Learning and Resources Hub
Conversations on Resettlement & Community Building on Unceded Territories
What does it mean to be a guest on the unceded territories of lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples?
Reflecting on experiences of community-building and resettlement in the Victoria Capital Regional District (CRD), the Being Here & Being Together project offers a range of resources to explore this question.
By providing resources for learning and a space for personal reflection, this project aims to support newcomers, immigrant support organizations, and sponsoring groups in their efforts to decolonize resettlement, integration, and community-building work in the CRD. With a focus on anti-racism, life-long learning, respect, Indigenous rights, and justice, we are pleased to share a collections of resources in addition to video records from the Fall 2021 Speaker Series.
The Being Here & Being Together project, created in partnership with the UVic WUSC Local Committee, was made possible with the support of the City of Victoria’s 2020-2021 Participatory Budgeting Initiative. You can learn more about this project by clicking here.
Being Here: What are Land Acknowledgements?
What relationships and responsibilities do we share and carry on Indigenous lands?To expand your understanding of the recorded, roundtable conversations, we invite and encourage you to explore the resources collected here. We recommend that residents, visitors, and guests on lək̓ʷəŋən lands view this powerful recording.
Guiding Questions:
- On whose lands do you live, work, and play?
- How did you arrive on these territories?
- What names and practices maintain and express Indigenous relationships with these territories?
- What are the local histories of treaty, settlement, and colonization? How did settlement impact Indigenous peoples’ communities and relationships to the land?
Guiding Questions:
- What does reconciliation mean to you and how do you define your responsibility and role in this process?
- What makes the work of reconciliation difficult?
- What gives you hope? What does reconciliation look like in everyday life?
- What everyday actions can we take to bring about change today and for the future?
Being Together: What is Reconciliation?
Truth and Reconciliation is a call for collective listening and acting to address injustice and to (re)build relationships with Indigenous peoples in a good way. This roundtable discussion explores what reconciliation means in our everyday actions and lives. In addition to introducing some Calls to Actions to which we may personally respond, roundtable speakers share how they have defined their roles and responsibilities in making positive change for today and for the future. We invite you to reflect on what challenges us and what gives us hope in committing to the work of reconciliation in Canada.
Being Here Together: How do We Build Community?
Weaving together previous conversations on land acknowledgements and reconciliation, this final discussion reflects on how we might work collectively towards more just and inclusive communities for today and tomorrow. Roundtable speakers explore community building through the lens of current issues and initiatives related to environmental sustainability, cultural revitalization, anti-racism work, and social justice. Breaking down what it means to build relationships in a good way and be an active ally, this discussion equips you with a diverse range of tools to envision your own roles and responsibilities in your local communities.
Guiding Questions:
- How do you define ‘community,’ and what makes you feel welcome?
- What inspires and motivates your involvement with community initiatives? What values shape your approach to being in community?
- Justice Murray Sinclair said that while newcomers may not be responsible for Canada’s past injustices, “everyone coming here has a responsibility to the future.” How do you act on this responsibility to the future in your everyday life?