This year’s Wîcihitowin Indigenous Engagement Conference in Saskatoon will be the largest yet.
According to organizers, over 2500 people have registered for the virtual conference scheduled for October 5-7.
Initially established in 2014, Wicihitowin, aims to give survivors of the Residential School system and the Sixties Scoop a platform to share their stories.
“We are looking forward to welcoming thousands of people virtually to learn from our speakers—including Residential School Survivors and Knowledge Keepers—about the Seven Sacred Teachings that guide Indigenous Peoples’ ways of knowing,” says Brad Bird, Co-Chair of the Wîcihitowin Organizing Committee and Director of Reconciliation, Saskatoon Public Library.
The theme of this year’s conference is The Seven Sacred Teachings: love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility and truth.
Speakers at the conference will include Dr. Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, Chief Cadmus Delorme, Cowessess First Nation, and other Residential School and Sixties Scoop survivors.
“The Wîcihitowin conference provides an opportunity for community members to learn from survivors and for survivors to share their experiences, resilience and strength,” says Gilbert Kewistep, a Residential School Survivor and advisor to the conference organizing committee. “I want to thank everyone who chooses to virtually attend the conference, because fully committing your time and attention to learning matters. And, these conversations matter.”
Registration for the 2021 Wicihitown Indigenous Engagement Conference is set to close on Monday night at 11:59 pm.