The Paths Ahead
Report
The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada
Inspiring Approaches to First Nations, Metis and Inuit Learning Summit
April 16 – 18, 2012
Gatineau, Quebec
The Changemakers initiative is a platform for finding, sharing and collaborating on ideas
and projects to support First Nations, Metis and Inuit learning. The Inspiring Approaches to
First Nation, Metis and Inuit Learning Summit convened 160 delegates including 30 award
winners from the Changemakers initiative.
The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada took the lead in facilitating the
closing session at the summit under the guidance of the Summit Advisory Committee. With
support from facilitator, Joy Persall, the closing session (90 minutes) utilized an open space
forum as a means to plan a collective and continued journey as philanthropists, leaders, and
innovators working towards improving First Nations, Metis and Inuit Learning in Canada.
The Circle is a charitable organization with an emphasis on the spirit of collaboration as a
means to increase the level of innovation and investment in Aboriginal communities. Our
priority as a new organization is to build strategic connections and collaborations. For
example, our strategy is to foster and support a Collaborative Circle on Aboriginal Youth
Leadership and Education (Figure 1). Taking a lead in facilitating the closing session would
ideally provide an opportunity to populate this Collaborative Circle.
The purpose of this report is showcase the recommendations that were brought forward by
the delegates that participated.
Identify key
issues and
learn about
innovationa
solutions
Expand the
level and
reach of
financial and
human
resouces
Aboriginal
Youth
Leadership and
Education
Collcaborative
Circle
Implement
new
learnings as
individuals
Nurture
conversation
s and
strenghten
relationships
Identify
collaborative
action
Ten pre-identified
Champions took a lead on
facilitating small table-top
discussions with delegates
who remained for the
closing session. It is
estimated that
approximately 100
delegates participated.
In the small group exercise,
the Champions facilitated
the discussion:
1. What brought you here?
2. Where do we go from here.
In the final 30 minutes of each Champion shared there discussion broadly in a open fish
bowl.
Recommendations:
It would be helpful if the Circle could raise awareness of the dynamics involved in change
processes - things like interventions in complex systems, cross cultural discourse and
collaboration, impact measurement, scaling up, down and outwards, and so on. This could
have enormous impact on the effectiveness and impact of our movement. (This was not my
suggestion, but the McConnell Family Foundation and our Social Innovation Generation
partnership are dedicated to this kind of work and would be happy to help with this).
Developing continuity among the diverse offerings on view at the summit (and more
broadly with the other submissions, and extending to those who didn't enter) would be an
important goal. How can we link the groups working on early child development, for
example? Or those focused on the transition to post-secondary? In addition there is a
continuity question that relates to specific regions, where we'd like to be able to 'ladder'
students from one level to another with an accompanying set of complementary activities
and programming.
We need to imagine and promote a different funding economy to support this work. Too
much to get into here, but I'd be happy to discuss with you at a later date. Some ideas:
pooled funds for supporting youth-led innovation with grants or investments; social impact
bonds; trusts and community foundations funded with power system and resource
revenues; joint funding of a learning platform for the Circle...
The appetite for continuing to solicit and celebrate innovative ideas, which was widespread
at the summit, could be met in part with an on-line event(s) at significantly less cost than it
took to produce this event. We might think about holding an in-person event every two or
three years to coincide with a Circle/PFC/Community Foundation conference.
The Circle has an important role to play in mobilizing knowledge - from the basics of how
we do this work to the exploration and evaluation of alternatives. The concept of a
'marketplace' for ideas resonated with our group. Profiles of outstanding innovators;
testimony from elders; training materials for mentors - all with an active brokering function
that proactively and responsively linked people and organizations with one another.
A platform organized around the ideas in #5 could also provide access to professional
consulting services - provided pro bono or at subsidized rates, focused on helping
organizations to achieve sustainability and impact.
The concept of 'reconciliation' should be considered to be part of the context for our work.
This is a long term commitment to undoing the damage done to Aboriginal individuals,
families communities and societies, and to restoring and renewing Aboriginal and nonAboriginal relations. Just as housing doesn't address the complex issue we term
'homelessness', education does not fully address the loss of identity, culture and language.
As a final, personal reflection, I'd like to add an observation about the potential for our work
to have enduring impact on non-Aboriginal learning. This meeting was striking for the fact
that it brought a multi-generational perspective to the issues by including elders and youth.
Why not adopt this as a core principle for all of our work, and encourage its adoption more
widely?
Personal notes from Victoria Grant:
What are you learning?
Due to what I learned, I will use the Logic Model in proposals.
Keep going until someone makes a mistake – then laugh
Funders need literacy
The Circle to facilitate role of future work in this field
Action?
Burning Wish – Corporate Sponsors, like RBC, who are actively engaged in corporate
philanthropy, will become advocates for social responsibility with other corporate citizens.
Then form CSR advocacy groups to inform government.
How and where do universities fit into this landscape, when looking for funds? They do
some excellent work and sometimes find it hard to find funding.
Locally- Being responsive – How do we support agencies to have this collective
conversation?
Call together local funder groups and rethink how we were planning to dialogue and engage
with local Aboriginal groups.
Further down the road, if there is an interest, canvass key partners to start discussion
around collectively addressing common challenges/ issues etc..
Ensure that models service needs of community as defined by community
Find ways to tell personal stories/ lived experience in a positive way
Bring forward personal philanthropy to Circle initiatives
Learn more about projects to replicate
In addition to Education Collaborative, Land Water Collaborative and create a Funders
collaborative
Personal notes from Elisha Muskat:
Are individual projects enough? If no, what else can be done?
How can we reach more kids across Canada?
Why are we reinventing the wheel?
Where are the oxfams to put the spotlight here?
Who should be leading, bringing people to the table? Who’s the right facilitator and base it
on a constellation collaborative model?
Where does the money come from? (Oil Company)
Was tobacco offered and spirits consulted at the outset of the project?
How can stories be told?
Share our lived experiences with all Canadians
Things are getting worse to urgency and the realities
Holistic approach -Feed kids if we want them to learn -Stop violence -Strengthen security What is “the norm” and honor other models -With spiritual and emotional learning
Build a network to learn and share successes with First Nations, Metis and Inuit together
for on and off reserve status.-Perhaps an open sharing should be of high importance Aiming for a cooperation and collaboration -Need elder and youth participation
(intergenerational)
Lastly, stories should be shared in a holistic way; not in singular, using many parts in the
stories in a variety of different ways
Personal Notes from Dana Vocisano:
How to continue the panel discussion of this morning, of funders and award winners, about
and sharing the learning about what works and doesn’t work
How to keep continuing of sharing, links and knowledge between award winners and with
Aboriginal communities globally
How do we learn about innovations in Aboriginal communities across Canada that might
help the program in my home community (Inspira is building a program that might address
this)
How do we educate non-aboriginal and Canadians about needs and realities with Aboriginal
peoples
Personal notes from Stephen Couchman:
How do we stay connected with the 200 programs that are not here long term –Online
mentoring –value added day camps –collaboration
National organizations richness is enlightening –cannot work national without working
with communities and individuals
Robert Blythe –an invisible sack –highly visible
More of this work –prize rec community –resources to articulate ideas and collaborate
Communications critical
Elders forum
Crystal –January –name and networks
Building relationships
Bridge gap –its voting issues –turned off online voting
Can be discouraging
RFP –let people respond –show how it will work
Ideas –how to move ahead –opportunity for network
Follow up
Trust building: How do we maintain trust and connection with the many worthy 200+
programs and communities who applied but aren’t here today? -connect soon –create
opportunities RFP –invite into network
Rich ecosystem and idea diverstity
Personal notes from Marie Fawley-Henry
There are many grassroot level projects that work
Gaining new perspective (stepping back from everyday world)
Build strong connections with youth and elders between the north and be more inclusive
with Inuit communities (for example)
These foundations that are here- continue to build relationships with Aboriginal
organizations that have a network
Reinforce ideas to unite to develop unique thinking, (develop critical thinking, skills, open
doors for each person to develop knowledge in a unity with diverse, identity and flexiblilty
and education. Inite knowledge for the world to understand
Being more aware of Philanthropy community
Need tools to develop for Aboriginal communities to access Philanthropy –Have a
Philanthropic Development session for free, similar to AFOA –Train Aboriginal peoples on
foundation development (training, creating capacity with communities)
Bring this awareness to communities (philanthropic)
Creating more awareness with Philanthropic communities and with Aboriginal
communities, how we do the work we do –learn from each other (2 way street)
Have a Philanthropic facilitator(s)
Match the project needs to the funder
This must continue (ideas is change) help Philanthropic turn the tables
Personal notes from the girl volunteer
How do we take momentum from the projects and move them into a bigger scale? –the
circle can help in Aboriginal philanthropy
Why is there not a national databank about what foundations are out there? –the BIG online
access to all foundations of Canada –imagine Canada
The need for mentoring and support, how do we make that happen and on a ongoing basis?
The tools, experience, capacity building; How can we use these new moments to network
and relationship build?
How do we describe what we are doing to various parties, e.g policy makers? How do we
make a system that is connected? E.g everyone working in early childhood education are all
connected.
Access to professional consultants would be helpful
A marketplace for sharing iniactives and sharing support and knowledge
Sharing the realities within Canada and the conditions that people live in. How do we get
the stories out in a holistic way? What is needed is told –using stories, videos and photos,
community led.
How do we education non-Aboriginal communities about Aboriginal communities needs.
How do we continue the discussion about funders (as discussed in earlier panel)
How do we maintain the connections made at the summit?
Trust building –how do we maintain connections with others who applied to be at the
summit. –invite them into the network?
How can we get corporate sponsors to encourage other corporate sponsors to participate in
the type of philanthropy?
Educating other Canadians about the reconciliation theme
Appendix 1
Joy Persall Biography
•
•
Following a 20 year career in philanthropy, Joy was selected as a Bush Foundation
Leadership Fellow in 2010 and has focused this opportunity on indigenous leadership
and earning her degree in Organization Management and Development and Executive
Coaching through Fielding Graduate University. Persall has served as the Executive
Director of Native Americans in Philanthropy, Associate Director of The Headwaters
Foundation for Justice and co-founded Fund of the Sacred Circle. Joy holds a degree in
Multi-cultural Nonprofit Management, is a certified Senior Coach through the World
Institute for Action Learning and Triple Impact Practitioners 'Use of Self As Change
Agent' Program.
Joy currently serves the boards of the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center,
Wellstone Action, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, Heartland
Democracy, and Windcall Institute. Of Aniishinabe French Canadian descent, Joy
celebrates being a mother, grandmother, gardener, traveler and friend. Joy is committed
to a life supported by community and family, working for equity and justice, and caring
for our Mother Earth
Champions:
1. Elisha Muskat, Ashoka Canada
2. Terry Fortin, Quality Learning Solutions Inc
3. Bruce Lawson Counselling Foundation
4. Stephen Huddart: McConnell Foundation
5. Harry Willmot , RBC Sr. Manager, Aboriginal Market Development
6. Joey Flowers, Citizen Journalist
7. Marie Frawley-Henry, Assembly of First Nations
8. Stephen Couchman
9. Victoria Grant
10. Dana Vocisano