2 minute read
to activate change
WE NURTURED PARTNERSHIPS TO ACTIVATE CHANGE
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SSASKCULTURE’S NEW STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS FOCUS ON TAKING MORE CONCRETE STEPS TOWARDS RECONCILIATION. OUTCOMES, SUCH AS ACTIVATING THE NETWORK, SUPPORTING LEADERSHIP AND IMPROVING ITS OWN EFFORTS, ARE ALL CONTINGENT ON NURTURING NEW, STRONGER PARTNERSHIPS WITH INDIGENOUS LEADERS AND THOSE WORKING WITH REMOTE COMMUNITIES. This past year, SaskCulture has continued to build on existing partnerships with organizations such as the Northern Sport, Culture and Recreation District (NSCRD), Gabriel Dumont Institute (GDI) and the Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre (SICC), as well as moving forward on its Reconciliation goals in a new partnership with the Office of the Treaty Commissioner (OTC). “We are looking at transformational change” says
Damon Badger Heit, supervisor, partnerships and inclusion, SaskCulture, “and we plan on achieving that by engaging with the expertise of community leadership to help progress through challenging and important issues.”
Badger Heit explains that SaskCulture’s work with these four organizations is an initial step towards achieving better services to communities in Saskatchewan. For instance, the NSCRD and GDI are helping to deliver programs that support northern and Métis populations in the province while SaskCulture continues its longtime partnership with SICC to continue supporting Indigenous language revitalization and support for First Nations communities .
MICHAEL HEIMLICH (LEFT) AND RHETT SANGSTER (RIGHT), FROM THE OTC, GUIDE SASKCULTURE MEMBERS THROUGH THE RECONCILIATION MAPPING EXERCISE DURING 2019 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. PHOTO BY BUSAYO OSOBADE.
The most recent partnership with the OTC, which is still in its early phase, will help SaskCulture develop its own strategies in evaluation and training that will inform ways forward in its program renewal processes through the lens of inclusivity, diversity, equity, accessibility, and Reconciliation.
“It is important to acknowledge that the OTC framework is informed by leadership in Saskatchewan and guided by Treaty relationships. SaskCulture will be working with the OTC to grow in this area,” says Badger Heit, adding that SaskCulture will be able to share this framework with other organizations.
Badger Heit goes further to add that future plans include expanding relationships with other partners to better understand and serve community needs that support inclusion and access.
“We may not get it right all the time,” he says. “We are trying to work with our partners in a very informed, knowledgeable and experienced way. They are bringing their expertise to the table to enable us to better serve communities. It is a collective effort.”
