As part of the framework, the P.A. Indian and Métis Friendship Centre will host women's circles called Indigenous Women Coalitions to foster each other's success. (file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Sparking change

Using Indigenous knowledge as a blueprint for success

Jun 5, 2020 | 6:17 PM

A new report from the Aboriginal Friendship Centres of Saskatchewan (AFCS) lays out a blueprint for Indigenous women’s success.

Honouring Her Spark: A Saskatchewan Indigenous Women’s Economic Framework is the result of consultation with women across Saskatchewan. At its core, the three-part approach focuses on supporting Indigenous women and LGBTQ2S+ individuals to achieve economic security and prosperity.

“It’s going to spark a new phase and hopefully a lot of new partnerships and conversations,” Alicia Buckley, AFCS program director told paNOW.

Janet Carriere, executive director of the Prince Albert Indian and Métis Friendship Centre, is similarly excited about the potential for the document to create change.

“What I love about the framework it is that it is totally through an Indigenous lens,” she explained. “So when we move forward to create economic opportunities for Indigenous women, we will do it in an Indigenous way.”

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The first component of the framework focuses on a personal level, using an adaptation of the medicine wheel to help individual women identify goals.

Next, working with Friendship Centres across Saskatchewan AFCS, will develop circles where Indigenous women can come together and support each other.

“There’s a lot of Indigenous women out there who have expertise in different areas,” Carriere said. “And so if we can bring them together, and help each other, and learn from each other, I believe we can create some economic prosperity for Indigenous women in Prince Albert.”

The final piece of the framework aims to build relationships with organizations and employers to address the barriers and needs of Indigenous women. The most common barrier identified by the report is discrimination, including racism and sexism.

Recommendations are broken down according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, the Calls to Justice from the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and the articles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.

Carriere sees this as a key part of the blueprint.

“I know a lot of non-Indigenous people want to be following the recommendations and the calls to action but they don’t know how,” she said. “So the framework helps guide them to do that.”

Ultimately, Carriere said a lot of other provinces are watching what Indigenous groups in Saskatchewan are doing and she’s hopeful Honouring Her Spark will have national implications.

“I’m hoping we see change in our community and in our province,” she said. “And I’m hoping it will ripple across the country.”

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom