Foreword

Dear readers, It is my great pleasure to introduce the Special Edition for the 10th Anniversary of the Touchstones of Hope, in partnership with the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA). Thank you to NICWA for partnering with us on this issue. I would also like to thank all of the authors in this edition for their valuable contributions as well as the peer reviewers for their thoughtful feedback for authors. In June 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released 94 recommendations to improve outcomes for Indigenous peoples. Since that time, reconciliation has come to the forefront of media, touching the minds and hearts of people in Canada who knew about the impacts of residential schools and also those who were learning about them for the first time. Many want change for Indigenous people in Canada and have asked for directions on how to do this respectfully. There has perhaps not been a better time for reconciliation and for ensuring that everyone has the same opportunities to succeed and to realize their dreams. I am hopeful for the changing reconciliation landscape in Canada. For us at the Caring Society, we see reconciliation as being a movement that involves all of us. It also means respecting the Touchstones of Hope for Indigenous Children, Youth and Families principles and process in order to effectively ensure that all First Nations children and youth have access to what others in Canada have. The Touchstones of Hope reconciliation process includes a process of truth telling, acknowledging, restoring and relating and is guided by core principles: culture and language, self-determination, holistic approach, structural interventions, and non discrimination. The aim of the movement is for communities and nations to create visions and action plans for healthy children and families and to interpret the principles reflecting their unique values, culture, languages and traditions. Although these the Touchstones of Hope were originally intended for those working in child welfare, these principles and this process are applicable to other organizations who work with Indigenous communities. For this Special Edition, we asked for submissions from Canada and abroad that touched on the Touchstones of Hope core principles (culture and language, self-determination, holistic approach, structural interventions, and non discrimination) and Indigenous peoples. We are pleased to have submissions from both Canada and the US as well as a number of guest authors including: Commissioner Marie Wilson from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a youth named Hannah Battiste, as well as the authors of the Touchstones of Hope document, Cindy Blackstock, Terry Cross, John George, Ivan Brown and Jocelyn Formsma. We hope you enjoy the publications in this Special Edition! Happy reading! In good spirit,