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Indigenous Child & Family Services – Upcoming Events

News Release: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) Territory

K’emk’emelay̓ (Vancouver, BC). The Our Children Our Way Society will host the Loving Justice: Breathing Life Into Our Own Laws conference September 8-11. The conference will be held at the Vancouver Convention Center on the unceded and ancestral territories of the sḵwx̱wú7mesh, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm and səlilwətaɬ Nations.

Loving Justice provides a unique opportunity for critical dialogue and knowledge sharing within the shifting landscape of Indigenous child & family services. The goal is to provide Indigenous leaders with the tools and resources they need to assert their inherent right to care for and protect their children, youth and families.

André Bear, B. Ed, J.D. will host the event as Master of Ceremonies and Dr. Cindy Blackstock, PhD will provide the keynote address. Speakers will include Hadley Friedland and Koren Lightning from the Wahkohtowin Law and Governance Lodge; youth from the Assembly of Seven Generations; and First Nations leadership.

“Jurisdiction isn’t something you sign, it’s something you do. Each of us every day makes choices about how we can use our love for children as an expression of jurisdiction,”              Dr. Cindy Blackstock.

Follow and share conference updates on Facebook and Instagram.

In preparation for Loving Justice, join us for the last webinar in our series. “UNDRIP 101”: Upholding Inherent Rights in Child and Family Jurisdiction will be held on Monday, August 26 at 10:00 AM PDT. Special guests Judy Red Hummingbird Wilson, OCOW Secretariat Knowledge Holder & Advisor and Dawn Johnson, Mandell Pinder LLP will answer questions about the link between the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the inherent right to care for our own children. 

The Assembly of First Nations has released a draft Final Settlement Agreement on Long-Term Reform of First Nations Children and Family Services. BC First Nations Chiefs are invited to a special meeting on September 8, 2024, from 2PM-5PM at the Vancouver Convention Center for an expert review and open discussion of the draft agreement. Contact the Our Children Our Way Secretariat for further details.

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For further comment, please contact: Mary Teegee – Maaxswxw Gibuu,  Chair, ICFSD Our Children Our Way Society, Phone: 250-612-8710

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