2021 Gratitude and Reflection
Eglanete and Tansi Relatives and Friends ,
We hope you are settling into the quietness of winter and reflecting on another incredible year of movement toward true climate justice. We acknowledge that 2021, much like 2020, was a year of challenges for many.
At ICA we believe it is a radical act to pause and take moments for gratitude and care for oneself and others in these shifting times. It is in this spirit that we send you a message of thanks and immense gratitude for the support and encouragement given to Indigenous Climate Action this year. Over the last month we have had the opportunity to reflect on all of the amazing support of our communities and allies, none of this could have been done without your continued support.
2021 has felt like a year of shifting and growing akin to a beautiful dandelion growing through the concrete. Through adversity we continue to shine and break through new barriers. As we begin to unpack the way forward to achieving climate justice, it has become more and more clear that the status quo of colonialism and capitalism must shift to allow for the life that is possible through respecting Indigenous rights and nourishing regenerative relationships.
As uplifted in the words from our delegation within the Indigenous People’s Caucus at COP26: Colonialism caused Climate Change. Indigenous Rights are the Solution!
We have been heartened by the upswell in support for us to thrive as an Indigenous-led Climate Justice organization. It has been the collective impact of the generosity of our supporters that we are able to strengthen our commitment to healing justice, add further support for Indigenous Youth, and increase resources for grassroots and frontline groups. The capacity you and other supporters have added has allowed us to bring on new staff and expand our Climate Leadership Training program, bolster work in the areas of Just Transition and Divestment, Healing Justice and strengthen our ability to produce research and reports to support our Decolonizing Climate Policy work. For a deeper dive please check out a brief overview from each program area below.
We are so grateful to our Steering Committee for all the guidance they have provided us this year. We held some intensive virtual Strategic Visioning sessions in the spring to help us shift through the changes and growth we have seen through 2021. We were pleased to announce new Executive Steering Committee members - Donna Ashamock, Daniel T’seleie, and Michelle Brass. We look forward to connecting more with our Steering Committee, hopefully with more in person sessions, in 2022.
We can not overstate the appreciation that we have for the team we are a part of and the supporters who have been with us on the journey thus far. On personal notes it has been such an inspiration for us both to be part of nurturing, and being nurtured, by the network of ICA and our hearts are full with the hope and gratitude necessary to embrace the Winter time to rest.
Reflecting on the rate of growth is nothing short of profound as it directly relates to the enthusiasm that exists for Indigenous leadership in climate solutions. So thank you! Thank you all again for the support in getting us this far!
Mussi Cho, Ekosi maka,
Eriel Deranger & Melina Laboucan-Massimo
Program Reflections and Overview from 2021
2021 was the year that our Climate Leadership Training took to the virtual world as a force to be reckoned with! Jayce Chiblow has been leading training with our Climate Leadership program, nurturing climate leadership and setting a standard for training and curriculum based on our Climate Action Toolkit focused on climate justice that uplifts the rights and worldviews of our people. We were pleased to offer a mini-workshop with 10 youth, a pilot cohort of 8 aimed at refining the modules and our first ever public cohort that has a total of 16 participants. We are excited to offer more programs in 2022!
Youth Engagement
We recently began our process for pulling together our National Youth Engagement Council to guide the Youth program. In addition, we’ve had some shifts with Shay Lynn Sampson who has been inspiring Indigenous youth to engage in climate action by embodying her rights as an Indigenous person committed to the frontlines of her territories. She has been courageously standing with other land defenders from the Wet'suwet'en in a movement to stop the Coastal Gas pipeline, and we invite you to read about her experience so far. Further, in the coming weeks, we ask that you consider fulfilling their call to action in denouncing RBC and amplifying the response from Gidimt’en Checkpoint.
Furthering support for the frontlines and inspiration for the future, we launched a Youth Wellness Fund and continue to support our network with trauma-informed, liberation-inspired practices that address the physical, spiritual, emotional and mental impacts of being a young Indigenous person in the climate movement.
Research & Decolonizing Climate Policy
Rebecca Sinclair and Sarah Hanson continue to offer new research and strategies for decolonizing climate policy and providing critical critiques on the dangers of nature based solutions. This work is centered around the need to ensure there is more space for Sovereign Indigenous Nations to be driving the processes and decisions in addressing climate change in their home territories.
Indigenous Just Transition & Divestment
This year saw a lot of growth and movement with our Just Transition & Divestment programming. From hosting our first ever online conferences, the Indigenous Economics: Reclaiming the Sacred to our recent Youth In Just Transition conference hosted by Jacob Crane and Lindsay Monture. Both events highlighted inspiration Indigenous-led initiatives that uplift Indigenous ways of knowing and being. In addition to our online offerings, we partnered with Sacred Earth Solar to provide small scale solar power to the Onaman Collective and at Gidimt'en Yitah Access Camp.
As we begin to dive deeper into Just Transition work we have also been exploring emerging Divestment campaigns through webinars and uplifting emerging leaders like Kayah George to guide Indigenous divestment narratives in so-called Canada. In 2022 we hope to strengthen this work with more research and training opportunities. This is a new and exciting initiative as both of us have roots in divestment organizing winning successes like the major divestment from shareholders, pension funds and corporations in the tarsands and look forward to mentoring in new Indigenous organizers to support this important work!
International Engagement & COP26
This year ICA participated in our second UN Forum Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Conference of the Parties (COP) that took place in Glasgow, Scotland. We supported a delegation of over 16 change makers and frontline Indigenous leaders to attend, intervene and take action on climate at the International level. We worked alongside our partners - Indigenous Environmental Network, NDN Collective and Native Movement - to support one of the largest Turtle Island Indigenous delegations adding to the largest delegation of global Indigneous peoples participation at COP. For more information on what we did check out our webpage.
We are continuing to build out the Healing Justice pathway. As we look to Indigenize the understanding of what healing justice means in the work of climate justice, it is essential that we look inwards as we build trauma informed tools and further understand what it means to heal while fighting to protect Mother Earth. Many of us have seen time and again too many of our comrades burnt out, leave the movement or choose to leave this world because the weight of this work has become too much to bear. At ICA, we are committed to find a new pathway in this work, one that is healing, sustainable and effective by stopping the toxic cycle of sacrificing our bodies and spirit just to stay in this work. It is critical we find ways to learn how we can do this work for the long haul. Our Healing Justice team has been successful in raising funds to seed this work by doing various funders webinars and engagements, building out an HJ strategy & directory and working with the ICA staff (and larger COP delegation) to start bringing trauma informed tools to climate justice movement spaces. Healing Justice is Climate Justice.
Lest we forget the incredible offerings of our podcast team lead by Lindsay Bacigal! Check out the latest episodes here, and keep an eye out for new episodes launched early in the new year!
Warmest Wishes
The ICA Team