National Indigenous Peoples Day

June is Indigenous History Month and June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This is a time to celebrate the outstanding achievements, history, cultures, and diversity of Indigenous peoples. This is also the time of summer solstice.

Check to see what First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities and organizations in your area are doing to celebrate, and join in. Check to see how your municipality, schools, and libraries are marking this time. Take in the Indigenous programming on APTN (Aboriginal Peoples’ Television Network) and the CBC.

This year, the United Church celebrates National Indigenous Day of Prayer on Sunday, June 15. New worship materials are available on the United Church website. This year’s resources feature an order of service from the perspectives of both Bible and Bundle by the Rev. Agnes Spence of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, and another marking the 10th anniversary of the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action from the Rev. Emma Seamone of Carberry, MB.

[Image credit: Chuck Szmurlo, Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0}

Call-out to Youth: Gibimishkaadimin Canoe Trip, August 2025

Gibimishkaadimin is currently accepting applications for its August 2025 journey of reconciliation on Lake Temagami. Gibimishkaadimin, an Anishinaabemowin word meaning “paddling together by boat,” brings together 10 Indigenous youth from across Canada and 10 non-Indigenous youth from southern and eastern Ontario in collaborative and experiential learning through an Indigenous lens. This project of reconciliation seeks to provide youth with the opportunity to develop relationships with each other and with the land on a canoe trip in Lake Temagami.

This year, the trip runs from August 19 to 27. Participants 14 to 18 years old on the first day of the canoe trip. The trip is fully funded and there is no cost to the participants. While the initial application deadline of May 15 has passed, applications are still being accepted. Specific details are provided on the Gibimishkaadimin website.

[Image credit: Gibimishkaadimin in 2024]