Reflections on Victoria Native Friendship Centre’s Community Learning Program
As we enter a new year, I am thinking about how I spent my time in the one that has just passed. What experiences have I had that expanded my awareness? What moved me emotionally? What has impacted how I live my life on a day to day basis? My involvement in Greater Victoria Acting Together (GVAT) started during the worst of the COVID 19 pandemic. It has since reduced in proportion to the rest of my life but remains a meaningful place for me to contribute. In a recent Habitat Acquisition Trust (HAT) event on Tseycum that I attended as a GVAT volunteer through its Indigenous Relations Learning Circle (IRLC), I found myself exploring some new ideas. I was participating in a closing circle that happened after our efforts to “Decolonize the Land” where a group of relative strangers were removing invasive species (English Ivy, Himalayan Blackberry), to make way for native plants (Trailing Blackberry, Oregon grape) that are used by First Nations people for food and traditional medicines. My neighbour in the circle said she was thinking about how the richness of her life is made up of all the little things she experiences, such as this day. She then expressed gratitude to the Nation for the invitation and the opportunity to do reconciliACTION. For me, taking part in the Victoria Native Friendship Centre’s Community Learning Program (CLP) last June has been similar. https://vnfc.ca/community-learning-program/
The Community Learning Program (CLP) involved three consecutive in person Thursdays plus pre-course learning done on-line. I have taken other courses working towards greater cultural awareness and competence through my work as a social worker. This was more personal and therefore impactful.
CLP for me was a way to learn about our shared local history and the impacts of colonization, as well as to build relationship with Indigenous communities that the Victoria Native Friendship Centre (VNFC) serves. Taking a course at the Friendship Centre is an immersive experience which is also what makes it so effective. From initial contact with the course organizers and facilitator, to the way in which visitors are hosted (fed and cared for) and the gentle yet thoughtful content, it all weaves together to create something truly special. Elders and Knowledge Keepers designed the course to speak the truth about colonization past and present, balanced with exposure to the strengths and resilience of First Nations, Metis and Inuit that have ensured their survival through many assaults on their communities.
The content itself covered teachings about how to give and receive feedback as a non-Indigenous person volunteering within a predominantly Indigenous community, an overview of colonization, the celebration of Indigenous cultures, and specific knowledge about local protocols that promote respectful involvement between cultural communities whatever the volunteer’s background. The process of learning was an excellent match for my needs. There were self assessments that followed the learning objectives of the course and I came away with a personalized learning plan for next steps in my own journey.
The process of the group elevated the learning through talking circles with my cohort, during which the facilitator and their support people held a respectful space for each person’s contributions and encouraged moving at your own pace. By design, the cohort was diverse with people of many cultures who ranged in ages from 20 to 80–, students, professors, health and social service professionals and random community members, originating from countries including Brazil, India, Austria, and from across Canada but now residing in Victoria. We laughed (a lot), we cried (some of us, sometimes) and the relationships built through that experience will be enduring for many. There are opportunities to volunteer with your cohort and with the more that 280 people who have completed the CLP over the 21 cohorts since its beginning.
In December, 2024, all the CLP graduates so far,VNFC CLP staff and also staff members across their program areas gathered at Norway House for a potluck, pre-Solstice celebration of the achievements of the CLP to date, to hear about developments coming to the program in. 2025 and to acknowledge the contribution of Tanya Claremont, who has until this point facilitated every round of the course. Tanya is passing the torch to her successor but will continue with the Centre in her other roles. VNFC has developed a specialized version of the CLP for healthcare workers entitled Indigenous Safety in Healthcare (ISH). Also, Stepping into Story: Learning on the Land Program will be offered for the first time in 2025 which will explore Indigenous geographies and environmental justice. The December gathering was both an acknowledgement of volunteers and staff as well as a launch for new programming at VNFC, which will further the goals of reconciliation according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman and Girls +Inquiry recommendations.
I am reflecting this year about how I spent my time in the last one. I am thinking about the invitations and opportunities that I have been offered through my volunteering with GVAT. As you read this, I am hoping that you are, too. May 2025 be another year rich in learning and abundant small miracles.
Written by a member of GVAT's Indigenous Relationships Learning Circle
