ABOUT

The goal of this program is to develop greater mutual understanding between Indigenous leaders and ENGOs that work on conservation issues. After decades of state-led and expert driven conservation practice, where the establishment of protected areas frequently displaced Indigenous communities from their traditional territories, Canadians are beginning the process of repairing the relationship with Indigenous Peoples affected by past and present conservation policy.

In PARTNERSHIP with:

To date this collaboration has:

Hosted a public event in Toronto that brought together ~100 conservation NGO leaders with a panel of ICE Members: Eli Enns, Lisa Young, Marilyn Baptise and Steven Nitah with moderator Dr. Deborah McGregor. The panel was videotaped and can be viewed HERE.

Organized a webinar on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Presenters included Danika Littlechild, UNESCO and Littlechild Law; Eli Enns, Indigenous Circle of Experts for The Pathway to Canada Target 1, Jessica Clogg, West Coast Environmental Law and can be viewed HERE.

Two 2-day retreats in the GTA examined how environmental organizations can better account for settler colonialism in their work and thus make their work with Indigenous communities more effective. Lead facilitator Dr. Damien Lee and co-facilitators Kat Ryan and Eli Enns explored the issues of positional privilege, power, and ethical partnership with Indigenous peoples with the support of Indigenous knowledge keepers and Elders.

A number of mini projects during the summer of 2021:

- Four mini-projects with Plenty Canada: Truth and Reconciliation Training Program (TRTP), Youth Circle for Mother Earth (YCME), The Healing Place (THP) & Aichi Summer Workshops (ASW).

- Helping Dr. Damien Lee, Assistant Professor & Canada Research Chair in Biskaabiiyang and Indigenous Political Resurgence, develop a First Nation-ENGO partnership assessment tool from an Indigenous perspective.

- Helping The Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER) include ENGOs in some Collaborative Leadership Initiative (CLI) activities.

Funding for this work was provided by:

In partnership with: