GIDT A YEAR IN REVIEW 2022

A MESSAGE FROM GIDT FOUNDERS JERRY & SONIA

This past year has brought tremendous blessings in the form of new partnerships, successful endeavours in community re-building and leadership training, and tremendous impact in education, awareness, and advocacy. We are grateful to our existing friends and the new friends that have come into the Global Indigenous Trust community this year. We have continued our work in building bridges, training and leadership development, and global networks of knowledge sharing, innovation, and wise practice to support our goals of Thriving Nations Everywhere!

From launching our inaugural Champions of Change - Advanced Leadership for Community Re-Building certificated course; to the continued support of community re-building in Canada and across the Americas; a new global community hub of learning, knowledge exchange and development tools and resources; to new friendships and exchanges of wise practice in Mali and the continent of Africa; our new partnership with Mno Aki Land Trust to support land-based learning, healing and reconciliation; and our ongoing advocacy through participation and speaking at conferences, events and leading fora, we continue to advance values-driven economic development

We believe that all life has value – from the air that we breathe, to the fish spawning beds, migratory paths and hibernation dens, the knowledge of Elders and the light of the youth This is True Value Accounting We believe in supporting our Mother Earth and local communities wherever they may be to foster Life Economies again

We would like to say a big miigwech, medhu and dyakuyu, to our Mother Earth, a living breathing being that gives us life, nourishes us and is our greatest partner in all that we do

We look forward to an exciting year ahead as we continue to bring in the best and most innovative biomimetic technologies and design principles, thought-leadership and tried and true skills from the ground across Turtle Island and around the world, to support in community rebuilding efforts

We would like to thank our sponsors and supporters, our Indigenous Board and Advisors, as well as our community partners from around the world We look forward to continuing to build meaningful friendships and prosperous communities for the well-being of people, the planet and future generations

Wishing everyone a truly blessed holiday season and a prosperous new year!

With love, Jerry and Sonia

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS & SPONSORS

GIDT would like to acknowledge the incredible kindness, vision and generosity of its partners and sponsors. GIDT would like to thank the ongoing support of the DelZotto family, who have built great success, all on community values, never wavering from their principles. It is the strength and grounding of these pioneers that inspire us all to greatness.

We would love to work with you! If you would like to support our work, please contact partnerships@globalindigenoustrust.org

BUILDING NATURAL LEADERS

Champions of Change - Advanced Leadership Training for Community ReBuilding

The inaugural Champions of Change – Leadership for Community Re-building 12-week course just completed with great success! The program brought together speakers, presenters and students from across Canada. The featured topics included Indigenous case studies, the building blocks of meaningful community and economic development, land management, joint ventures, negotiation, how to develop and sell your vision, and much more.

Guest speakers presented real-life examples of businesses and organizations that are creating inclusive prosperity and providing ecologically-friendly solutions in areas such as food systems resilience, biomimetic and alternative fuel technologies, and sustainable infrastructure.

We are full steam ahead and preparing to run additional cohorts in 2023. Stay tuned for more details on our website!

Click here to register for next year's cohort.

Guest

I have enjoyed all of the successful and hopeful stories that have been shared with us. Beyond that, the understanding of how to build an idea and what you need to do bring it into fruition!

I would definitely recommend this class to others who want to do something to support and develop their local community. The information and understanding gained from the lived experience of those involved in the instruction of the course is invaluable.

Jerry Asp on what Champions of Change is all about.

A way of connecting communities in Canada and the world

WACHARI ENTERPRISES

Wachari Board of Director Training

GIDT delivered a six-week Board of Directors training course to the Wachari Enterprises Board of Directors in September. Wachari Enterprises is the business initiative of members of the Garifuna Nation in Belize. The business, which produces high-end agricultural and medicinal products, was created by the community to advance economic development based on traditional knowledge and values. The feedback on the course was overwhelmingly positive and the training, which outlined the roles and responsibilities of Board Directors, was described as “valuable and essential training that every Board Director should receive.”

Negotiating Joint Venture Partnerships

GIDT continues to support the Wachari Enterprise of the Garifuna Nation in Central America to negotiate and implement a Joint-Venture Partnership with a Canadian producer to market and distribute their line of healing products from the pristine rainforests of Belize.

Training on Oil Presses

Intercontinental-Cultural Exchange

GIDT is building bridges and new friendships with the continent of Africa through its inaugural Intercontinental-Cultural Exchange between Elders and leaders from Canada and the Ginna Dogon People in Mali centring on Natural Resource Governance. The virtual day-long event took place in February of this year and the First Nations in Canada were represented by: Elder and former Chief P. Jerry Asp, Elder and former Chief Keith Matthew, Elder and Hereditary Chief Bob Joseph, Mary Boyden, Nalaine Morin and Jasper Lamoulle. This event was in partnership with the Ginna Dogon People of Mali, the Government of the Republic of Mali and the Embassy of Mali in Canada. Videos of this event will be available on our website in the new year!

We participated in PDAC, MineAfrica, Indigenous Arts and Fashion Week and more!

GIDT President with Mali Ambassador and friends

GIDT with Northern College and Mali Ambassador

GIDT President with Nigerian Minister Gathering between Mali Ambassador, former Canadian Ambassador, GIDT board member Keith Matthew and President Sonia Molodecky to discuss cross-cultural relationships

Exchanging wise practice with African delegation At PDAC Africa day

COMMUNITY RE-BUILDING

Indigenous Land-Based Teaching and Stewardship

GIDT supported the creation and start-up of an Indigenous Grandmother and Woman led land trust, Mno Aki Land Trust, which means “Good Earth” in Ojibwe, that will provide the opportunity to receive lands back to indigenous stewardship for healing, land-based learning, environmental remediation and reconciliation.

Mno Aki is the result of Indigenous and non-Indigenous women coming together to steward, cultivate relationships, teach, and heal with the lands; to foster new ways of working with the land and each other. GIDT is supporting a focus on working and empowering youth with healthy food systems, education, community, hands-on skills development, and wellbeing on the land.

Managing Director, Becky Big Canoe of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation

For more information and to get involved, contact: info@mnoaki.org

Through its work on land-based learning and healing, GIDT is supporting land-based schools that foster learning on the land, connecting with Spirit, working together across cultures, and conscious leadership that works for the Earth and healthy people. GIDT provided business development support and project management training to a new land-based school, as well as a tipi designed by the children that reflects the spirit of the land on which it is based.

So far this year we have managed to raise over $25,000.00 for our programs in the Ecuadorian Amazon to support communitybased Ecotourism, Land preservation, and Cultural resurgence with the Indigenous Shuar Community near the city of Macas in Ecuador. GIDT's overall goal in working with the Shuar in Ecuador is to support the stewards of one of the Earth's most important regions for global health and wellbeing, as the lungs of the Earth. For 2023 we are focused on recuperating ancestral Shuar territory and cultural knowledge for future generations to come. We are also supporting community-based Eco-tourism projects in the region as a viable alternative for economic and sustainable development. Our program manager Martina Paloheimo is doing her Ph.D. research at Queen's University in partnership with the community and will be publishing her work over the next year. Please stay tuned for more exciting things to come as we just gear up our projects in the region! Donate to our ongoing fundraiser for these projects here

Preserving our Mother Earth and Shuar ancestral culture in the Ecuadorian Amazon

"Indigenous lands make up around 20% of the Earth's territory, containing 80% of the world's remaining biodiversity - a sign Indigenous Peoples are the most effective stewards of the environment."

Supporting Sápara Life Economy and Biodiversity Economy Pilot

Indigenous people are the caretakers of most of the remaining ecosystems in the world that are still thriving in their original forms. The Amazon in particular is home to an intricate and amazingly complex biodiversity that holds the promise of incredible healing potential for body and spirit. Yet First Peoples are not compensated for their ongoing stewardship and their lands are under intense threat of destruction from corporate interests that do not take into account the value of the region’s biodiversity in its intact form.

We are piloting a project with the Sápara Nation to provide the community with just compensation for caretaking the biodiversity on their lands and providing this immeasurable value to the world. Investors will be able to support the preservation of the Amazon’s unique ecosystems and participate in the educational offerings of the community. The Sápara have well-established education and wellness centres that provide training on topics such as medicinal plants, traditional ecological knowledge, and living in balance between the spiritual and material. This project is intended to bring these essential teachings to the world and at the same time, create new economies that support life.

Ushigua, political and spiritual leader of the Sápara Nation

Inter-American Indigenous Peoples Gathering

Manari

EDUCATION, ADVOCACY & AWARENESS

GIDT Chairman Elder Jerry Asp and GIDT President Sonia Molodecky spoke at various conferences and events on Reconciliation, Creating Life Economies, True Value Accounting and Alternative Finance, Biodiversity Management, and the Indigenous approach to ESG in natural resources.

Energy and Mines Conference in Toronto

“ReconciliAction” is a meaningful action that moves reconciliation forward.

GIDT participated in the Toronto Metropolitan University’s Reconciliation Day as a partner organization. GIDT’s president, Ukrainian-Canadian lawyer Sonia Molodecky, spoke on a panel about Indigenous Governance, Law and Policy speaking about Natural Law.

GIDT team members with Peru chamber representative at PDAC 2022

PDAC 2022 with Canada-Africa Chamber President and VP Mining Investment North America 2022

GIDT supported corporate sponsor and partner Aviva at its multi-cultural day by curating cultural awareness, education and performances by Annishanabee and Haudenossanee cultural artists and thought leaders. GIDT also led a workshop to support Aviva staff to write their own meaningful land acknowledgement, which was led by GIDT Advisor Elder Becky Big Canoe of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation. Lastly, we coordinated the teachings of dear friend Elder Whabagoon to provide a keynote address for Aviva across its National offices for Reconciliation month.

We also participated in Forever Fest in partnership with the Legacy of Hope Foundation which brings attention to the atrocities of residential schools and supports healing and a new path forward for survivors and communities. Forever Fest is a yearly event building Canadiana culture on Indigenous roots, bringing attention to Canada’s 15,000+ years of history and the new way forward we are creating together. GIDT provided the opening Land Acknowledgement to ground the 3-day event, and shared resources and educational materials throughout the event with attendees from across the Greater Toronto Area.

We participated in this year’s Toronto Global Forum, as part of the International Economic Forum of the Americas by challenging conversation around a new green economy that also includes consideration of our Mother Earth and communitiesessential to healthy and prosperous futures for all.

GIDT Chairman Jerry Asp and President Sonia Molodecky both spoke at the Africa Accelerating Annual Conference bridging knowledge and trade between Canada and the continent of Africa. They spoke about the value of nation re-building and economic development on a foundation of traditional values, knowledge and true value.

GIDT Chairman also spoke at several conferences in the natural resources space fostering discussion on what ‘ESG’ - Environment, Social, Governance - really means from an indigenous perspective.

Lastly, GIDT has put out a variety of thought pieces on topics related to Creating Life Economies. For more, we attach some highlights below!

What are Life Economies?

True Value Accounting and Decentralized Finance

Natural Asset Corporations and Biodiversity Management - New Economic Opportunities and Pitfalls to Avoid

OUR READING LIST

Interested in reading any of these books? Consider purchasing from an indigenousowned bookstore. Here are some recommendations:

Second Story Press, GoodMinds, Massy Books, Iron Dog Books

INTERVIEW WITH AMBASSADORS

We were grateful to have two incredible women leaders join us as guest speakers for our Champions of Change Leadership Program this year to share their experiences on promoting a vision, building meaningful relationships and partnerships, and creating meaningful change on the ground.

Patricia Fortier is a retired Canadian Ambassador and Diplomat who has served around the world in various capacities, including Peru, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Washington, Chile, the UN, India, Kenya, Zambia, and most recently as Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for Security, Consular and Emergency Management at Global Affairs Canada.

She has served in many roles in Ottawa including Chief Security Officer, Director of Peacekeeping, Director General of Consular Operations, and she works with youth teaching and empowering the next generation. She is now sitting as the Director of a renewable energy company

Her Excellency Ambassador Fatima Braoule Meite is Mali's Ambassador to Canada She has been an advocate for the Mali people, particularly Mali’s very strong and vibrant indigenous cultures She advocates for women's participation in the economy, entrepreneurship and sovereignty over wealth and nationhood

Ambassador Braoule was Technical Advisor to the governance unit of the Presidency of the Republic of Mali, Chargée de mission at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Municipal Councillor in Commune II of the District of Bamako She was also a Consultant for the United Nations, the European Union and Luxembourg cooperation in the field of human rights, the promotion of women, especially women politicians and decentralization. A specialist in international law and gender issues, she served as a Temporary Instructor (IT) at the School of Peacekeeping on fundamental knowledge of peacekeeping operations and conflict management: the role of local communities in post-conflict management Ambassador Braoule is the founder and facilitator of Bamako Incubator which provides help and support to Malian start-ups

SONIA: What does it mean to you to be an Ambassador? What is this job?

PATRICIA: I got into this by accident and loved it Diplomacy is like walking along a line and you keep walking You know vaguely where you're going and you know there are good people around you, and you seek out those good people You’re tempted to move out of your comfort zone I think that anyone in diplomacy has a certain adventurous spirit because you will go where you don't know anyone and it's not your community You have to take that in, shift your vision, so that you understand where you are but also where you've come from, and then relay that

FATIMA: For me, being a diplomat is very important because you represent your country at the highest level in another country. It's as if you're bringing a piece of your country to another one and that is very important; you bring all your cultures and values with you. I think being a diplomat is also about yourself because then we have all of our zones of interests and sensitivities. And as a diplomat, if you are being yourself and carrying out your beliefs and fighting for it, then I think you will be a good diplomat What to avoid is trying to be somebody else, so you really have to fully know and be your true self to really defend and convey your ideas and your beliefs

A lot of it is a question of practice, walking in, and saying “I'm here, I'm here with a purpose" The purpose is really important I always knew why I was going someplace You only have a certain amount of time, so you have to go in and make it worth your time and their time That’s how you get things done You get things done through people, so when you walk in the room you have that opportunity That’s what brings you right into the room and makes you walk with confidence because you have a purpose

FATIMA: I think that the base for diplomacy is courtesy When we enter a room we share that courtesy But it is a lot of work because you really have to be aware of what is going on in the economy, culture, history, philosophy, because you will be walking and defending all of those fields So you better be aware of what's going on in your country and the world, and be able to make the link

Most of the time people think of diplomacy as everyone wearing suits and black dresses, I always come in my African outfit with lots of colors, I'm very different. And I think it's interesting to differentiate yourself and that's what I talk about being - being who you are and how you carry it.

And also to have some deepness, and that deepness is in the subject you are talking about Once you are strong and master your subject, and that is a lot of work, field experience and meeting different people, being confronted with different realities and being able to tell that story to the people I think it is practice and that practice is a lot of personal homework to be done

SONIA: How do you walk into a room, with seemingly intimidating people, industry, government, people from around the world, able to convey with confidence what you're representing while also staying true to your own values?

PATRICIA: When you walk into any place where you don't know a lot of things, you walk in with some apprehension, we're human What's good to remember is that everyone else is human too, no matter who they are A big part of it is practice If you keep walking into rooms and meeting people, finding something in common, or not, you learn how to manage it

SONIA: Can you share some advice on when you meet somebody who is not aligned with your values or your agenda, and maybe not sharing things in common. How do you then, with respect and courtesy, manage and navigate that kind of situation?

FATIMA: Last month we were 30 ambassadors from Europe, Africa and the Middle East going to Saskatoon organized by Global Affairs Canada It was all different point of views We were all casual, wearing sneakers, jeans, and taking our own suitcases from hotel to hotel As Patricia was saying, we are just human beings We were like kids, you

know We put all those problems behind us, we are just human beings dealing with each other I think it's during those times and activities that you get to know each other When we go to a reception and we see each other, we all come and greet each other, now we are bonded Before we didn't know each other, we needed that trip to bond, above colours, countries, and the political turmoil of the world We are just human beings and that is strong And sometimes we all need comfort and alliances, it is not just about politics and diplomacy, it is human beings having issues I think that is very important, the world is so tense now, and there are so many problems, after covid, wars, climate change, and immigration, we are very challenged with all those problems So it is very hard, but we try to go above that

PATRICIA: I love the idea of being bonded over travelling. I think that the previous point you made about having to know about the place that you are is important because as you start to know about the place that you are, which is usually not your community or your country, you start to understand where some people who don't agree with you or your countries positions are coming from. And then you can look at them more as individuals. You also have to read your audience, there are people who can change and people who can't, people you can work with and people you can't, and you have to really figure that out pretty quickly when you walk into that room

I know that Sonia and Jerry have walked into many rooms where they didn’t quite know the dynamics, but they figured out what they were doing pretty quickly because they’ve walked into many communities where they’re coming with a message, but it wasn't clear that the message would entirely fit with the people there You had to figure out who you could work with That I think is one of the big things, reading your audience quickly That again is practice, but it's also doing things like when you're looking at a topic, having three things in your mind and adjusting those three things so you can use one or two or three or none of them When it comes to none of them, you step back a bit and figure out whether you have to talk to this person or whether you don't have to Maybe they are interesting in other ways But you do go through a bit of an elimination process in the sense that you're looking at who you can work with and who you can make things happen with

At the more local level, you might do small things but you can actually help make it happen and that is quite important Therefore what you're looking for is people that you can make good things happen with

Sacred Earth Acknowledgment

With love in our hearts:

We acknowledge our Mother Earth that gives us life, nourishes us, and is our greatest partner and our greatest strength.

We acknowledge the First Peoples who have lived and thrived on these lands, wherever they may be in the world, and kept this sacred relationship alive

We acknowledge our ancestors who have walked these lands before us and continue to walk with us toward a more harmonious world

We acknowledge our collective responsibility to those yet to come, to leave them a world capable of providing an abundant life

OUR BOARD

Jerry Asp is an Elder, former chief of the Tahltan Nation and former President and founding member of the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation where he led his Nation from 98% unemployment to full employment through training, education and business opportunities Elder Jerry Asp is the Co-founder and Chairman of Global Indigenous Development Trust

Jerry is one of Canada’s most prominent Indigenous leaders He has committed his life and career to enhancing the quality of life for Indigenous people through the creation of new business opportunities and the development of skills and capacity in

the community In addition to supporting Indigenous business development, Jerry has also applied his leadership skills to serve the public In 2011, Jerry was awarded the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Skookum Jim award which recognizes Indigenous achievements in the mineral industry He was appointed to sit on the Yukon Mining Advisory Board in 2011 Jerry was President and founding member of the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation (1985), the largest native-owned and operated heavy construction company in Western Canada He was also a founding member of the National Indian Businessman’s Association (1981) (now CCAB) as well as the Canadian Aboriginal Minerals Association (CAMA) (1991-November 2013) where he served as Vice President

Jerry is an experienced negotiator and his success includes negotiating the first native–owned independent power producer contract with BC Hydro, the first significant Impact and Benefits Agreement in BC’s mining industry (Golden Bear Mine) and a new health facility to serve the Dease Lake area

Jerry received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal on March 5, 2013, and in 2020 was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame for his contributions to the inclusion and training of Indigenous Peoples in the mining industry. He also received the Frank Woodside Past Presidents and Chairs Award in 2016 and the Indspire award in Business and Commerce in 2017

Jerry has shared his knowledge and experience with communities in Peru, Colombia, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Argentina, Panama, Sweden, Norway, Australia, Belize, Mali, across the continent of Africa, Canada and the US

Keith Matthew has served three times as Chief of the Simpcw First Nation and sits on the GIDT Board of Directors. He has worked tirelessly to secure economic opportunities for his community, including a $7 million heli ski lodge, agreements with Canadian Hydro, and an impact and benefit agreement with Kinder Morgan Canada. As Chief, he founded the Simpcw Heritage Trust, a fund to support the revitalization of Simpcw language, culture and history He was also instrumental in advancing the First Nations Fiscal Management Act (FNAMA) which gives First Nations communities the tools to strengthen local communities and economies Keith is presently the President of the Community Futures Development Corporation, Director of his community Health Board and various other economic development initiatives

Nalaine Morin is the past Director of Tahltan First Nation Lands Department where she led the creation of the Tahltan Stewardship Initiative She is also a member of the GIDT Board of Directors Nalaine works in the area of natural resource management and industrial project development, with a focus on environmental governance, assessment and traditional knowledge-based approaches to environmental management strategies. She also works with her community government to define and protect their inherent rights and title and to protect their ecosystems and natural resources through sustainable economic development and the promotion

of traditional values Nalaine holds a degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of British Columbia and a Certificate In Mechanical Engineering Design from BCIT Nalaine is currently Vice President of Sustainability at Skeena Resources.

She has used her upbringing and lifelong experience in mining communities to identify and develop ways to bridge the gap between traditional First Nations knowledge and Western science and to manage complex cross-cultural interactions in mining contexts resource extraction. Some of her accomplishments have been adopted at the provincial level, and she continues to work with the government on policy changes that will reflect the interests and needs of First Nations people

Mary Boyden is the Managing Director for Eighth Fire Solutions, a social enterprise established upon the direction of the AMAK Elders, a Traditional Elders Council, with a mandate to encourage excellence in Indigenous-led land reclamation strategies After 30 years working in the communities of Treaty 9 both as an adult educator and trainer and in the mining industry, most recently as Indigenous Community Relations Manager at Goldcorp’s Porcupine Gold Mines, Mary is well-versed on the complex issues facing Indigenous Peoples, particularly women and youth, as they establish themselves in meaningful pursuits within the resource economy Her passion for facilitating respect for Indigenous Ways of Knowing by mainstream society is fed by

her own journey as the product of Indigenous and Settler ancestors who paved the way for Canada as we know it today Mary is currently the Manager of Wellness Support Services for Kumuwanimano Child and Family Services, working to implement the mandates around giving First Nations communities sovereignty over child services and protection

OUR TEAM

GIDT

Edward Byers, Briana Berger, Jerry Asp, Judy Galvez and Sonia Molodecky (Martina Paloheimo absent)

OUR VALUES

We believe in ecosystem thinking and 7 generations. This means economic, political, social and environmental aspects, all working in harmony, now and for the future

We believe in making it work for everyone, where people and communities thrive.

We believe in the interconnection of life and our role as stewards of our natural and human world.

We believe in dynamic quality of life and sustainable futures for all

We believe in the philosophy that “everyone busy, everyone valued”.

Creating meaningful jobs and fostering entrepreneurial spirit are at the core of building better realities

We believe in a model of enterprising that is for profit, for the community.

We work towards healthy continuity of people and planet in all our endeavors