The Town of Ladysmith will be hosting a free, two-part cultural awareness workshop for those interested in learning about local Indigenous communities as part of a larger initiative to reduce poverty and curb stigma and racism.
The workshops will be held in March at the Stz’uminus Community Centre through the CommUnity Together to End Poverty Hw-nuts’-ulwum (as one) program.
Quw’utsun’ Cultural Connections and Social Planning Cowichan are facilitating the series and have offered the workshops in the region since 2008 when they were first developed for volunteers during the North American Indigenous Games hosted by Cowichan Tribes. SPC project coordinator Rosalie Sawrie told the News Bulletin that while participation has decreased due to the pandemic, organizers are anticipating about 100 people to attend in March.
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Since 2008, the workshops have reached more than 15,000 people in the region, including local leaders and business owner, police officers and other social service providers.
The first workshop, called Journey of our Generation, is set for March 9 and will focus on the systemic impacts of history shared through personal stories from residential school survivors. Through storytelling, experiential learning, role-playing and dialogue, participants will gain greater cultural sensitivity and a desire to learn more and take action, the press release noted.
The second workshop, Understanding Systemic Racism, is scheduled for March 30 and will focus specifically on the Stz’uminus First Nation and Ladysmith communities, including how locals can all take action in work places, volunteer activities and personal areas of influence to work and live better together. The second workshop will only be available for those who attend and complete the first session.
The poverty reduction strategy is led by the poverty reduction task group and is subsidized through a $50,000 grant received by the Union of B.C. Municipalities.
@Baileymseymour
bailey.seymour@nanimobulletin.com
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