2022 Small Business Week - KAIROS Indigenous Blanket Ceremony

Description

In partnership with the City of Spruce Grove, the GPRC is pleased to be offering an Indigenous blanket exercise as a part of Small Business Week.

Blanket exercises are an educational session as a part of the journey of reconciliation.  Facilitated by KAIROS and an Indigenous Elder, the exercise is an interactive way to learn about Indigenous history.  For more information, go to the KAIROS website here.

Please be aware that the KAIROS Blanket Exercise contains the coverage of a variety of topics that may emotionally impact or upset participants.
The topics that are most likely to trigger a response are as follows:
-The 60’s Scoop
-Residential schools (their purpose and events that students endured)
-RCMP and Government abuse of Indigenous
-Assimilation and disruption of Indigenous cultural practices and how this was/is achieved
-Modern issues Indigenous across North America (Canada particularly) face.
KAIROS staff and facilitators are trained to handle these topics and the discussion of them with gentle grace and dignity, but despite best efforts participants and even the facilitators/elders themselves can react negatively to the topics and how they are discussed, please be aware of this and do not hesitate to speak to someone, particularly a mental health professional, if you are feeling the negative impacts of the discussions involved in this exercise, as well please enter this exercise with an understanding that some people attending may have personal lived experience with the events covered so be mindful of this please.

If you register, but find yourself unable to attend, out of respect for those facilitating and other attendees, please let our office know so we can adjust accordingly.  Thank you for your understanding.