On Wednesday, October 8, 2025, we came together in a powerful moment of reflection, responsibility, and resolve. It was a week after we joined Alderville First Nation and community members for the Every Child Matters Walk, held on the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation. On that morning, our team had the honour of walking alongside Alderville, led by Chief Taynar Simpson, with the women drummers guiding the final leg. Their rhythms carried the memory of survivors and those children who never returned home. We, as an organization and as individuals, pledged to hold space, listen, and persist in learning every single day.
This spirit of partnership found further expression in our Community Matters: Call to Action with Indigenous Cultural Training for Service Providers event, held at the Hilltop Wellness Hub in Alderville. Co-hosted alongside the Northumberland Community Legal Centre and Julie Bothwell (Alderville First Nation Health & Social Services), this was the third installment in our Community Matters series and the first of two cultural training events (the second will take place in November 2025). Around 40 service providers and community members came together to listen to stories, share traditional knowledge, and work toward concrete action plans. We gathered around a sacred fire, nourished ourselves with a home-cooked meal prepared with love by our hosts, and listened to stories, an integral piece of communication. A heartfelt thanks to Aiden, our firekeeper and cultural advisor, Julie Bothwell, Elder Kathy, and all the storytellers whose wisdom grounded us in understanding and responsibility.
These events are not isolated moments. They are chapters in a journey, one that we commit to walking hand in hand with Indigenous communities. Our first Community Matters event, Community Matters – Reducing Poverty in Northumberland, already planted seeds of collaborative planning, and this most recent training is proof that community gatherings lead to shared ownership and co-created paths forward.
Why this work matters – beyond the events
For United Way chapters across Canada, building meaningful, respectful, and sustained relationships with Indigenous communities is not just a moral imperative; it’s intrinsic to our mission of reducing poverty, strengthening communities, and amplifying the voices of those most marginalized.
- United Way Canada has explicitly committed to “building ways of working, ways of knowing, and ways of being that consider Indigenous perspectives in our network’s development.” (United Way Centraide)
- Some local United Way chapters invest in programs led by and for Indigenous communities, helping participants reconnect with culture, improve wellbeing, and heal.
- In Toronto, United Way’s Indigenous Partnership Council helps to guide reconciliation and equity efforts, centering Indigenous leadership and decision-making.
- United Way Greater Toronto’s Reconciliation & Equity Action Plan underscores that reconciliation must be woven into institutional commitments, not a one-time gesture.
From across sectors, organizations working with Indigenous partners emphasize that success rests on humility, reciprocity, and time. One guide for Indigenous–non-Indigenous collaboration underscores that strong relationships must be prioritized over ticking boxes or pushing deliverables.
In our local community, this means listening first, validating Indigenous perspectives, making space for Indigenous leadership, and allowing timelines to expand. We can’t rush this work, and we can’t assume we have all the answers, but we can show up consistently, humbly, and openly.
What’s next — our commitment and your role
As United Way Northumberland, we regard allyship and co-creation as guiding principles, not optional ones. We commit to:
- Continuing to host spaces for cross-cultural dialogue (like the next Community Matters event).
- Following through on action plans developed in these sessions, together with Indigenous partners.
- Embedding Indigenous perspectives into our funding decisions, program design, and measurement frameworks.
- Encouraging our donors, volunteers, and stakeholders to walk alongside us in this journey of learning and accountability.
Thank you to everyone who came, who listened, who shared, and who held space. We hold space and gratitude for our hosts, for the land, the stories, and the fire. Our work continues.
