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RECONCILIATION - DOING OUR PART

Currently, around 85% of 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. We feel a deep responsibility to be advocates of justice. This includes doing the difficult work of acknowledging  where we have all participated in systems of oppression and being part of reconciliation in East Vancouver. 

​As a Christian organization, we acknowledge the historic role that Canada’s religious institutions played in harming the Indigenous community, and we take seriously our responsibility for healing damage and reforming harmful practices. God instructs us through scripture to stand up for the vulnerable. ​We seek an active role in reconciliation by responding directly to the Calls to Action from Canada’s Truth & Reconciliation Commission. 

In 2015 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued its final report, with 94 Calls to Action that implored the Canadian government, along with all Canadian citizens, to acknowledge the past and pursue a new path together for the future.[1]  Inner Hope has chosen three Calls to Action to focus on and support.
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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,[2] and our list of 50 Acts of Reconciliation.

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 journeys with parents as they seek to strengthen family relationships and grow in their capacity to care for their children. Several times we have been able to advocate in the court system and/or provide a reference for foster parent screening for family members to take over the care of child relatives in foster care. Other ways we support this call:
  • Providing a space for holiday gatherings where extended families can build memories and celebrate.
  • Partnering with parents in supporting our Boundless youth.
  • Modeling healthy boundaries, routines and community in the Inner Hope Home, empowering residents to break generational cycles which have led to abuse and instability. ​
  • Ensuring, with guidance from our Cultural Mentors and Community Advisory Committee, that Inner Hope is a place where Indigenous youth and families feel supported and affirmed in their identity.

CALL TO ACTION 10
We call on the federal government to draft new Aboriginal education legislation with the full participation and informed consent of Aboriginal peoples. The new legislation would include a commitment to sufficient funding and would incorporate the following principles:
i. Providing sufficient funding to close identified educational achievement gaps within one generation.
ii. Improving education attainment levels and success rates.
vi. Enabling parents to fully participate in the education of their children.
Inner Hope's life skills and housing programs have a strong focus on education; both in terms of high school completion and in the pursuit of higher education. We work with youth, young adults and their families to create a supportive foundation that will see the youth through their entire educational journey. We do this by:
  • Helping youth with High School and College enrollment - accessing educational programs that meet their needs and support their interests.
  • Supporting parent participation in the education of their children by partnering with them to strengthen school attendance and work habits, accompanying parents to school meetings, and inviting the parents into discussions with their children.
  • Providing practical support with assignments, providing rides to classes and appointments, and providing a quiet space for youth to complete school work.
  • Enabling the celebration of graduates by helping them get outfits, transporting their families to ceremonies, attending ceremonies with them, and hosting our own community celebration.

CALL TO ACTION 30
​We call upon federal, provincial, and territorial governments to commit to eliminating the over-representation of Aboriginal people in custody over the next decade.
Approximately 75% of Inner Hope’s participants have an immediate family member who has spent time in the correctional system. Many of our young people also have peers who are caught up in the system. We support our community's goal in breaking this cycle. Some of our strategies are:
  • Providing safe and supervised environments where youth and young adults can socialize and build relationships.
  • Providing healthy role models and adult mentors.
  • Providing evening and weekend activities as alternatives to settings where youth 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. This is critical in preventing them from getting caught up in a destructive lifestyle.
References:
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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

Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action Learning and Prayer Guide,” The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada: https://www.cmacan.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/trc-prayer-guide.pdf