Indigenous Community Development (ICD) Training

“Together, Canadians must do more than just talk about reconciliation; we must learn how to practice reconciliation in our everyday lives – within ourselves and our families, and in our communities, governments, places of worship, schools, and workplaces. To do so constructively, Canadians must remain committed to the ongoing work of establishing and maintaining respectful relationships.”

-        Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

The vision for the Indigenous Community Development (ICD) training is the increased capacity of public servants to work respectfully with Indigenous Peoples and their communities in order to support the community’s aspirations. This relationship is built on the strengths of Indigenous culture and language, the explicit acknowledgement of the historical relationship, and the resiliency of Indigenous Peoples. The curriculum is designed to address portions of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #57:

"We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to provide education to public servants on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism."

The 15-hour training was formerly offered in person over the course of two days and is now being offered in a virtual format. Sessions are offered on a monthly basis, and are available in English and French. It is expected in-person sessions will resume once Covid-19 permits.

ICD training is an interactive course designed to assist employees in developing their cultural competence and to instill the pillars and principles of the Community Development Framework in their day-to-day work:

Community development is not a program; it is a principled, values-based approach to support better outcomes in Indigenous communities. Community development can only happen in community – we can’t do it, we can only strengthen our practices to support them.

ICD training was developed in 2011 when the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch created a National Advisory Committee which included representatives from the Assembly of First Nations and Inuit Tapirit Kanatami. Together, they developed the Community Developed Framework and the foundation for the ICD curriculum.  The curriculum was further informed by interviews with Indigenous communities and Indigenous and non-Indigenous health leaders. Over 3,000 public servants have participated in ICD training since delivery began.

Participants will learn the fundamentals of Indigenous community development, reflect on Canada’s historical relationship with Indigenous Peoples, and discover how this history impacts communities to this very day. Course topics include:

·       Healthy Communities/Indigenous Canada

·       Community Development Framework – Pillars & Principles

·       Community Development Framework – The Continuum

·       History Matters

·       Resilience, presented by an Elder

·       Intergenerational Trauma

·       Building Relationships

If you would like to sign up for ICD training or have any questions, please send an email to formationdca-icdtraining@sac-isc.gc.ca.