SPRING NEWSLETTER 2019
Some Background
Currently, around 90% of the core individuals Inner Hope serves are Indigenous. These youth and families have chosen to be a part of the Inner Hope community and have put a lot of trust in our staff and volunteers. Therefore, we feel a deep responsibility to be advocates of justice, doing the difficult work of acknowledging where we have been a participant in systems of oppression. To be a part of reconciliation in East Vancouver. God instructs us through scripture to stand up for the vulnerable.
Micah 6:8
He has shown you,
O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
He has shown you,
O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
As many of you know, colonialism in Canada has caused much destruction to Indigenous communities and in many cases led to inter-generational trauma. A few historical events in BC that have been deeply damaging are: the intentional spread of small pox in 1862 (which killed at least 50% of the West Coast Indigenous population), [1] the seizure of Indigenous lands and displacement and relocation onto reserves in the late 1800s (loss of land and resources needed to provide for families created a dependency on the Canadian government), [2] and the Indian residential school system which removed children from their parents and raised them in institutions that operated in BC from 1861– 1984 [3]. The goal of these schools was to weaken family and cultural ties and indoctrinate the children into Canadian culture and Christianity. One of the greatest tragedies was the fact that most residential schools were run by churches whose leaders abused their power and misrepresented the Christian faith. This has led to widespread distrust of churches and Christians among our community.
The impacts of these atrocities, which has contributed to family and community breakdown, are hard to fathom. 4,252 out of 6,698 (63%) of children and youth in foster care in BC in 2018 were Indigenous [4] and 30 per cent of men and 47 per cent of women imprisoned in BC in 2016-17 were Indigenous [5]. To respond to the tragedy of residential schools and the destruction they have caused, Canada formed a Truth and Reconciliation Commission about 10 years ago. From 2009–2015 the commission held events across Canada and gathered over 6,750 statements from residential school survivors or members of their families.
In 2015 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued its final report, which included 94 Calls to Action in which it implored the implored the government and all Canadian citizens to work together for change [6]. Last year, Inner Hope’s staff chose Calls to Action number 1 and 30 to focus on and support.
The impacts of these atrocities, which has contributed to family and community breakdown, are hard to fathom. 4,252 out of 6,698 (63%) of children and youth in foster care in BC in 2018 were Indigenous [4] and 30 per cent of men and 47 per cent of women imprisoned in BC in 2016-17 were Indigenous [5]. To respond to the tragedy of residential schools and the destruction they have caused, Canada formed a Truth and Reconciliation Commission about 10 years ago. From 2009–2015 the commission held events across Canada and gathered over 6,750 statements from residential school survivors or members of their families.
In 2015 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued its final report, which included 94 Calls to Action in which it implored the implored the government and all Canadian citizens to work together for change [6]. Last year, Inner Hope’s staff chose Calls to Action number 1 and 30 to focus on and support.
References:
[1] Joshua Ostroff, “How a smallpox epidemic forged modern British Columbia,” Macleans, 1 August 2017; Greg Lange, “Smallpox Epidemic of 1862 among Northwest Coast and Puget Sound Indians,” Essay 5171, HistoryLink.org, 2 April 2003.
[2] “Reserves,” Indigenous Foundations, arts.ubc.ca: https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/reserves/
[3] “List of Indian Residential Schools in Canada,” Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_residential_schools_in_Canada
[4] “Children and Youth in Care (CYIC),” Ministry of Children and Family Development; https://mcfd.gov.bc.ca/reporting/services/child-protection/permanency-for-children-and-youth/performance-indicators/children-in-care
[5] Ian Mulgrew, “Statistics Canada Reveals First Nations Filling Canada’s Prisons,” Vancouver Sun, 25 June 2018.
[6] Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 2015. http://caid.ca/TRCFinExeSum2015.pdf; Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Calls to Action. 2015. http://nctr.ca/assets/reports/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf
[1] Joshua Ostroff, “How a smallpox epidemic forged modern British Columbia,” Macleans, 1 August 2017; Greg Lange, “Smallpox Epidemic of 1862 among Northwest Coast and Puget Sound Indians,” Essay 5171, HistoryLink.org, 2 April 2003.
[2] “Reserves,” Indigenous Foundations, arts.ubc.ca: https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/reserves/
[3] “List of Indian Residential Schools in Canada,” Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_residential_schools_in_Canada
[4] “Children and Youth in Care (CYIC),” Ministry of Children and Family Development; https://mcfd.gov.bc.ca/reporting/services/child-protection/permanency-for-children-and-youth/performance-indicators/children-in-care
[5] Ian Mulgrew, “Statistics Canada Reveals First Nations Filling Canada’s Prisons,” Vancouver Sun, 25 June 2018.
[6] Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 2015. http://caid.ca/TRCFinExeSum2015.pdf; Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Calls to Action. 2015. http://nctr.ca/assets/reports/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf