IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL: How ICA is incorporating Healing Justice within our work at COP26.
At ICA we know that building a movement to truly tackle climate change means that we must focus on the longevity of the activists that sustain the movement itself. It is time to move away from sacrificing ourselves and our relatives at the front lines of the climate disaster. For too long, the NGO model of funding prioritizes short term project support over financing long-term effective care for movements for many generations to come. The typical model of funding projects that risk the burn out of our staff and network members are both unsustainable and ineffective.
Thus, as the world turns its attention to the international forum of COP26, ICA is embracing a new approach to having a delegation on the ground to ensure that Indigenous rights and sovereignty are respected within the plans for climate solutions. Although we are excited to join with the powerful change makers who will be taking action in Glasgow this year, it has not been without some hesitation given the added challenges and risks of the COVID-19 pandemic. This will also be the first time many of our delegates will be attending this international forum as Indigenous participants have faced exclusion due to the legacy of white supremacy in these spaces.
So there is no minimizing the amount of stress involved in undertaking this international work and striving to keep pace with the frantic energy of the various forces striving for space to influence the future of climate solutions. Paired with the ongoing violence of colonial systems that undermine and attack Indigenous peoples and our values, we are embracing a holistic approach to provide support for our delegates and ensure we are thoughtful about actions that support our team to continue in this work for the long haul.
To ensure the minds of our team and wider network are well-informed, we have spent the last 3 months providing preparatory webinars, sharing informational readings, and hosting weekly organizing meetings. To ensure the spirits of our team are nurtured, we have embraced the learnings from our Healing Justice pathway and established a COP26 Care Team to provide on the ground support and ensure the delegates and our ally groups have the nourishment for their bodies, minds, and hearts that are necessary to navigate high-stress spaces. We are also providing support for our delegates to ensure they feel empowered to participate fully at the conference and to take time for self care.
These are just some examples of how we are investing in, and prioritizing, our Healing Justice pathway within our strategy at COP26 in order to ensure that our staff are informed, prepared, and supported in their work on the front lines.
We share this note today to recognize that the work of caring for ourselves is also caring for the movement. As we heal, we help others to heal in order to ensure the long term and lasting impact that we seek. Investing in our Healing Justice pathway helps elevate the dialogue amongst staff and wider community that self care is collective care and cannot be separated. Like spokes on a wheel, caring for ourselves means that we strengthen the whole.
As we continue to develop a Healing Justice platform that specifically elevates the traditional wisdom and voice of Indigenous people and draws upon our unique ancestral knowledge systems of community care and healing. We seek wisdom from our Elders, our ceremonies and our sacred medicines to help inform a Healing Justice pathway that is led by and for native peoples in order to build a strong and enduring climate justice movement. We are moving forward thoughtfully to hire a full time HJ Coordinator to support consolidating a HJ team, conducting presentations and educational outreach to our philanthropic and Indigenous networks, researching the field and forming alliances with HJ practitioners worldwide, and consulting with our Elders and Indigenous communities for their advice and leadership.
Donate today, and join us in supporting this important part of our movement work!
Investing in the HJ work of ICA means you are investing in the future of the Indigenous rights movement for the long haul.
We are inviting our supporters and community members to support us in envisioning a future of the Indigenous climate movement that will stand the test of time and ensure the continuation and well being of our youth that are developing into the next generation of climate leaders.
Mussi Cho! Hay Hay! Miigwech!
