We wanted to share an email that was sent out by The Federation of Community Social Services of BC. Monday is National Indigenous People\’s Day and here at CVS we want to spread the word for our community around how to learn more.
Monday, June 21 is National Indigenous People’s Day—a chance to recognize, honour, and celebrate the heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples! This year, in light of the findings of children buried on the sites of former residential schools, the increased attention on Canada’s legacy of colonial violence, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate effect on Indigenous communities we are taking a different approach than we have in recent years, both as an organization and as individuals.
We are re-learning the oft-ignored history of this country, re-thinking how to make change while offering support in a time of grief, re-imagining what it means to celebrate during a pandemic, and responding to the systemic racism and state violence that continues to plague our society. And we are encouraging you, our members, to do the same.
Maybe you want to learn about the traditional and unceded territory that you live and work on and think about what “unceded” means to you or what it means to live on unceded land.
Maybe you want to buy orange ‘Every Child Matters’ shirts for your staff team to support the Urban Native Youth Association while raising awareness.
Maybe you want to sign up for The Federation’s Reconciliation Book Club. The third ‘season’ just finished and we are about to re-launch another year of reading and learning with a new list of books. You can read more below and sign up to participate here.
Maybe you want to look a few weeks ahead and consider thinking about what Canada Day means and what purpose it serves in 2021 and whether you would be better off spending the day on reflection and critique rather than signalling patriotism and loyalty to a state built upon theft and violence.
Our responsibility
Will Rogers, the Cherokee actor and vaudeville player once said, \”We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.\” It’s our responsibility to use our power and privilege—however much we have—to recognize and champion the rights of Indigenous people, to call out racism where and when we see it, and to effect change within the systems of which we are a part.
And while each of us has a responsibility to celebrate and learn on National Indigenous Peoples Day, we must be mindful what we do and how we do it to ensure that our attempts at learning or growing do not put the burden back on our Indigenous community members.
This lesson is especially significant this year since opportunities to gather in our usual ways are not available. We are under restrictions and there are ways we can learn and celebrate and acknowledge Indigenous people while staying safe.
There is a lot of energy focused on the work of anti-racism right now and an array of calls to action available to you. There are also more Indigenous resources, books, movies, and podcasts than there have ever been. Below are a few of those books and a few virtual and outdoor, distanced events that are taking place across the province.
Things to Read
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action.
21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act by Bob Joseph.
The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King.
Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Issues in Canada by Chelsea Vowel.
Speaking Our Truth by Monique Gray Smith.
Things to Do
Organizations around Revelstoke are hosting a variety of events both virtual and outdoors.
Read and choose from the \’10 Things You Can Do\’ in response to the findings of remains on the site of a former residential school in Kamloops from Indigenous Corporate Training Inc.
Attend online events to commemorate National Indigenous Peoples Day including a virtual drum circle, online storytelling sessions, and Indigenous Plant Workshops.
A drum circle is planned for National Indigenous Peoples Day at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park in Prince George.
Join this National Indigenous History Month workshop to immerse yourself in authentic Indigenous arts & culture in British Columbia.
More virtual learning events can be found on the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre website.
North Shore News has suggestions on ways to celebrate National Indigenous History Month on the North Shore and beyond.
Taking the next (or first) steps…
When it comes to the hard work of decolonization and anti-racism, it is hard to know where to start or what to do first. We, at The Federation, are very thankful for the wisdom and guidance of our Indigenous members and colleagues, and we will continue to do our best to ensure our work doesn’t become their work.
So, over the next few days, I invite you all to live into what altogether better really means. Reach out and have some maybe hard conversations. Be present. Be curious. Help each other figure out what to do and how to do it, hold each other accountable, and then recognize the steps you’ve taken together as you figure out the next ones.
Posted: June 30, 2021 by cvsadmin
Every Child Matters
Further to the statement we made a few weeks ago, after the discovery of 215 unmarked graves at the former residential school in Kamloops, we are so very saddened to hear of the further findings in the past week.
In Saskatchewan, last week the Cowessess First Nation announced a preliminary finding Thursday of 751 unmarked graves at a cemetery near the former Marieval Indian Residential School. The Marieval Indian Residential School operated from 1899 to 1997 in the area where Cowessess is now located, about 140 kilometres east of Regina. Children from First Nations in southeast Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba were sent to the school. The First Nation took over the school\’s cemetery from the Catholic Church in the 1970s. Earlier in June Cowessess started using ground-penetrating radar to locate unmarked graves. It was not immediately clear if all the remains are connected to the residential school.
Most recently, on Wednesday June 30th, it was announced that 182 unmarked graves were found in BC\’s South Interior near the location of a former residential school. The community of ʔaq\’am, one of four bands in the Ktunaxa Nation and located near the city of Cranbrook, B.C., used ground-penetrating radar to search a site close to the former St. Eugene\’s Mission School, the Lower Kootenay Band announced Wednesday. According to the band, the findings indicated the graves were shallow, about a metre deep. \”You can never fully prepare for something like this,\” said Chief Jason Louie of the Lower Kootenay Band, which is a member of the Ktunaxa Nation. St. Eugene\’s Mission School was operated by the Catholic Church from 1912 until the early 1970s. The building has since been converted into a golf resort and casino owned by the Ktunaxa Nation. The Lower Kootenay Band says up to 100 of its members were forced to attend the school.
\”It is believed that the remains of these 182 souls are from the member Bands of the Ktunaxa Nation, neighbouring First Nations communities and the community of ʔaq\’am,\” read a media release from the band.
CVS, as an agency that supports individuals from the indigenous community, is saddened and heartbroken by these findings. We will continue to support you in whatever way we can.
Support is available for anyone affected by their experience at residential schools, and those who are triggered by these reports.
A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for residential school survivors and others affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.
Posted: June 30, 2021 by cvsadmin
Join us for Ice Cream Day on July 14th
CVS will be hosting an Ice Cream Day on July 14th in Port Moody. Pop over to Queen\’s Street Promenade just by our Main Office in Port Moody to grab your ticket.
Ice cream will be supplied from Rocky Point Ice Cream\’s Food Truck. The food truck will be parked just by Queen\’s Street Promenade from noon – 2pm and you can meet to collect your ticket from 11:45am – 1:45pm.
Ice cream is for all CVS staff, individuals we serve, caregivers and families in our community. Each ticket gets you 1 scoop in a waffle cone or cup – a range of flavours, including dairy free options will be available from the food truck.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Miriam Hoolahan at [email protected].
We hope to see you there!
Posted: June 30, 2021 by cvsadmin
Kevin\’s Retirement Parade
Thanks to everyone who came out to Kevin\’s retirement parade on Friday, June 25th as well as his Zoom party. It was a great opportunity to wish Kevin well on his new endeavours as a retiree. Kevin wanted to pass along his thanks to everyone – your participation and efforts were very special to him.
Here are a few pictures from the parade (photo credit to Melda Okucu, our Director of Finance) –
Posted: June 23, 2021 by cvsadmin
Summer Air Quality & Heat
Summer officially started on Sunday & it\’s been hot outside, that\’s for sure!
We wanted to remind you again of the importance of taking care in the summer.
Remember that during times of extreme heat, it is important to take extra precautions to prevent heat-related illness, particularly for those who may be more vulnerable to these conditions such as the elderly, people on certain medications and those with respiratory conditions.
At Community Ventures Society, we hope that everyone takes the time to ensure that individuals who are being supported understand how to recognize that they may be overheating and how to prevent this from happening.
Consider the following –
These preventative measures are fairly standard in terms of managing care during the summer months. CVS and all of its staff are committed to taking these extra precautions to ensure that the proper safeguards are in place to reduce the incidence of heat related illness.
To keep a close eye on weather warnings across BC please click here.
Enjoy the summer & let\’s all stay safe while enjoying these sunnier days!
Posted: June 22, 2021 by cvsadmin
Our Last Music Night before Summer is this Thurs June 24th
This is just a quick notice to let everyone know that our last music night will be on this Thursday June 24th. After this time, Music Night will stop for the summer and will resume in September.
Stay tuned for the Fall/Winter schedule which will be released in August.
Posted: June 19, 2021 by cvsadmin
Opinion: Supports for Individuals with Disabilities in Canada
We wanted to share an interesting article from the CBC about supports for individuals with disabilities. The writer of the article provides first-hand examples of experiences that demonstrate that there is still work to do in providing supports to individuals with disabilities in Canada.
To read the article, visit the CBC by clicking here.
Posted: June 19, 2021 by cvsadmin
City of Coquitlam Committed to Inclusion in their Recreation Offerings
The City of Coquitlam has invested effort to make their spaces and offering more inclusive. In May, they highlighted this initiative –
Coquitlam is increasing efforts to help people of all abilities benefit from recreation access through a new inclusive adult drop-in sports program.
The new Accessible and Inclusive Drop-In Sports program is just one of several programs helping to broaden access to the City’s recreation offerings. Adults of all abilities will be able to enjoy individual play with a variety of sports equipment, including basketball, soccer and floor hockey. While these inclusive programs have been in place for a number of years, the pandemic has made inclusive programming even more important given the link between activity and health, both mental and physical.
Recreation for People of all Abilities
The City encourages children and adults of all abilities to participate in its recreation programs, and provides supports such as:
For more information, visit https://www.coquitlam.ca/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=610.
Posted: June 19, 2021 by cvsadmin
Upcoming FSI Learning & Explorations Session
There will be an interesting Zoom webinar hosted by Family Support Institute of BC on June 28th you may want to check out. The topic is about Brothers and Sisters. This topic would be interesting for many families who have siblings with developmental disabilities and how this impacts the dynamic in the family.
For more information, check out the Zoom information page for the event by clicking here.
Posted: June 19, 2021 by cvsadmin
Paint this Cute Dog with CVS on July 15th
CVS and Palette Posse Paint Parties will be hosting a Virtual Paint Night on July 15th starting at 6:30pm. We\’ll be painting this cute dog and hope you can join us.
Paint kits will include the canvas, paint and brushes. The paint party will be over zoom. CVS can arrange drop off of the painting kits in the Tri-Cities or Burnaby area. Otherwise, the kit will need to be picked up by the participant.
Space is limited as we are offering this particular paint night for free.
Please RSVP to save your spot by July 2nd. Please RSVP to Chris.Zupanec@
Posted: June 19, 2021 by cvsadmin
Monday June 17th is National Indigenous People\’s Day
We wanted to share an email that was sent out by The Federation of Community Social Services of BC. Monday is National Indigenous People\’s Day and here at CVS we want to spread the word for our community around how to learn more.
Monday, June 21 is National Indigenous People’s Day—a chance to recognize, honour, and celebrate the heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples! This year, in light of the findings of children buried on the sites of former residential schools, the increased attention on Canada’s legacy of colonial violence, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate effect on Indigenous communities we are taking a different approach than we have in recent years, both as an organization and as individuals.
We are re-learning the oft-ignored history of this country, re-thinking how to make change while offering support in a time of grief, re-imagining what it means to celebrate during a pandemic, and responding to the systemic racism and state violence that continues to plague our society. And we are encouraging you, our members, to do the same.
Maybe you want to learn about the traditional and unceded territory that you live and work on and think about what “unceded” means to you or what it means to live on unceded land.
Maybe you want to buy orange ‘Every Child Matters’ shirts for your staff team to support the Urban Native Youth Association while raising awareness.
Maybe you want to sign up for The Federation’s Reconciliation Book Club. The third ‘season’ just finished and we are about to re-launch another year of reading and learning with a new list of books. You can read more below and sign up to participate here.
Maybe you want to look a few weeks ahead and consider thinking about what Canada Day means and what purpose it serves in 2021 and whether you would be better off spending the day on reflection and critique rather than signalling patriotism and loyalty to a state built upon theft and violence.
Our responsibility
Will Rogers, the Cherokee actor and vaudeville player once said, \”We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.\” It’s our responsibility to use our power and privilege—however much we have—to recognize and champion the rights of Indigenous people, to call out racism where and when we see it, and to effect change within the systems of which we are a part.
And while each of us has a responsibility to celebrate and learn on National Indigenous Peoples Day, we must be mindful what we do and how we do it to ensure that our attempts at learning or growing do not put the burden back on our Indigenous community members.
This lesson is especially significant this year since opportunities to gather in our usual ways are not available. We are under restrictions and there are ways we can learn and celebrate and acknowledge Indigenous people while staying safe.
There is a lot of energy focused on the work of anti-racism right now and an array of calls to action available to you. There are also more Indigenous resources, books, movies, and podcasts than there have ever been. Below are a few of those books and a few virtual and outdoor, distanced events that are taking place across the province.
Things to Read
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action.
21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act by Bob Joseph.
The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King.
Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Issues in Canada by Chelsea Vowel.
Speaking Our Truth by Monique Gray Smith.
Things to Do
Organizations around Revelstoke are hosting a variety of events both virtual and outdoors.
Read and choose from the \’10 Things You Can Do\’ in response to the findings of remains on the site of a former residential school in Kamloops from Indigenous Corporate Training Inc.
Attend online events to commemorate National Indigenous Peoples Day including a virtual drum circle, online storytelling sessions, and Indigenous Plant Workshops.
A drum circle is planned for National Indigenous Peoples Day at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park in Prince George.
Join this National Indigenous History Month workshop to immerse yourself in authentic Indigenous arts & culture in British Columbia.
More virtual learning events can be found on the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre website.
North Shore News has suggestions on ways to celebrate National Indigenous History Month on the North Shore and beyond.
Taking the next (or first) steps…
When it comes to the hard work of decolonization and anti-racism, it is hard to know where to start or what to do first. We, at The Federation, are very thankful for the wisdom and guidance of our Indigenous members and colleagues, and we will continue to do our best to ensure our work doesn’t become their work.
So, over the next few days, I invite you all to live into what altogether better really means. Reach out and have some maybe hard conversations. Be present. Be curious. Help each other figure out what to do and how to do it, hold each other accountable, and then recognize the steps you’ve taken together as you figure out the next ones.
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