Author Archive
End inequities for all services for First Nations children and families
September 25, 2017
This important open letter to PM Trudeau signed by prominent Canadians has just been posted. It calls on Canada to immediately implement the CHRT and end inequities for all services for First Nations children and families. https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/justin-trudeau-open-letter-to-pm-give-first-nations-children-an-equal-chance/article36372720/ Please sign the…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
A reprint of Indigenous Wisdom: Living in Harmony with Mother Earth
September 25, 2017
KAIROS is proud to offer a reprint Indigenous Wisdom: Living in Harmony with Mother Earth. It was written by John Dillon, who died on June 5, 2017. Of all the writings he left behind, John was most proud of this…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
KAIROS sponsors Guatemalan Hip Hop Artist Rebeca Lane
September 21, 2017
KAIROS is thrilled to sponsor the Mestizo Soul – Identity and Rights Tour with Guatemalan Hip Hop artist Rebeca Lane, organized by Breaking the Silence (BTS) and local committees. Rebeca Eunice Vargas (Rebeca Lane) is an acclaimed Feminist, Sociologist, Activist…
Post filed in: Gender Justice/Women of Courage, Latin America
Spirited Reflection: Everyone Belongs
September 19, 2017
“Everyone Belongs in the Kitchen” is a theme that raises a few questions. What kitchen? And, who is ‘everyone’? The phrase comes from a joke that exists in multiple memes online, which takes the tired sexist dismissal ‘Women belong in…
Post filed in: Spirited Reflections
‘There’s a reason that truth comes before reconciliation’
September 19, 2017
“You will now be placed on reserves,” Siobhan Rowan told the evening crowd assembled in East Lynn Park on Wednesday, Sept. 13, for Ward 32’s first ever Kitchi Blanket Exercise. The exercise teaches participants about Indigenous history and the effects…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Spirited Reflection: Peacebuilding, an ever present opportunity
September 15, 2017
Peace is often misunderstood as an absence, a state of tranquil stillness where nothing is happening, there’s no conflict or change. The world we live in isn’t like that, and seeking to enforce an ideal onto the world can itself…
Post filed in: Spirited Reflections
Walking right off the map: from Old Montreal to Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory
September 14, 2017
Maps of Montreal, Canada, usually show the neighbouring Mohawk Nation as an empty space. It appears as a grey block, sectioned off from everything around it. Nothing could be more symbolic of the relationship between the Montreal urban community, which…
Post filed in: Spirited Reflections
10th Anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
September 13, 2017
Canada needs a legislative framework to fulfill the promise of this vital human rights instrument
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, UNDRIP Blog Updates
Spirited Reflection: Forgiving our debtors
September 12, 2017
Matthew 18:21-35 Living in Scotland was my first time praying in ecumenical groups. You might imagine, despite theological differences, that we always had the Lord’s Prayer in common, but I encountered differences between the English and Scottish versions, especially the…
Post filed in: Spirited Reflections
KAIROS Times: September 2017
September 12, 2017
Seeds of Truth – stories from the KAIROS Guatemala Youth Exchange Op-ed: How we can start to walk the path of reconciliation? KAIROS Reconciliation in the Watershed Workshop Series Join us for Orange Shirt Day, September 30 Season of Creation…
Post filed in: KAIROS Times E-Newsletter
Join us for Orange Shirt Day, September 30
September 11, 2017
The Orange Shirt Day movement began in Williams Lake, BC, in Spring 2013, but its legacy dates back to 1973 when 6 year-old Phyllis Webstad had her new orange shirt stripped off her back as soon as she arrived at St….
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
‘Blanket Exercise’ helps Regina Public Schools work toward reconciliation in the classroom
September 8, 2017
Role-playing activity helps participants learn about everything from treaties to residential schools Photo: Teachers at George Lee School in Regina, Sask., participate in The Blanket Exercise on Aug. 29. (Shelly Reed/Twitter) When it comes to Indigenous education in the classroom, Regina Public…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
South Sudanese women to share their fight against gender-based violence
September 6, 2017
KAIROS is looking forward to hosting two South Sudanese women in Canada in late fall 2017 to share their fight against gender-based violence (GBV) as part of the No Mas II tour. The educational tour between November 24 and December…
Post filed in: Africa, Gender Justice/Women of Courage
MEDIA ADVISORY: Reconciliation in the Watershed comes to Tatamagouche, September 16
September 6, 2017
Local residents invited to renew relationships with watershed & Indigenous peoples (Ottawa, ON) – Connecting the local ecology with Indigenous rights, and identifying ways to renew relationships with Indigenous peoples and the Tatamagouche watershed are some of the expected outcomes…
Post filed in: Media Releases
Watershed Walk and Explorations in Halifax, October 14
September 4, 2017
October 14 | Halifax 10 am Walks in the local Watershed 11 am–3 pm St Andrews United Church, 6036 Coburg Road 1 – Explore Our Watershed The day begins with three walks, each in…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Covenant Chain Link VIII – Registration is now open!
September 1, 2017
Come join us in Ottawa at the 8th annual Covenant Chain Link gathering! THEME: Empowered & Empowering Youth – Learning From Indigenous Youth in Ottawa WHEN: Friday, October 20, 2017 WHERE: Confederation Education Centre – 1645 Woodroffe Ave WHO: Featured guests…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Seeds of Truth: Indigenous women, food security and the genocide of the Americas
August 24, 2017
My name is Tyra Cox and I am of Sahtu Dene and Anishinaabe lineage within Canada (North America). As an Indigenous women, there were very specific areas of Indigenous rights that I wanted to explore on the journey with Central…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
Spirited Reflection: Social Justice in the 500th anniversary of the Reformation
August 18, 2017
In 2017, Lutherans worldwide are commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation spearheaded by Martin Luther in 1517. With the assistance of the printing press, Martin Luther’s 95 Theses became the historical document to spark changes in the church. Luther…
Post filed in: Spirited Reflections
Seeds of Truth: Healing Together
August 16, 2017
I’m fortunate to be a part of the first KAIROS Blanket Exercise youth exchange to Guatemala being organized in partnership with Breaking the Silence and New Hope Foundation, Guatemala At the end of May, we had the opportunity to meet…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
Spirited Reflection: The virtue of justice
August 4, 2017
Justice is one of the four cardinal virtues identified by the philosophers of ancient Greece. These four virtues (wisdom, justice, courage and temperance) were adopted by Christianity and placed into the traditional list of seven Christian virtues along with the…
Post filed in: Spirited Reflections
Spirited Reflection: Paper Dolls and the United Nations World Day against Trafficking in Persons – July 30
July 24, 2017
In 2007, my workplace registered me to attend a conference on the topic of human trafficking. At that time, human trafficking was barely being talked about in the media. It had been declared a criminal offense in Canada only two…
Post filed in: Spirited Reflections
Seeds of Truth: The Value of Traditional Crafts
July 20, 2017
I have the privilege of being one of the participants of the KAIROS Guatemala Youth Exchange, and it has been an amazing experience so far. I am a settler living in unceded Mi’kmaq territory under the Peace and Friendship treaties…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
The history of Indigenous Peoples as told through blankets
July 17, 2017
The history of Indigenous peoples on the northern part of Turtle Island, what is now known as Canada, was told through a Kairo Blanket Exercise at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Southampton on June 21. Reverend Graham Bland of St….
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
Spirited Reflection: Spiritual Validity
July 12, 2017
The erroneous mainstream view of Indigenous peoples as being one indistinguishable group across North America with misguided and superstitious spiritual beliefs is summed up in the term Indian. When the damage done to Indigenous cultures by the reservation system, the…
Post filed in: Spirited Reflections
Seeds of Truth: The KAIROS Blanket Exercise through Guatemalan eyes
July 10, 2017
Excerpts from an Interview with Lilian Bolvito Gonzalez on Radio Canada International, June 24, 2017 Radio Canada: We will now chat with a Guatemalan youth who participated in the Blanket Exercise on June 2 on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Her name…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
How we can start to walk the path of reconciliation?
July 7, 2017
On July 1, hundreds of new citizens swore their allegiance to this country and promised to faithfully observe its laws. Unlike me, they received a very brief overview of the history of Indigenous peoples. Like me, they did not promise…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
KAIROS Canada Day Statement / Déclaration de KAIROS pour la fête du Canada
June 29, 2017
On July 1, many people across Canada will gather to celebrate 150 years of Confederation. In solidarity with many Indigenous peoples, communities, and organizations, KAIROS chooses not to celebrate, but rather to use this moment to affirm our commitment to…
Post filed in: En français, Indigenous Rights
