Film 1 : Coming to Terms . This film covers racism , stereotyping and dehumanization .
Film 2 : We Are All Treaty People . This film covers the process of colonization and the treaties .
Film 3 : A Legacy of Struggle . This film covers Canada ’ s forced policy of assimilation : the residential school system .
Film 4 : Targets and Heroes . This film covers the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women .
Film 5 : The Way Forward . This film covers overcoming racism and building healthy communities .
The innovation of the project began with its funding ; rather than being funded by the municipality or perhaps a provincial / federal arts granting agency , the project was largely funded by the community itself . Only 10 per cent of the project costs were funded by the municipality , the balance ( approximately $ 50,000 ) was funded through sponsorship by businesses , organizations and private individuals who shared in the vision for a tool that could help advance a greater understanding of Aboriginal peoples and help build more positive relationships across the community .
To complement the Walk A Mile Film Project , the City of Thunder Bay also approached an indigenous curriculum writer to develop a facilitator ’ s guide that will teach content via modules to four different audiences : elementary and high school , college and university , the workplace and community groups . Each module contains supplementary teaching materials ( quizzes , discussion guides , facilitator ’ s speaking notes ) that frame each film so they can do what they were intended : to teach , inform , engage , and to build bridges and relationships in a very effective and kind way .
Following the completion of the curriculum , the films and curriculum were released as a DVD / CD set and led to funding from the provincial Ministry of Indigenous Relations & Reconciliation to reproduce the films and materials as a bilingual ( English / French ) product . That funding continues to support today
18 Q3 2017 www . amcto . com
Thunder Bay City Clerk , John Hannam , CMO , AMCT , ( r ) accepting the E . A . Danby Award from AMCTO President Steph Palmateer , AMCT .
the delivery of training with Walk A Mile Film Project to City employees and at large in the community by providing honorariums to the training facilitators at no cost to the City . Senior management at the City of Thunder Bay have made the decision that all employees of the Corporation shall receive facilitated training with the Walk A Mile Film Project . That training kicked off with an address from the Honourable David Zimmer , Minister of Indigenous Relations & Reconciliation , on April 9 , 2015 .
The Walk A Mile Film Project has become the foundational training for City employees to aid them in better understanding the Aboriginal community that we serve . Departments and divisions have built on the training to create stronger relationships with community , both at an organizational level as well as with individual customers . Having had the training , employees have expressed greater confidence in reaching out to engage with the Aboriginal community to better understand service needs and to resolve service issues and concerns . This is most particularly seen in the
Community Recreation & Culture Division and with Thunder Bay Transit , two departments with the greatest frequency of front-line service delivery contact with the community .
Beyond City departments , Walk A Mile has been adopted by both the acute care and chronic care hospitals / health-care provider groups in the city , and has been presented to staff and management at a wide range of community organizations , impacting understanding and relationships across the community .
Walk A Mile-facilitated training has been seen to advance understanding of the issues confronting our community and has provided a base to move forward in developing greater understanding and better relationships between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities : the third Canadian solitude . Recognition from the Aboriginal community , including at the political level , for the City ’ s efforts in promoting the development and use of the Walk A Mile Film Project stands as a tangible example of the City ’ s commitment to its Aboriginal community .