(403) 505-4049 info@aboriginalvoices.ca

About Us

15 years strong

Purpose

UAVS is Red Deer’s Indigenous governance structure. Leading through Cultural ways, UAVS amplifies the voices of Indigenous people to take community action on important maters. We work collaboratively and cooperatively amongst ourselves, with governments and other organizations on issues and priorities affecting our community in Red Deer.

Memberhsip

Open to anyone willing to share and work according to our guiding principles

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Leadership Circle

A gathering of all the Domain and Counsel Speakers.

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Advisory Circles

UAVS has three Advisory Circles: Youth, Elders and Women’s. These Circles review what the Leadership Circle is working on.

Domains

Each Domain gathering focuses on priorities through community consultation. There are seven Domains.

Culture Domain

Working to ensure that Red deer has an Indigenous cultural knowledge base that is known and accessible to all. We embrace and are guided by cultural wisdom & traditional teachings to improve the lives of all people through preservation of cultural and language and promotion of cultural sharing and building reconciliation. 

• Develop a list of the ways UAVS can support the preservation and sharing of Indigenous culture and languages in Red Deer.

• Contribute to, promote and support the preservation and sharing of Indigenous culture and languages in Red Deer.

• Creation of cultural space to ensure space for ceremony.

•Bringing Indigenous governments together to increase access to culture & language in Red Deer.

Health Domain

The Health Domain works to ensure that Indigenous Peoples in red Deer enjoy comprehensive high-quality healthcare through easy, seamless access to culturally competent medical and health services, cultural healing experiences and overll good health that enhances quality of life through the medicine wheel. 

• Research and develop list of mental health resources available and assess their cultural competency.

• Continue to support and encourage anti-racism and Indigenous Awareness training for health services personnel to reduce racism. 

• Continue to work to strengthen and improve communications between the street clinic and the hospital Emergency Department to improve patient care.

Employment Domain

 

The Employment Domain foxuses on increasing employment of Indigenous Peoples in Red Deer’s urban workforce through education, increased promotion and strengthening the Indigenous presence in the workforce.

• Educate employers about Indigenous culture to increase the recruitment and retention of indigenous workers in Red Deer.

• Identify barriers to successfully employing Indigenous workers from business viewpoint to facilitate developing strategies to minimize or eliminate barriers.

• Collect current Indigenous employment statistics for baseline data.

• Review and incorporate Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action in Domain work.

Justice Domain

To ensure that Indigenous Peoples have to access to culturally sensitive services that support them in the transition from correctional institutions into mainstream communities, to create systemic change in coordination with community partnerships to aid in breaking the cycle of criminalizing Indigenous people.

• Development and implemenation of Indigenous Diversion program for use in Red Deer Provincial Court.

• Training of facilitators for Indigenous Restorative Circle Program. 

• Advocacy for cultural safety within the Justice System.

Youth and Family Domain

The Youth and Family Domain focuses on family ad individual healing by connecting families to community and culture. 

• Develop strategic action plan to improve the lives of outh and families in Red Deer based on community needs identified priorities.

•Increasing support for families and youth by supporting culturally appropriate life skills programs and cultural awareness training for non-Indigenous support agencies.

• Connecting families to culture and community.

Housing Domain

Ensures that Indigenous people have access to safe and affordable housing and supports, serves as the collective voice of Indigenous people in Red Deer and provide advocacy that will strengthen and improve  access to appropriate and sustainable housing and supports for the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Peoples of Red Deer. 

• Indigenous led advocacy to bridge the gaps of the current system, ensuring best practices to increase numbers of successfully housed Indigenous people in Red Deer. 

• Educate landlords to reduce barriers to successfully house Indigenous people. 

• Explore and encourage development of initiatives such as a Rent Bank and Rent Smart training to increase the number of people housed & increase housing stability. 

Education Domain

The mission of the Education Domain is to ensure that Indigenous community members involved in the education system will have their voices heard and collaborate with educational organizations to improve learning environments.

• Develop a strategic action plan to facilitate the increased success of Indigenous students in Red Deer schools. 

• Improve Indigenous family engagement in Red Deer Schools.

• Provide students with Indigenous cultural experiences in schools through Elders and knowledge keepers. 

• Develop school environments that are inviting to Indigenous Students. 

Advisory Circles

UAVS has three Advisory circles: Youth, Elders, and Women. Each Advisory Circle reviews what the Leadership Circle is working on and gives their input and views. All Advisory Circle members are welcome to attend monthly Leadership Meetings.

Elders Circle

The Elders circle is a community-driven group of seniors and Elders identified by community working to provide guidance and advice to the Leadership Circle and support self-determination for Red Deer’s Indigenous Peoples. 

Youth Circle

The UAVS Youth Circle operates within the Leadership Circle to provide a youth voiice on community issues being addressed in the domain groups and at the Leadership Circle. 

Womens Circle

The UAVS Women’s Circle will ensure that the unique wisdom, knowledge, and experience of Indigenous women will be included in the domain groups and at the Leadership Circle. 

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