Conference & Get-together Passing the Torch

Holders of our Stories and The Path Towards Healing and Reconciliation

The not-for-profit Time For Equality is hosting a conference, with poignant testimonies from First Nations delegates from British Columbia, on the subject of the residential schools system for children and the movement of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) in Canada. The recent discovery of unmarked graves of children has again brought international attention to this sad and cruel part of Canadian history which continues to have severe social impact on the First Nations and Inuit of Canada.

The objective is to raise awareness about the link between colonization and systemic discrimination, abuse and violence against women and children, and the traumas that still affect First Nations and the Inuit of Canada today. Calls for action will be discussed to overcome trauma and continue a real process of awareness, healing and reconciliation.

The speakers are:

Rhoda Peters, former Chief of Chawathil First Nation (Vancouver), co-founder and president of the Sts’elemqw Thrivers Society, an association that represents and supports residential school survivors and their families.
Lyn Kay (Kaysewaysemat), of Cree and Objiway descent, MMIWG activist and fashion designer. Her creations are based on the theme of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada.

Excerpts from the book Passing the Torch by Bea Silver, former teacher, author, and founder of the Sts’elemqw Thrivers Society, will be read. The evening will end with a fashion show by Lyn Kay.

This event is in collaboration with La Robe Rouge, a project created by the Inuit-European artist Heather Carroll, with the goal of increasing awareness and establishing a platform for dialogue and information based on the impact of colonization on the First Nations and Inuit of Canada. La Robe Rouge is a travelling exhibition/installation about gender violence, more specifically the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) issue in Canada, and the autochthonous children buried in unmarked graves, victims of the residential school system in Canada.

Time For Equality

Time For Equality is a not-for-profit association based in Luxembourg. They aim at contributing to a better and fairer society built on respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, equity and social justice. Their objective is to make a difference through advocacy and awareness raising, sharing knowledge and experiences, and solidarity. They believe in the power of the arts and human stories to reach individuals and influence social change. Their motto: Learn, Share, Take Action.

Expressions of Humanity

The power of arts and human stories to raise awareness and achieve social change: that is the common thread running through the events proposed by Time For Equality. The series focuses on human rights and societal issues of our time (migration, increasing inequalities, violence against women and children, trafficking and exploitation of human beings) and on how our society responds.

Each event consists of a film screening, a photo report or a book presentation. It includes testimonials by inspirational speakers and a discussion with the audience, to try and answer the question: What can I do?