Registration for this series is now closed. For more information about future sessions of Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization, reach out via our contact page. 

The September 2023 series of Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization is hosted by Metro Vancouver Alliance, the IAF Northwest Affiliate based in and around the city of Vancouver in British Columbia. Members of Metro Vancouver Alliance and Greater Victoria Acting Together are encouraged to register below. 

If your organization is not a member of Metro Vancouver Alliance or Greater Victoria Acting Together (but you live in those areas) you can email [email protected] with your interest and then sign up below. The participation fee for non-members is $250. 

This eight session facilitation and ongoing organizing process is designed for labor, community, and faith organizations that are a part of Metro Vancouver Alliance and Greater Victoria Acting Together. You along with others from your organization are invited to join in reflection and learning around the truth of colonization and its ongoing impact in the region where we live. Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization is an initiative of the IAF Northwest.

Program Notes:

• Please confirm that you are able to attend all of the first five sessions before registering, as each session builds on the learnings of the previous evening.
• This is a training series that seeks to center the lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples, the work that is ongoing in our communities and the emotional work that comes from this. Please be prepared to engage in this emotional labor and reflection.
• Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization is more than the training sessions listed here, it is a community organizing initiative. The goal is to take the learning and reflection from these sessions and turn them into long-term community organizing efforts towards upholding native sovereignty and real solidarity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. 

Introductory Briefings:

There are two options to attend an introductory briefing. You must attend one of the briefings in order to participate in the series: 

Introductory Briefing 1:
Tuesday, September 12th 3:00-3:30pm PST


Introductory Briefing 2:
Thursday, September 14th 6:00-6:30pm PST

First Five Sessions:

Tuesday and Thursday Evenings

September 19, 21, 26, 28 and October 3: 6:00-8:00PM PST

Last Three Sessions:

The required follow-up sessions will include a mix of virtual and in-person meetings. The first will be participation in a drum circle with MVA member organization Urban Aboriginal Ministry during the month of November. More information on the options to sign up for a time for this session will be sent after you have registered for Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization. 

More informations will be sent about the additional follow-up sessions which will include a visit to the Musqueam Cultural Centre in mid-January. Please be on the look-out for this additional information. 

All of the first five sessions will be held over Zoom. Please contact us if you have any accessibility needs to join the sessions. 

This two hour training is for individuals interested in being Small Group Leaders for the Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization program. It covers the basic role and requirements of Small Group Leaders as well as digging into facilitation skills for confronting bias within Wrestling sessions and in the world. 

This training is required for small group leaders participating in Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization in fall of 2023. In order to be a Small Group Leader you must have participated in a Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization series in the past. 

Zoom joining details will be sent after registering. Thanks for joining us for this training!

This two hour training is for individuals interested in being Small Group Leaders for the Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization program. It covers the basic role and requirements of Small Group Leaders as well as digging into facilitation skills for confronting bias within Wrestling sessions and in the world. 

This training is required for small group leaders participating in Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization in fall of 2023. In order to be a Small Group Leader you must have participated in a Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization series in the past. 

Zoom joining details will be sent after registering. Thanks for joining us for this training!

This two hour training is for individuals interested in being Small Group Leaders for the Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization program. It covers the basic role and requirements of Small Group Leaders as well as digging into facilitation skills for confronting bias within Wrestling sessions and in the world. 

This training is required for small group leaders participating in Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization in fall of 2023. In order to be a Small Group Leader you must have participated in a Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization series in the past. 

Zoom joining details will be sent after registering. Thanks for joining us for this training!

This Initiative was developed by the Industrial Areas Foundation (of which Common Good is a member) with focus on the impacts and history of relationships between the dominant society and Indigenous Peoples of the four colonized countries of our Affiliate Organizations in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In the long term, it is meant to eliminate systemic barriers in the current dominant structures by creating conditions that protect and expand Indigenous sovereignty and self-governance while creating racial equity for all. One part of this process is to maximize the existing capacity of Indigenous organizations to tell their own stories and become vehicles for their members to find and exercise their inherent power. At the same time we focus on creating durable relational ties between Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations, developed at the speed of trust to form long term commitments that lead to an equitable future.

This collective work was led by a group of Indigenous Peoples worldwide. 

Program Notes:

• Please confirm that you are able to attend all of the first five sessions before registering, as each session builds on the learnings of the previous evening.
• This is a training series that seeks to center the lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples, the work that is ongoing in our communities and the emotional work that comes from this. Please be prepared to engage in this emotional labor and reflection.
• Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization is more than the training sessions listed here, it is a community organizing program. The goal is to take the learning and reflection from these sessions and turn them into long-term community organizing efforts towards upholding native sovereignty and real solidarity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. 

Sessions:

Introductory Briefings

All registrants must participate in one Introductory Briefing before joining the main sessions. 

April 24th: 5:00-5:30pm MST

April 25th: 2:00-2:30pm MST 

Five Core Sessions: Tuesday and Thursday Afternoons

April: 27

May: 2, 4, 9, 11

All sessions from 4:00-6:00PM MST

Follow-up Sessions: 

Dates for Follow-up sessions will be announced during the five core sessions. These dates will be different depending on the IAF NW affiliate organization you are a part of.

All sessions listed above will be held over Zoom

The March 2023 series of Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization is hosted by Sound Alliance, the IAF Northwest Affiliate based in King and Pierce Counties in Washington State. To register for this session, please go to Sound Alliances event page: https://www.soundorganizing.org/wrestling_with_the_truth_of_colonization 

If your organization is not a member of Sound Alliance you can fill out our contact form to learn more about how to be involved in Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization.

This eight session facilitation and ongoing organizing process is designed for labor, community, and faith organizations that are a part of Sound Alliance. You along with others from your organization are invited to join in reflection and learning around the truth of colonization and its ongoing impact in the region where we live. Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization is an initiative of the IAF Northwest and offered locally in conjunction with United Indians of All Tribes Foundation and Sound Alliance.

Program Notes:

• Please confirm that you are able to attend all of the first five sessions before registering, as each session builds on the learnings of the previous evening.
• This is a training series that seeks to center the lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples, the work that is ongoing in our communities and the emotional work that comes from this. Please be prepared to engage in this emotional labor and reflection.
• Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization is more than the training sessions listed here, it is a community organizing initiative. The goal is to take the learning and reflection from these sessions and turn them into long-term community organizing efforts towards upholding native sovereignty and real solidarity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. 

Introductory Briefings:

There are two options to attend an introductory briefing. You must attend one of the briefings in order to participate in the series: 

Introductory Briefing 1:
Tuesday, March 7 5:30-6:00pm PST


Introductory Briefing 2:
Thursday, March 9 2:00-2:30pm PST

First Five Sessions:

Tuesday and Thursday Evenings

March 16, 21, 23, 28, 30: 5:30-7:30PM PST

Last Three Sessions:

The last three sessions will be spaced out over three months and designed to continue each individual's personal wrestling, dig into local histories and experiences of Indigenous peoples, and identify action opportunities. The final dates for these sessions will be set during the first five sessions happening in March.

All sessions listed above will be held over Zoom

This Initiative was developed by the Industrial Areas Foundation (of which Common Good is a member) with focus on the impacts and history of relationships between the dominant society and Indigenous Peoples of the four colonized countries of our Affiliate Organizations in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In the long term, it is meant to eliminate systemic barriers in the current dominant structures by creating conditions that protect and expand Indigenous sovereignty and self-governance while creating racial equity for all. One part of this process is to maximize the existing capacity of Indigenous organizations to tell their own stories and become vehicles for their members to find and exercise their inherent power. At the same time we focus on creating durable relational ties between Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations, developed at the speed of trust to form long term commitments that lead to an equitable future.

This collective work was led by a group of Indigenous Peoples worldwide. 

Program Notes:

• Please confirm that you are able to attend all of the first five sessions before registering, as each session builds on the learnings of the previous evening.
• This is a training series that seeks to center the lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples, the work that is ongoing in our communities and the emotional work that comes from this. Please be prepared to engage in this emotional labor and reflection.
• Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization is more than the training sessions listed here, it is a community organizing program. The goal is to take the learning and reflection from these sessions and turn them into long-term community organizing efforts towards upholding native sovereignty and real solidarity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. 

Sessions:

Monday and Wednesday Evenings

October: 17, 19, 24, 26

November: 7, 21

December: 5

All sessions from 5:30-7:30PM PST

All sessions listed above will be held over Zoom

This eight session facilitation and ongoing organizing process is designed for labor, community, and faith organizations that are a part of Sound Alliance (an affiliated organization of the IAF NW). You along with others from your organization are invited to join in reflection and learning around the truth of colonization and its ongoing impact in the region where we live. Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization is an initiative of the IAF Northwest and offered locally in conjunction with United Indians of All Tribes Foundation and Sound Alliance.

Program Notes:

• Please confirm that you are able to attend all of the first five sessions before registering, as each session builds on the learnings of the previous evening.
• This is a training series that seeks to center the lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples, the work that is ongoing in our communities and the emotional work that comes from this. Please be prepared to engage in this emotional labor and reflection.
• Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization is more than the training sessions listed here, it is a community organizing program. The goal is to take the learning and reflection from these sessions and turn them into long-term community organizing efforts towards upholding native sovereignty and real solidarity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. 

Introductory Briefings:

Tuesday, October 4th: 2:00-3:00PM PST
Thursday, October 6th: 6:30-7:30PM PST

You must attend one of the briefings before the main sessions begin.

First Five Sessions:

October 13, 18, 20, 25, 27: 6:30-8:30PM PST

Last Three Sessions:

The last three sessions will be spaced out over three months and designed to continue each individual's personal wrestling, dig into local histories and experiences of Indigenous peoples, and identify action opportunities. The final dates for these sessions will be set during the first five sessions happening in October.

All sessions listed above will be held over Zoom

On October 4th, at 8am PST IAF Northwest has invited Citizens UK to run a briefing around their strategy and experiences working with Secondary Schools as member institutions of their broad based organization. This is the second briefing in a series that started in July with a briefing on Universities as member institutions.  

This will be an international meeting happening over Zoom. Zoom joining information will be sent in the RSVP email. Information on the same event for IAF NW organizers and leaders outside of North America coming soon! 

Citizens UK is the IAF organization in the United Kingdom. Secondary Schools are a unique part of their power base that create opportunities for to impact the wellbeing of young people and their families. You can learn about their work here: https://www.citizensuk.org/join/join-us-as-a-school-community/

On July 21st, at 8am PST IAF NW has invited Citizens UK to run a briefing around their strategy and experiences working with universities as member institutions of their broad based organization. A second briefing will be happening later in the summer around Citizens UK work with secondary schools. 

This will be an international meeting happening over Zoom. Zoom joining information will be sent in the RSVP email. Information on the same event for IAF NW organizers and leaders outside of North America coming soon! 

Citizens UK is the IAF organization in the United Kingdom. Universities are a major part of their power base including large public universities like King's College London, University of Nottingham, and Cardiff University. You can learn about their work here: https://www.citizensuk.org/join/join-us-as-a-higher-education-institution/

May 10th 3:30-5 PST, 4:30-6 MT
May 11th 8:30-10 AEST, 10:30-12:00 NZST

The focus will be on relationship building, learning from each other's experiences and rebuilding institutions and core teams.

With your RSVP an auto-response email will be sent to you with the zoom meeting link. 

This International Leaders Gathering will be held on March 3rd, 2022 (N. America) / March 4 (AUS and NZ). 

The focus for this gathering will be on internal organizing, including how to Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization process to expand diversity and strengthen relationships.

Hello Leaders, 

Thank you so much for your interest in our International Leaders Gathering. The focus of our time together will be to expand and strengthen international relationships, gain a better sense that we’re all a part of a larger effort and organization, provoke inspiration and energy for your local organizing by learning how others across the world are using the same organizing tools to create a more equitable recovery post COVID including our Wrestling with the Truth international effort.

We hope to spark your interest in building something bigger with creativity around issue and strategy work and to connect with one another with small group conversations. 

Times vary globally, here are the times that within your time zones. 

See you there!