Workshops
Kairos Blanket Exercise
When: Sunday, October 5th from 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Where: Riverview Room, Edmonton Convention Centre.
Cost: Free. Please note that we can accommodate a maximum of 50 participants, so be sure to register early.
This workshop is hosted by the ACTWS EDI Committee, and generously funded by the Government of Alberta.
A Kairos Blanket Exercise (KBE) is an interactive teaching tool that helps participants understand the historic and contemporary relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Here’s how it works:
Blankets are laid out on the floor to represent the land of what is now Canada.
Participants stand on the blankets and take on roles of Indigenous peoples.
As the exercise progresses, facilitators read a script that covers over 500 years of history—from pre-contact, through treaties, colonization, the Indian Act, residential schools, and up to current realities.
Blankets are folded or removed, and participants are asked to step off, representing land loss, cultural disruption, and population decline.
A sharing circle or debrief follows, where participants reflect on what they experienced and learned.
It’s often described as a powerful, experiential way to learn about truth and reconciliation, Indigenous rights, and the impacts of colonization.
Additional Information:
- Participants will be asked to remove their outdoor footwear, so please plan to wear socks or slippers.
- The exercise may involve standing for 60 minutes or longer; however, chairs and wheelchairs are welcome for those who require them.
Workshop Facilitator:
Ian Hopfe is a member of the Bigstone Cree Nation, he brings a special “lived” experience in Indigenous and cultural sensitivity to business that helps with HR and the fight against systemic racism.
Access Past Webinars and Workshops.
Recordings of our past webinars and workshops are available exclusively to ACTWS members in our Members’ Area. Become a member today to gain access to this valuable resource library.
Indigenous Awareness & Protocol 101
Sacred Speech & Allyship 101
The session training in this series will consult the nationally-consulted Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report and subsequent Calls to Action. Which will empower participants to leave the session with direct action-items to work toward peace, friendship and balance, which are necessary for all ecosystem functions. As well as what was written in the original treaties of Canada, represented by two canoes travelling beside one another down the same river. This participatory-session will include learning about historic & current events adversely impacting the First Peoples, generating ideas for reconciliation and positive impacts using the TRC recommendations, 7 Sacred Teachings informed by Indigenous animalia. And will finish with drafting individual Land Acknowledgments with statements for action.
Workshop Facilitator
Wase (Wah-ha-seh) Saba (Sah-bah) Experiences wasesabaexperiences.ca is a full-service Indigenous cultural education and performance provider. Specializing in the areas of: awareness, allyship, cultural activities, performances and event openings.
Sissy Thiessen Kootenayoo (KOOH-TEN AY-YO) Treaty 6 Nakota (NAH-KO-TAH) Sioux (SOO) Cree & German Indigenous: business owner, cultural educator, performer and consultant. Sissy’s education and consultation has been featured on stages all over Turtle Island, including: New York, San Francisco, Montana, Edmonton Folk Fest and more.
She studied Communications & Journalism at Mount Royal University and has won various awards in the areas of community enrichment, cultural involvement and journalism. For the past 10 years, Sissy has been living her passion of educating people of all ages on Indigenous history, issues & culture.
This event is made possible by the generous support of the Government of Alberta’s Multiculturalism and Anti-racism grant.
Trans and Queer Field Safety
Facilitated by the Trans and Gender Non-conforming Field Alliance
Bio: Rebecca Hayes is a PhD Candidate at the University of Oregon studying the biogeography of bee-microbe interactions. They have been an outspoken activist and advocate for queer and trans scientists for over 10 years, working with multiple organizations across North America to promote safety, inclusion, and support for LGBTQ+ researchers. They are an organizing boardmember of the Trans and Gender Non-conforming Fieldwork Alliance and the lead facilitator and creator of the Trans and Queer Field Safety Workshop.
