Something to Inspire
21 Things You Can Do on June 21
June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. For generations, many Indigenous groups and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on June 21 because of the significance of the summer solstice as the longest day of the year. Declared by proclamation in 1996, the day commemorates and celebrates the rich cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples. These events honour the diverse traditions, resilience, and contributions of Indigenous communities. This year, the BCGEU has shared 21 things that you can do on June 21st. I wanted to share this great resource with you:
1. Attend an event in your community such as the pancake breakfast and friendship walk at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre or other events around the province listed here.
2. Support and honour Indigenous children by wearing orange. Orange represents the “Every Child Matters” movement which remembers the countless children whose lives were taken from them through the residential school system.
3. Read the recommendations of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
4. Listen to a CBC Reclaimed playlist or watch the documentary Rumble: Indians who rocked the world.
5. Read the 94 calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
6. Learn more about whose land you are on and learn a greeting in the traditional language.
7. Start listening to an Indigenous-created podcast.
8. Support and amplify Indigenous-owned businesses in your community.
9. Celebrate the history and contributions of two-Spirit peoples and other members of the LGBTQQIA communities during Pride celebrations.
10. Read and celebrate Indigenous authors and storytellers and Indigenous-owned booksellers.
11. Watch the APTN’s National Indigenous Peoples Day broadcast on June 21st, 2023.
12. Watch a film from the National Film Board of Canada’s catalog of over 200 Indigenous-created films.
13. Learn 21 things you may not have known about the Indian Act.
14. Stand in solidarity with land defenders such as Indigenous Climate Action, RAVEN and Indigenous Environment Network.
15. Learn about and follow these Indigenous trailblazers who are leaders in the arts, journalism, business, culture and share their stories on social media.
16. Challenge yourself to stop using language and talk that perpetuates harmful stereotypes. Here is a helpful guide
17. Do some independent learning on Canada’s history of colonialism. Thomas King’s An Inconvenient Indian is a good start.
18. Celebrate Indigenous artists at galleries such as the Bill Reid Gallery or other galleries that showcase the rich traditions of different nations.
19. Donate to Indigenous organizations or to residential schools’ survivor groups such as the Indian Residential Schools Survivors.
20. Share This Land: A companion resource for Early Childhood Educators to accompany Musqueum short films.
21. Keep learning- even when it’s uncomfortable.
This is just a start. Another great resource is 150 Acts of Reconciliation by Crystal Fraser and Sara Komarnisk. There are 365 days in the year when we can all learn, acknowledge, celebrate, and uplift Indigenous peoples and communities!
Watch List: Catastrophe
Heart Centered Learning: Lisa Damour
Something to Inspire
“No matter how we get trapped, our usual reaction is not to become curious about what’s happening. We do not naturally investigate the strategies of ego. Most of us just blindly reach for something familiar that we associate with relief and then wonder why we stay dissatisfied. The radical approach of bodhichitta practice is to pay attention to what we do. Without judging it we train in kindly acknowledging whatever is going on. Eventually we might decide to stop hurting ourselves in the same old ways.”
Excerpted from: The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön
Listen List: Aaron Epse, “Only Time”
Heart Centered Learning: The Witch Trials of J.K Rowling
The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling is an audio documentary published by The Free Press that examines some of the most contentious issues of our time through the life and career of the world’s most successful author. In conversation with host Megan Phelps-Roper, J.K. Rowling speaks with unprecedented candour and depth about the controversies surrounding her: from book bans to debates on gender and sex. The series also examines the forces propelling this particular moment in history, through interviews with Rowling’s supporters and critics, journalists, historians, clinicians, and more.
The story of J.K. Rowling is not just the story of one author, or one woman, or one issue. It is a microcosm of our time. It is about the polarization of public opinion and the fracturing of public conversation. It is about the chasm between what people say they believe and how they are understood by others. It is about what it means to be human: a social animal who is compelled to be an accepted member of a group. And it is about the struggle to discern what is right when our individual view of the world is necessarily limited and imperfect.
Something to Inspire
“To honestly face the pain in our lives and the problems in the world, let’s start by looking compassionately and honestly at our own minds. We can become intimate with the mind of hatred, the mind that polarizes, the mind that makes somebody ‘other’ and bad and wrong. We come to know, unflinchingly, and with great kindness, the angry, unforgiving, hostile wolf. Over time, that part of ourselves becomes very familiar, but we no longer feed it. Instead, we can make the choice to nurture openness, intelligence, and warmth. This choice, and the attitudes and actions that follow from it, are like a medicine that has the potential to cure all suffering.”
Excerpted from: Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears by Pema Chödrön,
Watch List: Bad Sisters
Heart Centered Learning: The Apple Experiment
Something to Inspire
“Curiosity involves being gentle, precise, and open—actually being able to let go and open. Gentleness is a sense of goodheartedness toward ourselves. Precision is being able to see clearly, not being afraid to see what’s really there. Openness is being able to let go and to open. When you come to have this kind of honesty, gentleness, and good-heartedness, combined with clarity about yourself, there’s no obstacle to feeling loving-kindness for others as well.”
Excerpted from: Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion by Pema Chödrön
Listen List: Anna Sum, “Different Than Before”
Amanda Sum’s ‘Different Than Before’ takes home the 2023 Music Video Jury Award at SXSW. Directed/Written by Mayumi Yoshida, the music video stars Tzi Ma and Olivia Cheng. It was selected as Vimeo Staff Pick and won Best Music Video at the 45th annual Asian American International Film Festival in New York City, among selections at HollyShorts Film Festival and Aesthetica Short Film Festival (a BAFTA qualifying festival).
Breath by Breath 