This project provided the opportunity for dialogue on the need for reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples on the Sunshine Coast. Dialogue circles were a powerful tool for our team in building a sense of shared understanding about reconciliation, what it is not, and what we can do to build it on the Coast. Pairing dialogue circles with Indigenous eco-tours/land-based learning was particularly successful during covid-19 and something we will plan to continue longer-term. The Indigenous tour operator also commented that it deepened the experience for her as well, because it transformed her presentation to community into a dialogue with community.
Through the dialogue circles and discussions with our sk’ák’ts’ítáwílh Committee, the project identified many systemic challenges. We also identified powerful tools that can help us continue to address anti-Indigenous racism and build relationships of understanding and respect going forward.
We strengthened relationships with all who participated in the dialogue circles across the shishalh swiya/southern Sunshine Coast (~140 people); government officials from shishalh Nation, the Sunshine Coast Regional District, District of Sechelt, and Town of Gibsons; members of local organizations like the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives, Community Associations, Rotarians; and with the public more broadly as we release findings via video and zoom dialogues in communities now. More importantly we deepened our relationships within our sk’ák’ts’ítáwílh committee. We learned more about how we each viewed reconciliation, what draws us to this committee work, and where we want to go from here: continuing to balance between Indigenous healing, non-Indigenous education, and collective relationship-building engagement.
syiyaya reconciliation 