TL;DR

The Black and Indigenous Solidarity (BIS) Program facilitates spaces between Black, Indigenous, and Afro-Indigenous youth for identifying necessities, roadblocks, and opportunities for solidarity. The program explores the history, oppression, and pathways to liberation of Black and Indigenous communities.

Applications for the BIS program are currently closed. Stay tuned for program updates as our Black History Month panel will take place at 6pm on Thursday, February 15th. Please see the link below to register.

Status

Closed

Details

About the Black & Indigenous Solidarity Program 

The Black and Indigenous Solidarity (BIS) Program facilitates spaces for Black, Indigenous, and Afro-Indigenous youth to identify the necessities, roadblocks and avenues for solidarity between one another. This program identifies the multitude of connections between Black and Indigenous communities, through an exploration of history, systems of oppression, and pathways to liberation of these communities. The BIS Program seeks to form long-lasting ties of solidarity and allyship between Black, Indigenous and Afro-Indigenous youth while recognizing the inherent intersection of Indigenous sovereignty with Black liberation. Applications for the BIS program are currently closed.

Current Projects:

  • Pathways to Black & Indigenous Solidarity – Community Consultation Report 

Past Projects:

  • All About Black Joy – the Heart of Black History Month Panel (recording linked below)
  • Community Consultation Sessions: a space of knowledge sharing for youth to reflect on important topics to be showcased within BIS Programing as well as roadblocks to Solidarity that should be studied and addressed for true solidarity & allyship between their communities.  
  • Cohort 2: a program aimed at engaging Black, Indigenous & Afro-Indigenous youth in the creation of a BIS curriculum to provide an educative tool that was created to be shared amongst communities to establish access to important knowledge to facilitate solidarity between Black & Indigenous communities.  
  • Cohort 1: The Stories They Don’t Tell was an arts-based program & art show drawing from powerful expressions of Black & Indigenous Solidarity taking place in response to uprisings for liberation exploding throughout Turtle Island in the aftermath of the pandemic. This program used art to highlight the kinship and connection between Black & Indigenous communities and was an avenue for participants to showcase their learnings and discoveries.

 

For More Information

Relevant Programs and Initiatives

  • A group of BIPOC youth, some wearing masks, sit in a circle having a conversation

    Open

    Concerning Community

    This initiative is aimed at non-Indigenous settlers of colour and engages participants in concrete discussions related to a variety of themes such as connecting to homelands, the nuanced experiences and responsibilities of settlers of colour, and the history of colonization and anti-Blackness in Canada.

  • Black Indigenous Solidarity Program

    The Black and Indigenous Solidarity (BIS) Program facilitates spaces between Black, Indigenous, and Afro-Indigenous youth for identifying necessities, roadblocks, and opportunities for solidarity. The program explores the history, oppression, and pathways to liberation of Black and Indigenous communities. Applications for the BIS program are currently closed. Stay tuned for program updates as our Black History Month panel will take place at 6pm on Thursday, February 15th. Please see the link below to register.

  • A young woman sits at a table with her back to the camera holding a pen, writing on a piece of paper

    Closed

    Words in Motion

    The Words in Motion program provides spaces for youth between 18-29 to reconnect to their traditional languages in an online virtual format. Young language speakers can facilitate an introduction in their Indigenous language to youth peers, creating leadership skills, community building and interaction, and developing their capacity for peer mentorship.