We encourage you to learn more about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada findings and the 94 Calls to Action.
WALKING
TOGETHER
Spirit North remains steadfast in our commitment to advancing reconciliation in Canada. Of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action we’re focused on addressing the health legacy of residential schools and reconciliation through sport. We aim to build bridges between communities and support Indigenous youth with resources and opportunities by focusing our efforts on:
Legacy: Health
We help close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities by promoting the physical and mental health benefits of sport and play activities.
LEGACY: Sports & Reconciliation
We elevate sport and play as a fundamental part of health and well-being, and we support active communities through local events and dedicated programming and we collaborate with schools and communities to create programs that reflect local needs, and we invest in resources, training, certification and mentorship to ensure these benefits last for generations to come.
IN CONVERSATION WITH CHIEF WILTON LITTLECHILD
SPORT AS A FORMULA FOR WINNING IN LIFE AND A PATH TOWARD RECONCILIATION
“Sport saved my life. I was running away from the abuse of residential SCHOOL—RUNNING TOWARD SPORT AS A WAY OUT.”
- Chief Wilton Littlechild
Spirit North ambassador and Cree Chief Wilton Littlechild believes that sport is a great teacher of life skills, a foundation for life and a formula for success. The key to success being balance of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Once he found balance in sport, Littlechild says he learned its applicability to any other endeavour in life.
For Indigenous children and youth there is no more important opportunity than that of taking part in holistic sport and experiencing its many benefits. Beyond physical activity there are the benefits of involvement, participation and leadership, belief in oneself and one’s ability to do something positive—all fundamental to the success formula.
Through greater encouragement of participation Littlechild feels that we can both improve equality for Indigenous children and youth and advance reconciliation—underscoring the importance of applying underlying principles from the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as a framework for reconciliation. Littlechild also acknowledges the distinct role of sport in reconciliation. In fact, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report includes five calls to action dedicated specifically to sport. “Sport has the power to bring people together and get people working together, and that’s all about reconciliation,” says the former commissioner.
For Littlechild, the beauty of sport is in the spirit—sometimes winning, learning from losing, and re-instilling a positive winning spirit into any part of life. Sport can restore hope and happiness, and positive hope for the future is Littlechild’s wish for today and tomorrow’s Indigenous children and youth.
Chief Wilton (Willie) Littlechild is a member of the Ermineskin Cree Nation, is an inductee in Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, is a lawyer, was Grand Chief of The Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, was a Commissioner for Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and was Canada’s first Treaty First Nation’s person to be a Member of Parliament.