Career Edge

Summary

Career Edge reached out to the Service System Manager Department (SSM) housed at Fleming College to find assistance in the development of a Land Acknowledgement for their

Campbellford office.

SSM advised Career Edge that some Indigenous Aware (IA) Training should be completed to form the basis of the development of the Land Acknowledgement and connected Career Edge to Cambium Indigenous Professional Services (CIPS).

Goal

The goal of this project is to develop a Land Acknowledgement for each of the five Career Edge Offices located in Ontario, as well as deliver Indigenous Aware Training for all Career Edge Staff so that there is a foundation in which to develop the Land Acknowledgements from.

Indigenous Aware Training

The CIPS Team delivered (virtually) Indigenous Awareness training sessions that helped the Career Edge Staff in understanding Indigenous Awareness and confident in the terminology. Staff learned to understand (at a high level) where certain words come from (such as “Indigenous”) to feel confident in their vocabulary moving forward.

This training also provided the participants an understanding of present-day issues that Indigenous Communities are faced with on an ongoing basis. In addition, the Indigenous Aware training explained the importance of taking the time to create respectful, reciprocal relationships with Indigenous Communities (for the benefit all future generations).

Development of Land Acknowledgement

The CIPS Team facilitated a series of meetings with the staff from the individual Career Edge Offices starting with a presentation on the “Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action” (to form the basis for the Land Acknowledgement development). Consecutive meetings following the presentation helped to guide the Land Acknowledgement development which resulted in unique Land Acknowledgements for each individual office.

Results

Cambium Indigenous Professional Services provided the following services to Career Edge:

1) Indigenous Aware Training;

2) Land Acknowledgement training sessions;

3) Development of Land Acknowledgement Statements for each office

Indigenous Aware Training

Two Indigenous Aware Training Sessions were provided to Career Edge delivered virtually to 25 participants. The first Indigenous aware training session was delivered virtually and covered

the following topics:

- Demographics

- Populations

- The Basics of Community

- Governance Structure

- The Indian Act

- Membership

- Registration

- Operational Structure

- Lands

- First Nations Revenues

- Tribal Councils

The second Indigenous aware training session (delivered virtually) covered the following topics:

- Residential Schools

- Indian Day Schools

- Truth and Reconciliation

- 94 Calls to Action

- United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

- Bill C-15

- Article 10

- The 60's Scoop

- Inquiries

- Settlement Agreement

Land Acknowledgement training sessions

Facilitated meetings were held for each office to review Land Acknowledgements including:

- What are Land Acknowledgements

- The intent of Land Acknowledgements

- The purpose of Land Acknowledgements

- Question and answer period

Land Acknowledgement Development

Land Acknowledgements were created for each of the Career Edge offices located at:

- Belleville - Trenton

- Campbellford

- Napanee

- Picton

Each office recieved a final Land Acknowledgements based on research (of the area), and staff input (from faciliated meetings for each office). Cambium Indigenous Professional Services would like to thank Career Edge for the opporunity to work on such a special project and for allowing us to use the project in our showcase.