Lots of local events for this post!
Saskatoon Events
The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, as part of their “Courageous Conversation” speaker series, will be hosting a conversation on June 13 at 10am with Colleen Christopherson-Cote on the SPRP’s “12 Bold Ideas to Eliminate Poverty in Saskatoon”. For more information or to RSVP, contact Adam Hawboldt at (306) 229-7169 or by email at adam.hawboldt@gov.sk.ca .
Earlier this week the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls presented its final report, building on over two years of cross-country public hearings and evidence gathering and including 231 individual Calls for Justice. On June 14 at 8:30am, the University of Saskatchewan’s Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy will host a conversation with Chief Commissioner Marion Buller and Commissioner Brian Eyolfson to learn more about the report.
The Canadian Evaluation Society’s Saskatchewan Chapter is hosting a full-day workshop on June 18, featuring Kim van der Woerd and Billie Joe Rogers, on the topic of Culturally Responsive Evaluation with Indigenous Populations. If you’ll be in attendance, come find me and say hi!
Also on June 18, WDM Saskatoon and the Saskatoon PRIDE Festival are hosting “Spark Your Pride: Sharing Our Stories, Celebrating Our Lives”. Incorporating a mix of ceremony, discussions, readings, and even line dancing (!), the event will focus on how storytelling, art, music, and other creative avenues can help express personal history, honour Indigenous traditions, revisit and recount past trauma, and explore healing. I just wish it wasn’t the same day as the evaluation workshop!
June 21 is recognized as National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, with events around the country. In Saskatoon, the fourth-annual “Rock your Roots” event welcomes everyone of all backgrounds and experiences to walk together to re-ignite the fire of reconciliation. The walk itself starts at 9:30 at Victoria Park, with ceremony beforehand and a public lunch and entertainment afterwards. The event organizers are also still looking for volunteers in various roles.