A new coalition of local Indigenous executives was launched Thursday at Winnipeg’s Thunderbird House, with the goal of working together to increase the economic and social well-being of Indigenous people throughout the city.
The Winnipeg Indigenous Executive Circle includes senior managers of 18 different local Indigenous organizations, and will focus on issues like employment, education, housing, strengthening families, and health and well-being.
Damon Johnston, president of the Winnipeg Aboriginal Council – and one of the founders of the new coalition – told 680 CJOB the executive circle will give the wide-range of local Indigenous organizations a unified voice.
“These are all charitable, not-for-profit organizations, and for many years, the focus has been growing the individual organizations,” said Johnston. “What the Winnipeg Indigenous Executive Circle does is bring us together to determine, in a real way, how we can function as a collective, with an express purpose of finding better ways to address some of the issues in Winnipeg.
“I truly believe it will make us stronger, make us more effective, and all of those good things.”
Johnston told 680 CJOB the idea for the circle came from similar organizations in other cities, such as the Metro Vancouver Aboriginal Executive Council, and that studying those successful models sparked a discussion among local Indigenous leaders.
“It’s really exciting, because in the final analysis, we can draw really good examples from all these other cities and towns,” he said. “They’re facing some of the same issues we are in Winnipeg. What are the solutions? Some of the issues are huge, and they relate directly to some of the data, the statistics we get time and time again.”
RELATED: Agreement will improve health, safety in Manitoba First Nations communities
He said the coalition’s concept leaves the door open for members of other local communities to contribute as well.
“Because it’s a circle, it doesn’t exclude other Canadians. We’ll reach out to our partner organizations in the non-Indigenous community, that huge platform of charitable and not-for-profit organizations in Winnipeg and Manitoba and working together to address these bigger issues.
“We all know the history, right? We can’t change the past. What’s done is done. But we can absolutely create a better future and we can do that together.”
Comments