Rotarians build bridges through Honouring Indigenous People innovation
By Andre Morriseau
Senior Manager, Awards and Communications – Canadian Council For Aboriginal Business(CCAB)
Rotary has been making history and bringing the world closer together for over 100 years. Since forming in 1905, they’ve taken on some of the world’s toughest challenges and helped a wide range of international and service organizations get started from the UN to Easter Seals.
Rotarians in southern Ontario once again have Rotary at the forefront of applying new ideas on the road to creative solutions through the newly created Honouring Indigenous People (HIP) website . HIP was created after extensive consultation with a number of members of the indigenous community and organizations.
“HIP is honouring indigenous people by supporting their educational efforts and encouraging all Canadians to become aware of indigenous issues, history and culture. It is the hope of Rotarians, Rotary clubs and others that partnerships and collaborations will be established with indigenous people in Canada focusing on creating mutual awareness and understanding” stated HIP Chair Chris Snyder.
The HIP board is made up of 50% Rotarians from five Rotary districts and 50% educational leaders and members of the indigenous community.
By going to www.rotaryhip.com people have access to a go-to information website. Here one can find details about the organization, a blog with current news and events, reading suggestions, links, current Rotary projects and their HIP approved projects. It is their hope to connect all 750 clubs across Canada and supportive individuals with the indigenous community and vice versa.
Wilfrid Wilkinson, Past President of Rotary International has been a Rotarian for over 52 years. In his travel with the Rotarians he has visited India 27 times working with villagers on numerous projects, making vital connections.
Wilkinson stated, “Here in Canada I found that Rotarians didn’t appear to have made the same connections with Canada’s Aboriginal communities as I had witnessed first-hand in places like India. It is for this very reason that I salute Rotarians in southern Ontario for taking on the great challenge of working to change this dynamic through initiatives such as the Honouring Indigenous People (HIP) website.”
The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) joined early on as a Charter Member and active member of The Rotary Club of Toronto Aboriginal Service Committee. They were intrigued by the potential connection between Rotary’s business roots and the pursuit of Aboriginal business participation.
CCAB President and CEO, JP Gladu, who recently had the opportunity to deliver the keynote address at a Rotary Club of Toronto luncheon stated, “The work that Rotarians are spearheading with HIP allows the ingenuity of business to support commitment to the spirit of mutual understanding.”
“The average Canadian doesn’t realize that members of the Aboriginal community were not allowed the right to vote in Canada before 1961, nor do they realize that tens of thousands of Aboriginal children were forced into residential schools where many were sexually and physically abused and stripped of their languages, culture and dignity. This is the very education factor that is vital on the road to informing Canadians of past injustices while embracing a path of equitable reconciliation on the road to prosperity for all Canadians.”
“The Aboriginal community were the original business success story in Canada driving the fur trade. Since then we’ve been on a forced hiatus in the business world for the past couple of hundred years, but times are changing. One doesn’t have to look far today to find examples of Aboriginal business success in all sectors of the economy. It is through the forward thinking work of the Rotarians that business now has an opportunity to forge a new relationship with the Aboriginal community on the way to a brighter future for all Canadians.”
HIP is currently accepting Charter Memberships for a lifetime payment of $100.00. For more information contact Chris Snyder at snyder@eccgroup.ca
The Rotary club is a grass-roots organization consisting of business professionals and community leaders that volunteer time, talent & resources in order to remedy vital community needs. With over 1.2 million members worldwide http://www.rotaryhip.com/