INSIGHTS ON CULTURAL SAFETY IN PRACTICE

Last Wednesday, during our June Community Call, we began with introductions as usual. During Mentor Emily White’s (Tla’amin and Klahoose) introduction, she shared that she had enjoyed her first t̓ɛnɛqʷ (salmonberry) of the season that week, finding happiness and gratitude in the experience. Her comment made me realize that I hadn’t yet tasted my first salmonberry this year. When I moved to Vancouver Island in 2013, I had never even heard of a salmonberry. Growing up on Treaty

A few weeks ago, while scrolling through my TikTok feed, I came across a ​post​ discussing Ribbon Skirts and their integration into the RCMP uniform. A Ribbon Skirt is considered a sacred cultural item, symbolizing resilience and survival, and offering a connection to kinship for its wearer. On May 1, 2024, the Commissioner of the RCMP ​announced the inclusion of an RCMP-issued Ribbon Skirt​ as "an Indigenous cultural item of honour and distinction to be worn by Indigenous Re

Last Wednesday, our community had the opportunity to listen and learn with Emily Taylor (Tlowitsis First Nation), who provided teachings related to integrating culturally safe practices in education and child-rearing. One of the statements she shared really stood out: “child-rearing is a community effort, and when negative behaviors happen, rather than pushing the child out of the circle, we pull them in.” She explained that when a child exhibits negative behaviors, instead o

This past Sunday, May 5th, marked as the National Day of Awareness for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls, also known as Red Dress Day. The intention of the day is to honour the thousands of missing and murdered women, girls, 2 spirit, and gender diverse people in Canada by encouraging and building awareness to end violence against these groups. The day has significant meaning to me, as some of the Mentors I am in close with have been personally affected by the c

In our Culturally Committed Community, there's been a surge of dialogue surrounding collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. While our members are deeply invested in fostering allyship and propelling reconciliation efforts, there's a prevailing sense of uncertainty about navigating this path. Questions abound: When is the right time to speak up? When should we simply listen? Often, these uncertainties lead to hesitation and fear of making mistakes. These co

Last Wednesday, we were delighted to welcome our friend Jared Qwustenuxun Williams of Quw'utsun back to Culturally Committed. During his session, Qwustenuxun spoke extensively on the detachment modern societies have from our environment. Trees are often seen merely as resources, harvested without consideration for future generations; fish are caught to the point of depletion, and minerals are mined until all traces are removed. He went on to explain that, to First Nations peo

Over the past ten years, and more so since the inception of Culturally Committed, there has been a teaching that has been echoed repeatedly in my ears: the importance of knowing who you are and where you come from. (Thank you, George). Fluently reciting a family lineage and identifying connections is something I witness often. In fact, just last week I was happy to introduce two of our mentors to each other: Jared Qwustenuxun Williams (Quw’utsun) and Thomas George Jr. (Halalt

This week’s #TeachingsTuesday is being offered by our friend, Giulia Lucchini. Our team first began interacting with Giulia back in July 2023, and from the very beginning it was easy to see that she deeply committed to the work of pursuing cultural humility and actively advancing the work of reconciliation. Now, our Mentors have the opportunity to interact with her and her team regularly, and we are deeply grateful for her friendship, and for allowing us the opportunity to gr

TW: death, gender-identity violence ​ Following the tragic death of Nex Benedict, I found myself struggling to find the words to adequately acknowledge and bring understanding to the void left in their wake. Then, this writing from my friend Fancy landed in my inbox. Fancy, thank you for giving me permission to share your words with our community. tastawiyiniwak - (tastaw – in between, iyiniw – human being, ak – pluralizes) “in-between people”¹ There are terms in many First N

In October 2023, I had the opportunity to attend a conference wherein the key focus was integrating Indigenous Cultural Safety into health and governance practices. I was anticipating a session related to the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA), and as I waited in my seat, I noticed a woman sit down in the chair next to me. With a few minutes before the session starting, I turned to introduce myself to her - this was the day I met my new friend, Rhianna Millman. Fun

The first time I encountered Joe Gallagher from Tla'amin First Nation was at the Pacific Dental Conference in 2016. Joe, representing the First Nations Health Authority, delivered a captivating presentation. He seamlessly intertwined his family's history with compelling anecdotes, educating us on the vital need for culturally safe practices. Sitting next to a dental hygienist from Ontario, we both shed tears, moved by the power of Joe's storytelling. Fast forward to a recent

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting our local university to speak to one of their classes: about my career in dentistry, my work in remote First Nations communities, and why I felt compelled to create Culturally Committed. I always jump at opportunities to speak about dental therapy (it's an amazing career, ​learn more here!​), and in particular, how truly l fortunate I feel for the ability to work in community. I value the relationships that have blossomed, and recogniz

This week's Teachings Tuesday is graciously being offered by ​artist Jamie Gentry​ from the Kwakwaka'wakw Nation, who grew up immersed in culture and surrounded by talented artists. From a young age she was drawn to working with her hands, whether it was sewing, beading or weaving. For the last eight years, Jamie has been making custom moccasins for clients – each pair is cut, beaded, sewn and carved by hand. Her goal is to make meaningful connections through moccasin making,

This weeks Teachings Tuesday is being offered by our dear friend and treasured Mentor, George Harris Jr. of Stz'uminus First Nation. Nearing the end of 2023, my wife and I decided that we were going to get a truck. Our main purpose for the truck was to move firewood around our property. Hearing about our new vehicle, my cousin Candice George commented, “Now we can go for a ride up into the mountains.” I hadn't given it much thought, but I used to do that often in my high scho

This week's Teachings Tuesday is generously offered by Culturally Committed Community Member, Aaron Rivard (Cree-Metis). Thank you, Aaron - for your beautiful, open heart and your commitment to this work. During one of our recent Learning/Talking Circles at work, I was reminded of how long I have been working on the front lines, supporting children, youths, and their families to feel a sense of connection. I began my career as a volunteer youth mentor for a local non-profit w

Last week, our Mentor team and I had the great pleasure of hosting our third Community Call with BC Transit. The purpose of these gatherings is to create a safe space for dialogue and to foster connection between our Mentor group and their Community. In this session, the Mentors aimed to nurture these relationship by emphasizing the cultural importance of introductions. During the first half of the call, we spent time in breakout rooms, each hosted by a Mentor, where particip

A few weeks ago, LinkedIn reminded me that it had been three years since I set up the business page for Culturally Committed. Reflecting on that time over the holiday break, I've delved into the remarkable moments and experiences that have unfolded since. Today, I am eager to share some of these reflections with you. Allow me to provide a bit of background for those unfamiliar with our journey: I have been a Dental Therapist for 22 years, previously working in a private pract

A few weeks ago marked an unexpectedly eventful chapter in my life when what began as an introduction to bouldering swiftly transformed into a visit to our local emergency department. Amidst the whirlwind of medical procedures and unexpected challenges, my keen awareness, fostered by the work we do at Culturally Committed, influenced me to closely observe the dynamics unfolding around me. ​ Throughout this unplanned hospital visit, I found myself attuned to the subtleties of

Twice in the past few months I have had the opportunity to participate in a Fireside Chat with my friend Len Pierre of Katzie First Nation, which have been hosted by the College of Physical Therapists of British Columbia. During the conversations, he and I each shared our perspectives and experiences: him as an Indigenous Person and Cultural Safety Educator, and me as a non-Indigenous person on my cultural humility journey, working as a clinician in First Nations communities.

This week's Teaching's Tuesday is being offered by Culturally Committed Member, Kathy Davidson. Kathy, I am so grateful to you for your willingness to stand in your unknowing, with the recognition that the pursuit of cultural safety is an imperfect practice. Thank you for being such a beautiful part of our Community. At a recent Culturally Committed community call, I experienced a lightning bolt of insight, which led to a ripple of understanding about many other things. I’ve