The following is the second part of the Aftercare Toolkit created by Amy Desjarlais and the Rebirthed Teachings Group for use by participants after completing the KAIROS Blanket Exercise or other Indigenous education workshops that could potentially be triggering, such as In Their Moccasins

Rebirthed Teachings Aftercare Resources

For non-Indigenous/ newcomer/ settler people: Your voice is needed. Racism and stereotyping that target Indigenous peoples and communities are a day-to-day reality in Canada. All you have to do is read the comments on any major news story on Indigenous matters to see this reality in action, and in turn this reality makes it far less likely that our elected leadership will ever take the action needed to address grave inequities.

STEP 2: Self-education

It’s important to have a look at some of the resources & materials created by, for, and with Indigenous peoples before you head out to a community initiative. Keep in mind that your learning continues after going through these resources. Establishing reciprocal relationships with people in Indigenous communities is encouraged. Avoid transactional interactions.

• Share what you learned with friends, family, colleagues in your inner circle
• Take the Aboriginal Knowledges & Experiences Certificate
• Learn about the Treaty area in which you reside and do some in depth research about who has lived there before you.
• Explore the Ryerson University Library and Archives’ (RULA) Aboriginal Research Portal
• Join the Rebirthed Teachings Community Learning Circles!
• Follow Ryerson Aboriginal Student Services  + the Aboriginal Education Council on social media
• Follow Indigenous writers, musicians, academics, political voices on social media
• Consult & use the Style Guides for Reporting on Indigenous People
• Watch Aboriginal People’s Television Network
• Write to the Ryerson Senate and/or the Dean’s Office of the Vice Provost Equity and Community Inclusion 
• Take a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) about Indigenous knowledges or Indigenous histories and contemporary issues
• Check out the Redx Talks

Suggested readings:

• The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report (TRC Report) & Calls to Action Excerpt from the TRC website: “The truth telling and reconciliation process as part of an overall holistic and comprehensive response to the Indian Residential School legacy is a sincere indication and acknowledgement of the injustices and harms experienced by Aboriginal people and the need for continued healing. This is a profound commitment to establishing new relationships embedded in mutual recognition and respect that will forge a brighter future.”

• Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) mandated to investigate and propose solutions to the challenges affecting the relationship between Aboriginal peoples (First Nations, Inuit, Métis), the Canadian government and Canadian society as a whole.

• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) – Excerpt from UN website “on 13 September 2007, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by a majority of 144 states in favour, 4 votes against (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States) and 11 abstentions (Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burundi, Colombia, Georgia, Kenya, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Samoa and Ukraine).”

• Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry Report & Recommendations – Excerpt from MMIW Inquiry website states that the commission is to “report on the systemic causes of all forms of violence against Indigenous women and girls, including sexual violence. We must examine the underlying social, economic, cultural, institutional, and historical causes that contribute to the ongoing violence and particular vulnerabilities of Indigenous women and girls in Canada. The mandate also directs us to look into and report on existing institutional policies and practices to address violence, including those that are effective in reducing violence and increasing safety.”
• A copy of the joint First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada (FNCFCS) – KAIROS submission to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, Honouring the Children, is available from KAIROS. Contact: orders@kairoscanada.org

• ‘The 100 Years of Loss’ edu-kit has been developed by The Legacy of Hope Foundation. It is designed to support educators and administrators in raising awareness and teaching about the history and legacy of residential schools. It is for Canadian youth aged 11 to 18 and includes six multi-layered lesson plans, a wall-mounted timeline, and survivor videos, as well as teacher resources and extension activities.

• ‘What Can I Do to Help the Families of Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women and Girls?’ is a community resource guide by the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC). In it you will find toolkits, fact sheets, suggested resources as well as information on how to respectfully and safely introduce this issue into the classroom. The resource guide can be downloaded for free from the NWAC website.

• Please lend your support to annual vigils held for missing and murdered women (Oct 4, Feb 14 and Mother’s Day).

There are many great video resources on Indigenous rights and communities.

•  The National Film Board of Canada
• Teachers and students should check out Hi-Ho Mistahey! a 2013 film on the struggle for a new school in Attawapiskat ON and Shannen’s Dream.
• The CBC series The 8th Fire is  an excellent introduction to Indigenous issues, and is available from the Ryerson Library.
• Heather Rae Indigenous Filmmaker
• CBC Article about Indigenous Short Films
• A Sacred Trust: Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation
• TRC How can you get involved?
• Two-Eyed Seeing – Institute for Integrative Sciences and Health
• Indigenous Cultural Safety Collaborative
• 5 books by Indigenous authors 
• Indigenization of Post Secondary Institutions
• Academia Top Ten 2019 Indigenous Education Year in Review