Called to Act: Truth, Reconciliation, and Collaboration

Jennifer Moore Rattray is the chief operating officer at Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO). Jennifer served as executive director of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and was an award-winning television journalist. A proud member of Peepeekisis Cree Nation, she is one of the first Indigenous women to anchor the television news in Canada.

Connie Wyatt Anderson is a long-time educator from The Pas, Manitoba. She has been involved in the creation of student learning materials and curricula and has contributed to a number of textbooks, teacher support guides, and school publications.

Janelle Delorme is a francophone Red River Métis activist, drum carrier and popular education specialist from St-Boniface / Treaty 1 territory. Janelle’s reconciliation journey began more than 10 years ago having participated in the ReconciliACTION program at Université de St-Boniface (2011-2013). She is a sought-out speaker and workshop facilitator on reconciliation and has facilitated hundreds of KAIROS Blanket Exercises.

Nathan Tidridge, in partnership with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, established the Souharissen Natural Area in Waterdown, Ontario. This 55-acre educational and cultural space continues to evolve as an outdoor classroom and inspiration for numerous curriculum-based projects.

Pinnguaq Association was founded in Nunavut and now has offices in British Columbia and Ontario. Pinnguaq, which means “play” in Inuktitut, incorporates STEAM into unique learning applications that promote storytelling, health, wellness, and growth with rural and remote communities.

Emanuelle Dufour holds a master's degree in anthropology from the University of Montreal focusing on the history of First Nations education in Quebec and Indigenous cultural safety in post-secondary contexts. She also holds a doctorate in art education from Concordia University for which she received the Governor General's medal and the Distinction Award from the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling.

Genevieve Soler and Kayla Weller worked with Stoney Nakoda Elders Virgle Stephens, Tracey Stevens, and Phillomene Stevens to help their grade 4 students explore and deepen their understanding of their culture, traditions, and personal histories.

Maxine Hildebrandt is a member of Pelican Lake First Nation and a teacher at Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School (MECCS), Canada’s only Indigenous charter school, in Warburg, Alberta. Maxine organized a cultural exchange with another rural school in Alberta to introduce students to each other’s history, culture, and perspectives.

Elementary teacher Jacqueline Cleave led a project to make the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s ninety-four calls to action more accessible to younger learners.