Indigenous women to lead knowledge exchange in Edmonton on defending women, communities and land from resource extraction

Delegates from Abya Yala (Colombia) and Turtle Island (Alberta) will gather in Edmonton to share how they defend women, communities and the environment from the impacts of Canadian resource extraction while advancing Indigenous-led pathways to climate justice and sustainable peace.

(Toronto – Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit) – Indigenous women leaders, peacebuilders and community advocates from Abya Yala (Colombia) and Turtle Island (Alberta) will gather in Edmonton, September 9-14 for Voices from the Rivers of Abya Yala and Turtle Island: A Knowledge Exchange to share their work in defending their communities and environments from the impacts of Canadian resource extraction and building just transition alternatives.

This Exchange is part of Kairos Canada’s Women Peacebuilders at the Nexus of Climate, Conflict and Gender (WP-CCG) project, which strengthens women’s leadership and collective action for climate justice and sustainable peace in four conflict zones: Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Palestine and South Sudan. Through training, advocacy and economic tools, the project supports women to influence policy, build resilient livelihoods and advance gender equality in their communities.  

Across Abya Yala (the Americas), Indigenous peoples and women-led movements continue to defend land, water, life and community from the impacts of extractive industries. Communities face many shared challenges, including the mining, oil and gas sector’s role in environmental degradation and threats to human rights, including gender-based violence and displacement.

The delegates from Colombia are Ana Teresa Ruerda Lozada, Project Coordinator of the Organización Femenina Popular (OFP), a Kairos partner of the Women Peacebuilder project; and Paola Chindoy, a Kamëntšá Indigenous leader from Mocoa, Colombia, and president of ASOMI, which is a member of La Red. Learn more about Ana Teresa Ruerda Lozada and Paola Chindoy.

The exchange features one public event, Kairos Prairies North Regional Gathering: Voices from the Rivers of Abya Yala and Turtle Island, September 12 at Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society in Edmonton. The all-day event will explore connections between water, territory, gender justice, decolonization and collective action. It will feature the Kairos Blanket Exercise (in person only), facilitated by Indigenous leaders Taylor Dumais and Preston Huppie, and Cuerpo Territorio (Body-Territory) exercises, facilitated by Paola Chindoy with support from Ana Teresa Ruerda Lozada.

“This knowledge exchange is a chance to honour the leadership of Indigenous women and talk openly about how violence against women is connected to violence against the land and waters,” says Brandi Bilodeau, Indigenous Rights Coordinator, Kairos Canada. “When we come together through ceremony, storytelling and reflection, we learn from one another, build stronger relationships across territories and movements and imagine a just future rooted in Indigenous sovereignty, care and shared responsibility.”

Learn more about Voices from the Rivers of Abya Yala and Turtle Island: A Knowledge Exchange

About Kairos Canada  

Kairos Canada brings people together to deepen analysis, build relationships and mobilize collective action that transforms systems. Grounded in Indigenous rights and sovereignty, faith-and-conscience-rooted justice and global solidarity, we work across movements to confront root causes and create lasting structural change. Learn more: Kairos Canada website.

Media Contact:  
Cheryl McNamara, Communications and Advocacy Coordinator, KAIROS Canada, cmcnamara @ kairoscanada.com