Foundations of Cultural Competency

This training is the introductory foundation to an examination of First Nation/Aboriginal issues in Canada today. The main purpose is to provide participants with the tools they need to begin to establish healthy, viable relationships with First Nation/Aboriginal communities and clients. It has been described by participants as the most concise, clear and accessible training they have ever received.

In this session, Kelly takes great care to prepare participants to view history from a balanced, guilt-free perspective. Understanding how participants react to information informs the presentation to ensure it is accessible. This way, participants can look through the horrors of assimilation to the resulting conditions with a basic understanding and a desire to participate in a new, healthier future.

Once a preliminary causal understanding is met, participants then examine current forces affecting health and wellness in First Nation/Aboriginal communities, and the realities of life both on and off reserve. This leads into a discussion on the tools needed by outside agencies in order to create the necessary relationship with Aboriginal communities.

This session is delivered in partnership by the Culture Alliance in the Heart of Georgian Bay and Tourism Simcoe County, at the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre.

About the Facilitator
Kelly Brownbill is a member of the Flat Bay community of the Mi’kmaq Nation in Newfoundland. She now lives in Simcoe County and has been an active member of the Indigenous community in this area for the past 30 years.

The workshop is FREE to attend, pre-registration is required.