both Kairos and Righting Relations are facilitating across Turtle Island, and the importance of knowing who you are.

Mi’Kmaq Youth: Our Reality – Our Hope

Erika Gideon Marchand is writing her Master’s Thesis on “What does the Lnu’g language teach us? Transferring ancient ancestral teachings and wisdom in the 21st century by maintaining and reclaiming our spirit as Lnu’g.” Paulina Meader (Membertou) was raised Traditional and is currently studying to be a nurse. Rosalie LaBillois (Eel River Bar) drums and sings for Ceremonies. She recently sailed to Europe as a part of an Indigenous Youth Leadership program. Juisen Bartibøgue (Esgenoopetitj) grew up as a part of the Wabanaki Cultural Centre which worked to preserve Indigenous cultural and spirituality. Wasgeesc is still in elementary school. She travels with her grandmothers to traditional gatherings and helps with Ceremonies at her home in Acadia First Nations.

Sherri Mitchell – On the times we are living in, women and water and healing

Sherri Mitchell (Penobscot) is a lawyer, author, world-wide speaker, community organizer and inspiring person. She shares her thoughts on the times we are living in, women and water and healing and empowerment. She is also a member of Apaji-wla’Matulinej

Marian Nicholas, Mi’Kmaq Water Protector

Marian Nicolas, (Mi’kmaq) has dedicated her life to being a Water protector. She is often found on the front lines protecting the Shubenacadie River from the Alton Gas Project. She learned the Water Ceremonies from Josephine Mandamin. While originally being from Eskasoni she has lived in Sipekne’katik First Nation for over 25 years. Spoken in Mi’Kmaq with English subtitles.

Whose Land is it Anyway? A Manual for Decolonization

by Peter MacFarlane and Nicole Shabus

This handbook, which has been supported by the British Columbia Federation of Post-Secondary Educators (FPSE), brings together some of the most important Indigenous academics, activists and allies to explore the impacts of colonization on Indigenous peoples and to look at paths toward decolonization that can right the wrongs and may, some day, lead us toward true reconciliation.

Jobology

Jobology is a facilitation tool and process designed by the Catalyst Centre to unpack to:

  • to develop critical consciousness and mindfulness of who we are as a group in terms of a history of work
  • to explore some of the history and concepts of class (and where participants fit in a class structure)
  • to draw a difference between paid and unpaid work in our family histories; how gender is represented in work histories; how unionization and other struggles to change work conditions is represented in work histories; and so on.

View the tool here, share, innovate and please credit the source

Judy Googoo (Mi’Kmaq) a member of Apaji-wla’matulinej on traditional medicinal plants

Judy Googoo (Mi’Kmaq) shares her vast knowledge of medicine plants. Judy leads workshops on everything from plants, to hand drum making, tanning moose hides – everything connected to living on the land. She also is an artist and runs a craft shop in Wagmacook and a barber shop!

Christina Dunfield, on being an ally, Apaji-wla’matulinej

Christina Dunfield, MCC, speaks on her journey to becoming an ally with Indigenous people through the Peace and Friendship project. This project, for 13 years, has been bringing Indigenous people and settlers together for deep conversations, Ceremonies and teachings on Indigenous worldviews.

Cathy Gerrior (Inuit), member of Apaji-wla’matulinej on finding your way back to your culture

Cathy Gerrior (Inuit) speaks on the intergenerational impacts of residential schools; her experience of being raised in a white community and finding her way home again. She talks about building bridges between non-natives and Indigenous people.

What is Institutional Racism?

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Facilitation for Social Change

Building Relationships Between Indigenous, Immigrant and Refugee Communities

In this episode of Righting Relations Radio, we are in conversation with Alfredo Barahona from Kairos, exploring relationship-building between Indigenous, Immigrant and Refugee communities which both Kairos and Righting Relations are facilitating across Turtle Island, and the importance of knowing who you are.

Arts-based Methods for Transformative Engagement: A Toolkit

by SUSPLACE Sustainable Place Shaping

This open access toolkit offers a collection of almost 30 methods, practical examples, workshop outlines and tips for creative facilitation, as well as resources and relevant academic references. The ideas and methods collected in this toolkit are intended to support new ways of thinking and doing in our work as change agents towards regenerative societies. Compiled by a research team collaborating through the SUSPLACE Innovative Training Network, it is the result of our collective research and experimentation with creative and arts-based methods of engagement.

Immigrants and Precarious Employment – A Popular Education Workshop

The Catalyst Centre

This manual has been assembled to support facilitators, community activists, people in precarious employment and educators to make change around precarious employment and to develop an expanded notion about what makes a job precarious. The exercises in the manual are intended to promote reflections, discussions and even plan for actions that will result in better, more decent jobs for all. The activities are participatory and based on a popular education approach to communication and learning, drawing on the knowledge and experience of participants.

Participant kits in English and Spanish available through York University Publications

Jobology

Jobology is a facilitation tool and process designed by the Catalyst Centre to unpack to:

  • to develop critical consciousness and mindfulness of who we are as a group in terms of a history of work
  • to explore some of the history and concepts of class (and where participants fit in a class structure)
  • to draw a difference between paid and unpaid work in our family histories; how gender is represented in work histories; how unionization and other struggles to change work conditions is represented in work histories; and so on.

View the tool here, share, innovate and please credit the source

Christina Dunfield, on being an ally, Apaji-wla’matulinej

Christina Dunfield, MCC, speaks on her journey to becoming an ally with Indigenous people through the Peace and Friendship project. This project, for 13 years, has been bringing Indigenous people and settlers together for deep conversations, Ceremonies and teachings on Indigenous worldviews.

What is Institutional Racism?

5 Things You Should Know About Racism

Facilitation Processes Which Explore How Political and Economic Systems Work

Adult educators from the Righting Relations Network share practical facilitation tools for exploring how political and economic systems work, on a Virtual Knowledge Exchange held Feb 7, 2018.

Dialogue for Peaceful Change with Ishbel Munro

 

In this episode of Righting Relations Radio, Ishbel Munro shares insights from Dialogue for Peaceful Change (DPC), a community-based conflict mediation methodology which has been used around the world to non-violently engage in conflict and move to transformation.

 

Hearts Wide Open: The Process of Building Righting Relations West Hubs

This toolkit summarizes and presents the learnings and processes used in building the Righting Relations West Regional Hub in Edmonton, Regina and Winnipeg. Whilst each of these cities adapted the activities to address their particular needs, there maintained elements which were constant: using a folk school model, using a de-colonial lens, circle facilitation and being women-led. We welcome you to use this toolkit in your community, and invite you to connect with the Righting Relations network. Email info@rightingrelations.org to connect.

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Life Affirming Practices

Arts-based Methods for Transformative Engagement: A Toolkit

by SUSPLACE Sustainable Place Shaping

This open access toolkit offers a collection of almost 30 methods, practical examples, workshop outlines and tips for creative facilitation, as well as resources and relevant academic references. The ideas and methods collected in this toolkit are intended to support new ways of thinking and doing in our work as change agents towards regenerative societies. Compiled by a research team collaborating through the SUSPLACE Innovative Training Network, it is the result of our collective research and experimentation with creative and arts-based methods of engagement.

Mi’Kmaq Youth: Our Reality – Our Hope

Erika Gideon Marchand is writing her Master’s Thesis on “What does the Lnu’g language teach us? Transferring ancient ancestral teachings and wisdom in the 21st century by maintaining and reclaiming our spirit as Lnu’g.” Paulina Meader (Membertou) was raised Traditional and is currently studying to be a nurse. Rosalie LaBillois (Eel River Bar) drums and sings for Ceremonies. She recently sailed to Europe as a part of an Indigenous Youth Leadership program. Juisen Bartibøgue (Esgenoopetitj) grew up as a part of the Wabanaki Cultural Centre which worked to preserve Indigenous cultural and spirituality. Wasgeesc is still in elementary school. She travels with her grandmothers to traditional gatherings and helps with Ceremonies at her home in Acadia First Nations.

Sherri Mitchell – On the times we are living in, women and water and healing

Sherri Mitchell (Penobscot) is a lawyer, author, world-wide speaker, community organizer and inspiring person. She shares her thoughts on the times we are living in, women and water and healing and empowerment. She is also a member of Apaji-wla’Matulinej

Marian Nicholas, Mi’Kmaq Water Protector

Marian Nicolas, (Mi’kmaq) has dedicated her life to being a Water protector. She is often found on the front lines protecting the Shubenacadie River from the Alton Gas Project. She learned the Water Ceremonies from Josephine Mandamin. While originally being from Eskasoni she has lived in Sipekne’katik First Nation for over 25 years. Spoken in Mi’Kmaq with English subtitles.

Judy Googoo (Mi’Kmaq) a member of Apaji-wla’matulinej on traditional medicinal plants

Judy Googoo (Mi’Kmaq) shares her vast knowledge of medicine plants. Judy leads workshops on everything from plants, to hand drum making, tanning moose hides – everything connected to living on the land. She also is an artist and runs a craft shop in Wagmacook and a barber shop!

Christina Dunfield, on being an ally, Apaji-wla’matulinej

Christina Dunfield, MCC, speaks on her journey to becoming an ally with Indigenous people through the Peace and Friendship project. This project, for 13 years, has been bringing Indigenous people and settlers together for deep conversations, Ceremonies and teachings on Indigenous worldviews.

Cathy Gerrior (Inuit), member of Apaji-wla’matulinej on finding your way back to your culture

Cathy Gerrior (Inuit) speaks on the intergenerational impacts of residential schools; her experience of being raised in a white community and finding her way home again. She talks about building bridges between non-natives and Indigenous people.

Talking Circles

by Mikmaw Spirit

The talking circle is a traditional way for Indigenous people to solve problems. It is a very effective way to remove barriers and to allow people to express themselves with complete freedom.  The symbolism of the circle, with no beginning and with nobody in a position of prominence, serves to encourage people to speak freely and honestly about things that are on their minds. Read more about the Talking Circle from a Mi’kmaq perspective here

Miigam’agan on Women-Led

Miigam’agan, Righting Relations National Steering Committee Member and mi’kmaq clan mother from Esgenoôpetitj / Burnt Church New Brunswick, speaks about the forming of the Eastern Hub of Righting Relations through a women-led approach.

Empowered Dialogue Can Bring Wisdom to Democracy

Published as
“Wisdom, Democracy, and the Core Commons”
in Earthlight, Fall/Winter 2002/2003
http://www.earthlight.org

by Tom Atlee

The new democracy is grounded in
the power of true dialogue
among diverse people
to help The People (as a whole) transcend
the limits of personal perspectives and
resonate with each other and the world
through the fact of their interconnectedness,
revealing bigger pictures and deeper wisdom
than any individual or group
could find alone,
making it possible to create together
solutions, visions, communities and societies
that make sense
and serve Life
now and for generations to come.

Read the full article

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Traditional Teachings

Mi’Kmaq Youth: Our Reality – Our Hope

Erika Gideon Marchand is writing her Master’s Thesis on “What does the Lnu’g language teach us? Transferring ancient ancestral teachings and wisdom in the 21st century by maintaining and reclaiming our spirit as Lnu’g.” Paulina Meader (Membertou) was raised Traditional and is currently studying to be a nurse. Rosalie LaBillois (Eel River Bar) drums and sings for Ceremonies. She recently sailed to Europe as a part of an Indigenous Youth Leadership program. Juisen Bartibøgue (Esgenoopetitj) grew up as a part of the Wabanaki Cultural Centre which worked to preserve Indigenous cultural and spirituality. Wasgeesc is still in elementary school. She travels with her grandmothers to traditional gatherings and helps with Ceremonies at her home in Acadia First Nations.

Sherri Mitchell – On the times we are living in, women and water and healing

Sherri Mitchell (Penobscot) is a lawyer, author, world-wide speaker, community organizer and inspiring person. She shares her thoughts on the times we are living in, women and water and healing and empowerment. She is also a member of Apaji-wla’Matulinej

Marian Nicholas, Mi’Kmaq Water Protector

Marian Nicolas, (Mi’kmaq) has dedicated her life to being a Water protector. She is often found on the front lines protecting the Shubenacadie River from the Alton Gas Project. She learned the Water Ceremonies from Josephine Mandamin. While originally being from Eskasoni she has lived in Sipekne’katik First Nation for over 25 years. Spoken in Mi’Kmaq with English subtitles.

Margaret (Maggie) Paul, Singing our Songs – Apaji-wla’matulinej

Margaret (Maggie) Paul Singing our Songs. Maggie shares old songs and talks of their meaning. She shares stories about the Little People, the Sweat, whales, and the ancestors along with tips and medicines for singing. She talks of unconditional love and connecting to your Spirit through singing.

Judy Googoo (Mi’Kmaq) a member of Apaji-wla’matulinej on traditional medicinal plants

Judy Googoo (Mi’Kmaq) shares her vast knowledge of medicine plants. Judy leads workshops on everything from plants, to hand drum making, tanning moose hides – everything connected to living on the land. She also is an artist and runs a craft shop in Wagmacook and a barber shop!

Cathy Gerrior (Inuit), member of Apaji-wla’matulinej on finding your way back to your culture

Cathy Gerrior (Inuit) speaks on the intergenerational impacts of residential schools; her experience of being raised in a white community and finding her way home again. She talks about building bridges between non-natives and Indigenous people.

ohtisiy

The Belly Button Teaching – Traditional Cree protocols for knowledge gathering were followed to produce this digital story. A collaboration between Saddle Lake Cree Nation and the University of Toronto. Funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.

Talking Circles

by Mikmaw Spirit

The talking circle is a traditional way for Indigenous people to solve problems. It is a very effective way to remove barriers and to allow people to express themselves with complete freedom.  The symbolism of the circle, with no beginning and with nobody in a position of prominence, serves to encourage people to speak freely and honestly about things that are on their minds. Read more about the Talking Circle from a Mi’kmaq perspective here

Seeking Netukulimk

Kerry Prosper is a passionate fisher and Mi’kmaq elder, who is teaching his grandchildren how to exercise their treaty rights by fishing eels. But those rights come with sacred responsibilities to care for the land and waters of Mi’kma’ki. Seeking Netukulimk is a lyrical exploration of the traditional laws that govern fishing in the Mi’kmaq world, and some of the political battles that have been fought to defend them.

In Defence of Our Treaties

Directed by Martha Stiegman and Co-Produced by Martha Stiegman & Sherry Pictou

In Defense of our Treaties (2008) follows members of Bear River First Nation as they stand up to Canada’s Department of Fisheries (DFO), who is pressuring them to sell out their treaty rights for a ticket into the commercial fisheries. For the Mi’kmaq, fishing is a right that comes from the Creator, and is protected by the Treaties. In 1999, the Supreme Court recognized those rights, and DFO has since signed agreements with 32 of the 34 First Nations in the region. The deals offer money to buy into the commercial fisheries, as long as the Mi’kmaq fish under DFO’s jurisdiction. That’s not good enough for Bear River, one of two communities refusing to sign.

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