Mapping exercise facilitators needed to promote truth and reconciliation

Next year will mark the 10^th anniversary of the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Final Report. It will also mark the 10^th anniversary of the launch of PWRDF’s Mapping the Ground We Stand On (Mapping Exercise) workshop. This education for reconciliation resource is available both in-person and online and is offered to parishes, educational institutions, and community groups by trained volunteer facilitators. And PWRDF is looking to grow that small but mighty group from its current roster of nine.

The workshop is an opportunity to enter onto the land we now call Canada using a large floor map, to see and understand the depth and breadth of Indigenous presence and knowledge embedded in the land, and to experience the history and impact of settler arrival. Each participant – be they Indigenous or settler – brings themselves and their family’s history with them as together we step onto the land, learning from it and from one another.

Tom Mugford was trained as a Mapping Exercise Facilitator in 2022. He is a lay canon in the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, appointed by Bishop Sam Rose to lead Indigenous Ministries and Advocacy. He is also a Beneficiary of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement and works in the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Education as Program Development Specialist for Indigenous Education.

Despite bringing a wealth of lived and learned experience to the Mapping Exercise, Mugford went into the training with some trepidation. “You can sometimes feel very vulnerable when going into these kinds of settings, not knowing what you’ll be presented with, but all my fears were gone right away,” he said in an interview for Anglican Life.

“PWRDF has created a very tangible education piece for the country. You as the settler get to see your place in this history of Canada, and that’s important too. People are inspired to continue their learning but don’t leave traumatized. They develop a sense of empathy and understanding, versus pity. You learn to make a difference in the world and use your privilege. Reconciliation is not about pointing fingers. It’s acknowledging where we are as a country and where we are as a church.”

As we mark the fourth anniversary of the discovery of unmarked graves by the Tk’emlups te Secwépemc First Nation on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, and as we mark National Indigenous History Month, PWRDF is expanding its group of faciliators. We are looking for individuals from any part of the country with a passion for presenting, listening and learning.  

Whether you are Indigenous or non-Indigenous you are encouraged to consider applying for this volunteer opportunity. If you, or someone you know is interested in becoming a Mapping Exercise Facilitator but have some questions, please contact me at srumsey@pwrdf.org or Kim Umbach, our Volunteer Coordinator. The deadline to apply is June 30, 2024. The training will take place in Toronto on September 6 and 7, 2024.

Suzanne Rumsey is PWRDF’s Public Engagement Program Coordinator, and one of the designers of the Mapping Exercise.