The Circle Alberta Report: Dialogues on Aboriginal Futures–Strengthening Relationships for Shared Prosperity is now available for download. This comprehensive report stemming from the 2008 Circle Alberta Gathering includes a summary of the Dialogues of the project, recommendations for action and best practices highlights.
Background
In 2008, the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights (JHC) presented Circle Alberta: Strengthening Relationships for Shared Prosperity. Inspired by former Assembly of First Nations Chief Ovide Mercredi‘s disheartening speech at the John Humphrey Centre’s 2006 Building World Peace: The Role of Religion and Human Rights conference, Circle Alberta was a dialogue process that engaged stakeholders on critical issues, incorporating relationship building as a guiding framework. Phase I of Circle Alberta occurred throughout Alberta in eight communities over the course of many months during 2008, with Phase II culminating as a Gathering in Edmonton in October.
Over 150 participants, adults and youths, were consulted during Phase I onthree key themes: celebration (community successes); reflection (community challenges/gaps); and vision (future goals). These dialogues gave an overall picture of both the successes and challenges facing Aboriginal communities, and furthermore gave insight to emerging common issues, such as housing, employment, education and training, racism and discrimination as well as social services and assistance.
Drawing from these results, programming for Phase II utilized the umbrella themes of social development, capacity building and economic engagement. The Circle Alberta Gathering, from October 24-25, 2008, involved approximately 200 participants from across Alberta and included business and government stakeholders, in addition to the Aboriginal community members who participated in the dialogues during Phase I. The 2-day Gathering focused on acknowledging past in order to understand and focus on the future, instead of focusing solely on rectifying past wrongs. Keynote speakers included: Chief Ovide Mercredi; Andrew Bear Robe; Bob Watts; Dr Patricia Makokis; William Aguiar; Dave Ward; Debbie Coulter; Darrel Bruno; Carolyn Buffalo, Marie Wadden; Elijah Harper; Randy Risto; andVera Pawis Tabobondung.
A parallel youth dialogue occurred just prior to the Gathering, wherein Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal youth confronted racial stereotypes as well as addressed issues facing their own community.
The Circle Alberta Gathering provided a unique perspective on addressing critical issues for Aboriginal Peoples due in part to the diversity of experience and participants. The recommendations and best practices show that the necessary work to build social development, capacity building and economic development has already begun, but requires much more support from the broader Alberta community for the vision of economic and social inclusion to be fully realized.
The Circle Alberta Gathering would not have been possible without the generous support of our partners, including the Government of Alberta, the Government of Canada as well as the Alberta Human Rights Education and Multiculturalism Fund. Moreover, the Circle Alberta dialogues and Gathering would not have happened without the generous and genuine participation from members of various Aboriginal communities, organizations and activists as well as non-Aboriginal organizations and individuals, whose guidance, inspiration and hope for a better, more inclusive society were invaluable.
The Circle Alberta Report: Dialogues on Aboriginal Futures–Strengthening Relationships for Shared Prosperity is now available for download. This comprehensive report stemming from the 2008 Circle Alberta Gathering includes a summary of the Dialogues of the project, recommendations for action and best practices highlights.
