Welcome to Community Connections!
A graphic representation of community members gathered around a glowing fire with embers and stars. (Graphic Design: Heather Patterson).
The Community Connections series is a collection of short audio stories exploring the relationships at the heart of our work to support and elevate Indigenous-led conservation.
We sit down with some of the inspiring, innovative and dedicated individuals who are cultivating community connections and bringing life to our collective work in the spirit of “We Rise Together.”
These stories can inform and contribute to the legacy of the network we are building together across what is now known as Canada.
Published bi-weekly, starting on March 29, 2022, you can listen to each episode directly from our website, or download to enjoy them at your leisure.
We would like to extend our gratitude to all of our community members who have made this series possible.
If you are enjoying this series and are interested in sharing your stories of connection, please email us at crpinfo@uoguelph.ca
Learn more about this series by listening to the trailer below. (Click on the white ‘play’ button to listen, or click on ‘download’ in grey.
Full Transcript
Hello, kwe’, boozhoo, tanshi, oki, atelihai, čačim hihak kʷaa, chachim hihak kwaa, bonjour and welcome to Community Connections – a collection of stories from the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership.
These stories will explore the relationships at the core of our work to support and elevate Indigenous-led conservation across what is now known as Canada.
My name is Kristy Tomkinson and I will be your conversation guide.
Having European ancestry, I am honoured and grateful to live, work, and play on the treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, where the Dish with One Spoon Covenant reminds me of my responsibilities to care for and share the gifts of these lands and waters.
The Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership, also known as the CRP, is an Indigenous-led network that brings together a diverse range of partners to transform the conservation sector.
I’m in the first year of my journey with the partnership. I’ve learned early on to be mindful of our collective responsibilities to all our relations - human and non-human. By bringing our whole selves – minds, bodies, spirits – we can combine our strengths and voices to revitalize, protect and steward the gifts of the natural world for the next seven generations.
We are collectively taking the bold steps necessary to cultivate abundance in our relationships with the natural world and with one another.
That’s why we are excited to bring you this audio series that will showcase the reciprocal relationships at the heart of this work, and how they span through a network across what is now known as Canada.
Within these conversations, we also explore how the principles of love, truth, bravery, courage, honesty, humility, and wisdom weave into and guide our relationships. These principles are often referred to as the Seven Sacred Gifts, or the Seven Grandmother or Grandfather Teachings and are an important aspect of Anishinaabe lifeways.
They were brought forward by the four members of the CRP Elder’s Lodge: Elder Albert Marshall from the Mi’kmaq Nation, Elder Larry McDermott from Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation, Elder Marilyn Capreol from Shawanaga First Nation, and Elder Paulette Fox from the Kainai Nation/Blood Tribe. While we recognize there are many distinct laws and gifts given to Indigenous nations and governments, the Elders have encouraged us to consider how these principles can help guide the CRP’s governance and 7-year journey.
Please join me as I sit down with some of the inspiring, innovative and dedicated individuals who are cultivating community connections and bringing life to our collective work in the spirit of “We Rise Together.”