As most of you know, the 30th of September each year is National Day of Truth and Reconciliation or Orange Shirt Day. The day is used every year to commemorate survivors of residential schools, as well as push for change in the form of allyship and reconciliation between settlers and Indigenous Peoples. But- reconciliation doesn’t begin and end on September 30th. It is something that is a continuous process, every day, for people inhabiting Turtle Island.
This month, Doula Canada is releasing our Truth and Reconciliation Action Plan Draft for students and alumni to check out! Based on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action, our reconciliation plan for 2023 reflects the goals outlined in the recommendations by the commission. You can see the action plan here below.
What does this mean? It means that these four recommendations are what we are working toward in 2023. As we continue our journeys as a vocational school, we will continue to evaluate how we can incorporate more of these goals into our curriculum, programming, and overall community at Doula Canada.
There will also be a two-hour Indigenous-specific focus group in November led by Inclusion and Engagement Lead for Indigenous Peoples, Kayt Ward. Honorariums will be provided to participants. Please stay tuned for dates and times or email Kayt at kayt@doulatraining.ca if you’re interested in participating.
September 30th- How are you reflecting? Staff at Doula Canada will be participating in various learning experiences throughout the day, and we recommend students do the same. Don’t know where to start? Follow our social media to register for events we will be promoting by external organizations, come to one of the following events, or try a journal prompt.
Indigenous members pop up Bannock and Tea circle. Topic: Peer Support and Grief. September 30th, from 6-7 pm EST on Zoom.
“We Were Children” Film Night and Settler Learning Circle. September 30th from 7-8 pm EST on Zoom.
Journal Prompts:
What can we do as educators and birth workers to decolonize and deconstruct power systems in Canada? How can we dismantle oppression, and create a safe and equitable space for all?
What is my relationship with the land I reside on. Whose land am I standing on?
How can I participate in decolonization and the Landback movement?
How does settler-colonialism impact my life?
Chi Miigwetch,
Kayt Ward, Inclusion and Engagement Lead for Indigenous Peoples[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”461820″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”461821″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”461822″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”461823″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1632997516706{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]September 30th is now National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. So what does this mean? How does it relate to doula care and birth work?
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation comes after decades of emotional labour and advocacy from Indigenous communities, as well as a year of grieving Indigenous children and investigating the tragedies of the residential school system. Not only did Indigenous families experience the horrors of this system, but many others as well, such as the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), the 60’s scoop, and current extraction of environmental resources.
This is not history. This is happening now. Something needs to change.
Why are we asking members to reflect today? Besides being citizens on Indigenous lands, birth and postpartum workers interact directly with Indigenous families, and play an integral role in mitigating systemic oppression and intergenerational trauma.
For example:
Providing culturally sensitive care and awareness when working with Indigenous families
Providing trauma-informed care for those impacted by violence and adult child survivors of the child protection system
Creating space for cultural birthing practices
Advocating against racialized medical violence
Getting comfortable with truth and reconciliation requires a lot of discomfort. This is okay. It is only when we face our shortcomings head on that we can progress toward change. We welcome you to reflect on some questions today.
Reflection Questions for Doulas:
How have I benefited from capitalism, colonialism, and extraction of resources?
How have I upheld colonial norms that can potentially cause harm?
What did I learn growing up about the history of Canada and Indigenous Peoples?
When we can acknowledge we are a product of wider system indoctrinations like white supremacy, colonialism, etc. we can separate our character from the issues at hand. Good people can do harm. Good people are capable of racism, classism, and perpetuating colonial norms. Shame restricts us from moving forward.
In an effort to show this to you, here is mine. As an Indigenous person, I am still capable of perpetrating colonial harm.
I benefited from colonial post-secondary institutions and obtaining a western education
I have upheld colonial norms in the social work field as a mandated reporter
I learned in elementary school that Canada obtained the land fairly and through agreement with Indigenous Peoples. Since then, I have done a degree in Indigenous Studies and learned about the tragedies of colonialism.
Don’t know where to start? Dr. Lynne Davis of Trent University and her class “Transforming Settler Relations” have compiled a database of Canadian initiatives that support allyship, education, and decolonization. Find an initiative here: https://transformingrelations.wordpress.com/
To any Indigenous and non-Indigenous doulas who have questions, need support, or would like to chat about truth and reconciliation, please contact Kayt at kayt@doulatraining.ca
Miigwetch,
Kayt Ward (She/Her)
Indigenous Inclusion and Engagement Lead, BSW[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1560260285382{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1560260682164{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Doula Training Canada’s Indigenous Doula Consultant Miranda reflects on the release of the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry report and how we as citizens of Canada, and birth professionals can work towards self reflection and change. [/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider size=”12″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1560260346551{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]The final report of the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) National Inquiry was released on June 3. The report, entitled ‘Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’, comes in two volumes and issues 231 ‘Calls for Justice’ as essential next steps to end and redress the colonial violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual) people.
You may be wondering where to begin integrating the findings of this report and the Calls for Justice into your daily life. The vast majority of the Calls to Justice are directed toward all levels of government, and those in the media, health and child welfare systems, law enforcement, criminal justice, education, and extractive and development industries. There are also Calls for Justice for all Canadians, which can serve as a framework and starting place for you. They are as follows:
Denounce and speak out against violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people.
Decolonize by learning the true history of Canada and Indigenous history in your local area. Learn about and celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ history, cultures, pride, and diversity, acknowledging the land you live on and its importance to local Indigenous communities, both historically and today.
Develop knowledge and read the Final Report. Listen to the truths shared, and acknowledge the burden of these human and Indigenous rights violations, and how they impact Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people today.
Using what you have learned and some of the resources suggested, become a strong ally. Being a strong ally involves more than just tolerance; it means actively working to break down barriers and to support others in every relationship and encounter in which you participate.
Confront and speak out against racism, sexism, ignorance, homophobia, and transphobia, and teach or encourage others to do the same, wherever it occurs: in your home, in your workplace, or in social settings.
Protect, support, and promote the safety of women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people by acknowledging and respecting the value of every person and every community, as well as the right of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people to generate their own, self-determined solutions.
Create time and space for relationships based on respect as human beings, supporting and embracing differences with kindness, love, and respect. Learn about Indigenous principles of relationship specific to those Nations or communities in your local area and work, and put them into practice in all of your relationships with Indigenous Peoples.
Help hold all governments accountable to act on the Calls for Justice, and to implement them according to the important principles set out in the final report.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”mulled_wine”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1560261171118{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]There are also Calls of Justice that are applicable to us in our roles as doulas and childbirth educators. The report calls upon governments, health service providers, and child welfare services to:
Recognize that Indigenous Peoples are the experts in caring for and healing themselves, and that health and wellness services are most effective when they are designed and delivered by the Indigenous Peoples they are supposed to serve, in a manner consistent with and grounded in the practices, world views, cultures, languages, and values of the diverse Inuit, Métis, and First Nations communities they serve.
Provide necessary resources, including funding, to support the revitalization of Indigenous health, wellness, and child and Elder care practices. This includes matriarchal teachings on midwifery and postnatal care for both woman and child.
Ensure that all persons involved in the provision of health services to Indigenous Peoples receive ongoing training, education, and awareness in areas including, but not limited to: the history of colonialism in the oppression and genocide of Inuit, Métis, and First Nations Peoples; anti-bias and anti-racism; local language and culture; and local health and healing practices.
End to the practice of targeting and apprehending infants (hospital alerts or birth alerts) from Indigenous mothers right after they give birth.
Ensure the availability of effective, culturally appropriate, and accessible health and wellness services within each Inuit community. This includes the establishment and funding of birthing centres in each Inuit community, as well as the training of Inuit midwives in both Inuit and contemporary birthing techniques.
These Calls for Justice present us with points for reflection in our practices as doulas and childbirth educators. How do you support Indigenous Peoples as experts in their own health? How can you lend support to revitalization of Indigenous health and wellness practices? Are you pursuing ongoing training and education to expand your understanding of colonization and local Indigenous Peoples, cultures, and practices? I invite all of us to reflect on our practices and examine how we can act on the Calls of Justice above.
We each have the opportunity to be a change agent in our community. We are at the frontline of birth culture and can act as advocates at a systemic level. We can collaborate and strategize to make doula services and childbirth education more accessible to Indigenous Peoples. We can support the training and mentorship of Indigenous doulas and childbirth educators, and build communities of practice around them. We can build working relationships with local Indigenous communities and service agencies. We can connect Indigenous families to Indigenous Patient Liaisons, Cultural Liaisons and Elders in Residence, or advocate for these positions if none exist in your local hospitals. We can build relationships with local health care providers and ask how they are responding to these Calls to Justice.
We have a collective responsibility to consider how our work can disrupt the status quo of societal and institutional violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. I welcome your stories of how you are enacting these Calls for Justice in your work.
Here are some resources to support you further in your learning:
Miranda Kelly Indigenous Doula Consultant Doula Canada
Miranda Kelly is Stó:lô from Soowahlie First Nation, living in the unceded, ancestral lands of the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh (Vancouver, BC). She is a wife and mother of two. She has worked professionally in Indigenous health in a variety of research, policy and education roles for over a decade. Miranda holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Victoria and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of British Columbia. She is a certified Birth and Postpartum Doula and currently completing certification as a Childbirth Educator. As a member of the ekw’i7tl doula collective, she provides full spectrum doula services to Indigenous families and helps build a community of practice among Indigenous doulas in Vancouver. She is proud to join the amazing team at Doula Canada in the newly created role of Indigenous Doula Consultant.https://www.mirandakelly.com/[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1560260682164{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Doula Training Canada’s Indigenous Doula Consultant Miranda reflects on the release of the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry report and how we as citizens of Canada, and birth professionals can work towards self reflection and change. [/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider size=”12″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1560260346551{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]
