The InterNātional Indigenous Initiative for Transformative Collaboration (INITC)
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Seven Values/Tenets of Interrelated Process within INITC

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Written by: Gretchen Ohmann
Category: Uncategorised
Published: 18 June 2022
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  1. Everything is done by agreement
  2. Every voice has a right to be heard
  3. Every voice has a commitment/responsibility to listen
  4. We help Co-define and Co-create Cultural Safety
  5. We help Establish agreements for what comprises Decolonizing Conversations
  6. We help Define and develop Inter-Cultural and Inter-Faith Relationships
  7. We help Engender Well -Being / Wellness (Emotional, Mental, Physical, Spiritual)

With this in mind we can begin to consider how these understandings, processes and agreements guide the structure, the manner and the method of our Gatherings. An essential understanding is the recognition of a process by which we become available to consider if it is possible that it might be less important what we think, but rather how, that it is important not just what we do, but how we go about doing it.

Further, INITC is a First Nations shared platform for allowing cultural perspectives to be heard. It is in itself is not a goal based - entity. The above considerations are part of a process. These processes are the foundation for how we learn to share and work together in what we describe as transformative collaboration. This means that we acknowledge and honor that we change through the process. Where there are many outcomes that arise, the primary purpose is not to achieve a predetermined one.

Along with this comes another important consideration. That we both take and make the time, as well as the space necessary where these things can happen. When we carefully consider our shared values, we can realize that these are not just notions to be given but a cursory glance for our agreement or approval. They are representative of both an individual and a collective process, one that requires deep listening and reflection in our own selves, creating what we choose together. Time is our friend, our ally, our relative, not our enemy. How easy is it in the ‘modern world’ to see time as a restraint or an obstacle? Do we have the time that it may take to create genuine trans-formative collaboration?

These few tenets of INITC help us both to learn and acknowledge that we come from many Nations. The diverse experiences and knowledge of these Nations working together are what give us the opportunity to deepen our collective idea of what it means to be a human being – with each other and with our environment. We accept and celebrate that there are diverse knowledge systems and methods that pre-date the colonial paradigm. The inclusion of First Nations Peoples’ knowledge and experience, along with that of non-First Nations relatives, gives rise to a unique opportunity for co-creating the space for genuine transformation.

 

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Written by: Gretchen Ohmann
Category: Uncategorised
Published: 18 June 2022
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The InterNātional Indigenous Initiative for Transformative Collaboration (INITC)

And

 

present

The InterNātional Indigenous Initiative for Transformative Collaboration (INITC) exists to help create spaces that engender and allow for InterNātional participation in the sharing and exchange of knowledge, experiences, cultural practice and cultural expression. Inter-cultural and Inter-faith events; retreats, conferences, festivals, seminars, presentations, research projects, documentaries or publications; all comprise a unique opportunity to embed this process within a larger global framework.

Our hope is to help define spaces where we no longer dwell on the impossible, but instead allow for all that is possible. Through conversations and collaborative efforts with First Nations, educational institutions, NGO’s, community organizations, and wider community members, INITC proposes that this widening of perspective allows for personal and cultural transformation through the recognition of emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual change, critical to genuine collaboration between diverse peoples.

As a co-defined First Nations format and process for sharing cultural perspectives and practice, an underlying notion is the recognition that we all come from many Nations, sovereign in their own right. Thus, the product of our collective and collaborative efforts may be described as InterNātional (pronounced Inter-Nātional).

INITC is a 501(c)3 organization

All INITC and Stories and Songs of the People events are absolutely 100% Alcohol and Substance Free.

© INITC and Stories and Songs of the People 2018-2022. All rights reserved.

Content shall not be replicated or duplicated in any form without express permission.

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