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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2019

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Inner Hope's response

​In 2015 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued 94 Calls to Action in which they implored the Canadian government, along with all Canadian citizens, to work together to instill change. Last year, Inner Hope’s staff chose Calls to Action number 1 and 30 to focus on and support. ​

Call to action 1
​We call upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments to commit to reducing the number of Aboriginal children in care by: Providing adequate resources to enable Aboriginal communities and child-welfare organizations to keep Aboriginal families together where it is safe to do so, and to keep children in culturally appropriate environments, regardless of where they reside.
Inner Hope works hard to strengthen family relationships and help parents grow in their capacity to care for their children. In one situation we have been able to advocate in the court system for an aunt to take over the care of her niece who is currently in foster care. Other ways we support this call:
  • Inner Hope hosts holiday gatherings where extended families build memories and share holidays in a stable environment.
  • The Boundless program has prioritized strengthening relationships with participants’ parents.
  • The Home models healthy boundaries, routines and community with the goal that the residents would be able to break the cycle of abuse and instability and raise their own children.
  • We are seeking ways to ensure The Home is a place where Indigenous residents feel supported and affirmed in their identity.

CALL TO ACTION 30
​We call upon federal, provincial, and territorial governments to commit to eliminating the overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in custody over the next decade.
Approximately 75% of Inner Hope’s Indigenous participants have an immediate family member who has spent time in the correctional system. Many of the youth and young adults also have peers who are caught up in the system. Just last week a 19-year-old male, who was friends with a couple of the residents in The Home, was murdered by an 18-year-old known in the community. We are striving to see the youth and children we serve break this cycle. Some of the ways we are addressing this are to:
  • Provide a community where youth and young adults can socialize and build relationships.
  • Provide healthy role models and adult mentors as well as to provide weekend activities that give alternatives to youth being in settings where they are prone to make poor decisions.
  • Supporting youth to deal with their pain, learn how to control their anger and avoid a lifestyle of addiction are also critical in helping to prevent youth from getting caught up in a destructive lifestyle.
Isaiah 1:17 b
Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.
If you would like to learn how you can be part of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada, two tools that may be helpful to you are a prayer guide created by the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada, and our list of 50 Acts of Reconciliation.