Skip to content

Together Through Sport

$25MM Capital Campaign

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was adopted in 2007. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was created in 2008 through a legal settlement between Residential Schools Survivors, the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit representatives and parties responsible for creation and operation of the schools. 94 Calls to Action were published by the TRC in 2015. In 2021, Canada passed a law committing to implement UNDRIP provisions.

Donate Now
Volunteer

It is about time we make sustainable progress

The Proposal

Creating a community centre within the Oneida Nation of the Thames vicinity which is rooted in Indigenous history, culture and values can promote truth and reconciliation by providing a safe and inclusive space for cultural exchange, healing, and community building.

  • A community centre can serve as a platform for promoting and celebrating Indigenous culture and values, while fostering greater understanding and cooperation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
  • This approach is consistent with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Final Report, which highlights the role of sports and recreation in promoting healing and reconciliation.
  • Research has shown that sports can help to bridge cultural differences and promote cultural exchange, which can be an important component of building understanding and trust between communities (Horne, Tomlinson, & Whannel, 2012).
  • Lacrosse is recognized and declared to be the national summer sport of Canada and has a long and significant history in Indigenous culture, making it an ideal sport to promote understanding and cooperation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
Tell me more

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada published 94 Calls to Action

The report calls on the government and relevant organizations in the Sports and Reconciliation section:

  • #87 “to provide public education that tells the national story of Aboriginal athletes in history”
  • #89 “reduce barriers to sports participation for indigenous peoples”
  • #90 i. “community sports programs that reflect the diverse cultures and traditional sporting activities of Aboriginal peoples”
  • #90 ii. “an elite athlete development program for Aboriginal athletes”
  • #90 iii. “programs for coaches, trainers, and sports officials that are culturally relevant for Aboriginal peoples”
  • #90 iv. “anti-racism awareness and training programs”

The report calls upon church parties in the Church Apologies and Reconciliation section:

  • #61 i. “Community-controlled healing and reconciliation projects.”
  • #61 ii. “Community-controlled culture- and language revitalization projects.”
  • #61 iii. “Community-controlled education and relationship-building projects.”

The report calls upon the corporate sector in the Business and Reconciliation section:

  • #92 ii. “Ensure that Aboriginal peoples have equitable access to jobs, training, and education opportunities in the corporate sector, and that Aboriginal communities gain long-term sustainable benefits from economic development projects.”

In 2021, Canada passed a law committing to implement UNDRIP provisions

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples report Article 31 states that “Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, as well as the manifestations of their sciences, technologies and cultures, including human and genetic resources, seeds, medicines, knowledge of the properties of fauna and flora, oral traditions, literatures, designs, sports and traditional games and visual and performing arts.”