Reconciliation & Allyship
Reconciliation begins with relationship.
Reconciliation is not something we achieve through a single workshop, event, or day of recognition. It is an ongoing process of learning, reflection, relationship, and action.
Through interactive workshops and presentations, I create opportunities for people to engage with these conversations with curiosity, humility, and a willingness to continue learning.
My Place in This Work
As a non-Indigenous social worker, my place in reconciliation work begins with examining my own assumptions, privilege, ways of knowing, and responsibilities.
Much of the foundation for this work has grown through my experience teaching in the Indigenous Bachelor of Social Work program at Red Crow Community College, on Blackfoot territory. Working within Indigenous social work education has required me to continually deepen my understanding of colonization, Indigenous ways of knowing, reconciliation, and relational accountability—and, importantly, to examine what these mean within my own life and practice.
This has involved my own ongoing process of decolonization, with the recognition that this work is never finished. I don’t offer reconciliation and allyship workshops because I have arrived at an answer. I offer them from my own experience of learning what it means to take responsibility for this work as a non-Indigenous person, while creating space for others to engage in their own learning, reflection, and action.
Workshops & Presentations
Learning that moves beyond awareness toward reflection and action.
- Understanding the ongoing impacts of colonization and residential schools
- Exploring reconciliation as both individual and collective responsibility
- Examining privilege, systemic racism, assumptions, and bias
- Developing greater self-awareness and reflective practice
- Exploring what it means to practise allyship rather than simply identify as an ally
- Considering how reconciliation can be carried into workplaces, relationships, and communities
Reconciliation Is an Ongoing Process
Reconciliation asks more of us than learning about the past. It invites us to understand how colonization continues to shape relationships, systems, and experiences today—and to consider our own responsibilities within that.
For non-Indigenous people, this can mean listening differently, becoming more aware of our assumptions and biases, being willing to sit with discomfort, and recognizing when our intentions and our impact may not be the same.
There isn’t a point where we become finished with this work. Reconciliation requires continued learning, reflection, relationship, and action.
Allyship as Relational Practice
I approach allyship not as a position we achieve or a label we give ourselves, but as a relational practice we continue to develop.
Meaningful allyship requires us to pay attention not only to what we know, but to how we show up in relationship—with Indigenous Peoples, within our organizations and communities, and in the everyday moments when we have opportunities to listen, speak, reflect, or act.
My workshops invite participants to explore allyship through four interconnected dimensions of reflective practice:
Self-Awareness
Notice the beliefs, assumptions, biases, identities, and experiences that shape how you understand and engage with others.
Reflection in Action
Develop the capacity to notice what is happening within yourself and in relationship while an interaction is unfolding.
Reflection on Action
Look back on experiences with curiosity—considering what happened, what you noticed, what you might have missed, and what you can learn.
Reflection With Others
Recognize that reconciliation cannot happen in isolation. Learning through relationship, conversation, feedback, and Indigenous perspectives helps deepen understanding and accountability.
Reconciliation & Allyship in Practice
My work in reconciliation and allyship has developed through ongoing learning, teaching, facilitation, and relationships. Some of the workshops and community learning opportunities I have been honoured to facilitate include:
Reconciliation Starts with You
Developed and facilitated community workshops exploring colonization, residential schools, privilege, systemic racism, reconciliation, and the responsibilities non-Indigenous people can carry forward. The original initiative was supported by the Reconciliation Lethbridge Advisory Committee and included free community workshops during Truth and Reconciliation Week.
Indigenous Wellness Conference
Presented Becoming an Ally in 2025 and returning in 2026 with Allyship as Relational Practice, continuing the conversation about allyship as something we practise rather than a position we achieve.
City of Lethbridge Lunch & Learns
Facilitated two learning sessions with City staff focused on reconciliation, reflection, and our responsibilities in moving reconciliation forward.
Bring the Conversation to Your Organization
Workshops and presentations can be adapted for workplaces, organizations, community groups, conferences, and professional learning events.
If you’re interested in bringing a reconciliation or allyship workshop to your organization, I’d be happy to talk with you about what might fit your group.