Wîcihitowin Indigenous Engagement Conference 2014-2022
Our social will soon be closed. Please visit https://wicihitowin.ca for conference archives.
“Wîcihitowin”, a Cree/Saulteaux term meaning “to help each other/to work together”, is the driving force for the now annual event. If you are working towards respectful Indigenous engagement and inclusion in a community-based setting, this conference
is for you. In 2014, a group of Saskatchewan Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations came together to invite community organizations, governments and businesses to learn about inclusive representation of Indigenous people as employees, volunteers and decision-makers. Through keynote speakers, plenary sessions and workshops, the Wîcihitowin Conference has worked to honour survivors of the residential school system and sixties scoop, and support the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action in our workplaces and communities. Through the creation of the Wîcihitowin Indigenous Engagement Conference, survivors were given a platform to share their voices and their teachings with the hope of inspiring respectful engagement and meaningful inclusion of Indigenous peoples’ within the community, and the creation of resources and tools needed to create culturally respectful organizations. This conference has welcomed audiences from across Saskatchewan, Canada, and around the world. We have invested in education by bringing together First Nations and Métis people with professional, academic, and lived-experience expertise, and have showcased Indigenous culture through dance, song, and art. We have also supported the economy and have provided Indigenous vendors with a venue to share their goods and services with new audiences. Thanks to our investors, partner organizations, Survivors, and all conference attendees, we have been able to re-invest over $1.3-million dollars into the community and reconciliation efforts. This conference has been a great platform to learn and connect, share experiences and challenges, and engage in open and constructive dialogue in a safe space. By attending this conference over the years or by watching the recordings on our Archives page, you have made a valuable investment that we hope will have a lasting impact on your life and your organization’s efforts in building respectful and mutually beneficial partnerships with Indigenous communities. As we come to the end of our eight-year journey, on behalf of the 2022 Wîcihitowin Conference Planning Committee, we would like to thank you all for your bravery, commitment, and resolution to reconciliation. Looking to the future, we see so much potential for what our communities can do and what our communities can achieve when we continue to work together in a good way.
