awareness and events
Raising awareness about ending homelessness, and how each of us plays a role, is an important part of our work. A greater understanding and involvement from the entire community is essential for achieving the goal of ending homelessness.
Homeward Trust engages in a number of activities to raise awareness about homelessness in Edmonton including:
- Offering small grants for awareness projects in the community
- Providing regular updates through our website (homewardtrust.ca) and blog (blog.homewardtrust.ca/), and maintaining an active social media presence through Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube
- Presenting at many community events, where we provide information to raise awareness and promote ending homelessness
- Coordinating events such as Homeless Connect, the ROOPH Awards and National Housing Day
Success
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At semi-annual Homeless Connect events, 60 different services are provided free of charge to more than 1200 guests
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On March 8 2012, we recognized six individuals and organizations at the 2012 ROOPH Awards for their outstanding contributions to the housing sector, including Former Premier Ed Stelmach, who received Special Recognition for Leadership towards Ending Homelessness
Aboriginal Awareness Workshops
Workshop: Aboriginal Diversity Workshop
Facilitator: Gilman Cardinal
Duration: Half day
Synopsis: This workshop will introduce the basic knowledge of the Cree Aboriginal people and their culture of Alberta. The presentation will include historical and current facts; cultural/ artifact presentations and ceremonial practices and traditions. The facilitator will also provide national, provincial and local statistical information for a greater understanding and enhancement for the participants.
Facilitator: Gilman Cardinal
Duration: Half day
Synopsis: This workshop will introduce the basic knowledge of the Cree Aboriginal people and their culture of Alberta. The presentation will include historical and current facts; cultural/ artifact presentations and ceremonial practices and traditions. The facilitator will also provide national, provincial and local statistical information for a greater understanding and enhancement for the participants.
Workshop: Child Welfare – Sixties Scoop
Facilitator: Executive Director – Creating Hope Society
Duration: Half day
Synopsis: This workshop will examine, the Sixties Scoop, a term that refers to a phenomenon in Canada, beginning in the 1960's and carrying on until the 1970's, of unusually high numbers of Aboriginal children apprehended from their families and fostered or adopted out, usually into non-Aboriginal families. These children have since articulated their sense of loss: loss of their cultural identity, lost contact with their birth families, barred access from medical histories and for status Indian children, loss of their status.
Facilitator: Executive Director – Creating Hope Society
Duration: Half day
Synopsis: This workshop will examine, the Sixties Scoop, a term that refers to a phenomenon in Canada, beginning in the 1960's and carrying on until the 1970's, of unusually high numbers of Aboriginal children apprehended from their families and fostered or adopted out, usually into non-Aboriginal families. These children have since articulated their sense of loss: loss of their cultural identity, lost contact with their birth families, barred access from medical histories and for status Indian children, loss of their status.
The vision of Creating Hope Society is to engage in a process of reconciliation that will allow Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal caregivers to arrive at a new place of understanding of the historical devastating impacts of child welfare system. This workshop will give an understanding how this led homelessness and the breakup of family systems.
Workshop: Residential School
Facilitator: Regional Liaison – Alberta – Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada
Duration: Half Day
Synopsis: This workshop will partially examine the residential school history in Canada and the intergenerational effects on individual and family dynamics. The session will raise awareness of the harms of Indian Residential School and explain some of the root causes of homelessness, loss of identity and other impacts it has had on the Aboriginal population.
Facilitator: Regional Liaison – Alberta – Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada
Duration: Half Day
Synopsis: This workshop will partially examine the residential school history in Canada and the intergenerational effects on individual and family dynamics. The session will raise awareness of the harms of Indian Residential School and explain some of the root causes of homelessness, loss of identity and other impacts it has had on the Aboriginal population.
The workshop will also explain the apology from the Canadian Government, the settlement agreements and the function of the Truth and reconciliation Commission of Canada.
Workshop: Circles
Facilitator: Elsie Gauthier – DiverseCity – Alberta Health Services
Duration: Full Day
Synopsis: Circles consciously engage all aspects of human experience- spiritual, emotional, physical and mental. Circles use a ceremony or intentional centering activity in the opening and in the closing to mark the circle as sacred space in which participants are present with themselves and one another in way that is different from an ordinary meeting. Most Aboriginal people’s approach to life is a holistic traditional point of view (natural law teachings) as compared to western society’s linear analytical ideology.
Facilitator: Elsie Gauthier – DiverseCity – Alberta Health Services
Duration: Full Day
Synopsis: Circles consciously engage all aspects of human experience- spiritual, emotional, physical and mental. Circles use a ceremony or intentional centering activity in the opening and in the closing to mark the circle as sacred space in which participants are present with themselves and one another in way that is different from an ordinary meeting. Most Aboriginal people’s approach to life is a holistic traditional point of view (natural law teachings) as compared to western society’s linear analytical ideology.
This workshop will differentiate the two separate ideals and aim to understand a general background of western vs. non- western ideals. The workshop will also teach about the power of the Sharing Circle and delve into traditional knowledge and sacred aspects of aboriginal people.
Other topics will include:
• Introduction of the philosophical and theoretical significance of circles; Aboriginal aspects of the human experience- spiritual, emotional, physical and mental
• Interruption of the transfer of knowledge
• History of colonization and its significance on the effect of Aboriginal people today
• Introduction of the philosophical and theoretical significance of circles; Aboriginal aspects of the human experience- spiritual, emotional, physical and mental
• Interruption of the transfer of knowledge
• History of colonization and its significance on the effect of Aboriginal people today
