By: Angela G., Community Builders Calls to Action Team
June 14, 2021
As youth working to advocate for Indigenous rights, and immersing ourselves in Indigenous culture, it was brought to our attention that many people are unaware of how to properly put together a Land Acknowledgement. A Land Acknowledgement is one of the most important components of Indigenous Truth and Reconciliation and are often spoken at meetings or assemblies by adults and youth in various areas.
We wanted to bring attention to the fact that territorial announcements should not just be spoken to check off a requirement. They should be original, and spoken from the heart, based on our true relationship with the land, and with true recognition of our Indigenous ancestors, those who live on the land today, and the Indigenous families who will come in the future generations.
Based on this new found inspiration our Community Builders Calls to Action team decided to create a web page to educate others on the importance of Land Acknowledgements, and guide them along their Territorial Announcement journey in a less overwhelming way. We worked collaboratively to create a visually appealing web page containing a How-To PDF and video, helpful resources to determine whose land you’re on and how to pronounce the treaty names, as well as draw-my-life videos providing a history on a few of the Indigenous groups in the Halton Region.
Working together with my fellow youth and adult allies to create this platform was a really great experience. We were able to take an issue we are passionate about, and channel all that fascination into a resource to help others become more knowledgeable on this valuable matter. Seeing all our hard work and progress come together, with the encouragement of our adult allies, was even more inspiring because it made me realize, and become conscious of, how large an impact youth can truly have on our community.