Our organizational structure is a conscious reflection of Indigenous ways of knowing and working. We prioritize ceremony and culture in everything we do. What does that look like?

• We host Indigenous ceremonies to ensure our work moves forward in a good way. This also gives us an opportunity to foster spaces where all people can gather to learn about ceremony, protocols and hear the teachings of Knowledge Keepers. Ceremonies allow us to reflect and set intentions for the work we do.

• Every meeting starts with an opening prayer by a Knowledge Keeper or Residential School Survivor. We use prayer and land acknowledgements to remember why we are doing this work and to set intentions.

• We don’t create agendas. We invite our committees and action groups to start meetings by introducing themselves in meaningful ways. We collectively decide what needs to be discussed during each meeting or gathering. We prioritize relationship building and consensus decision-making.

• Our Stewardship Committee formulates the content for larger member meetings, and we include opportunities for relationship building. We invite members to actively participate in meetings and bring forward their own events, programming, and ideas to the circle.

• Whenever possible, when we meet, we sit in a circle. We reinforce the importance of the circle in Indigenous culture and emphasize that we are all equal in the circle.

• The leadership of Knowledge Keepers and Survivors is included in the work of committees and action groups, and they receive honorariums for their participation. The inclusion of Knowledge Keepers and Survivors is central to everything we do.

• We have a Stewardship Committee (much like a Board of Directors) which meets bi-weekly to guide the organization and ensure our work aligns with our Pathway Forward project—a strategic plan formed with deep participation by our membership in 2019. See the Stewardship Membership and Terms of Reference.