Diversity and Racism in Canada Discussion
Thursday, July 15 at 07:00 PM CST Join Unitarians for a rousing discussion on the June 2021 Angus-Reid Poll Diversity and Racism in Canada, and ask what it means for Saskatchewan in particular and Canadians in general.
Meeting ID: 839 8318 0769, Passcode: 558014
Free film screening—The Condor & The Eagle.
JULY 20 to 25
This film brings us together in these times of crisis—reminds us of our deep interconnectedness with the Earth and one another. Never-before-seen images expose the global rise of land and water protectors across the Americas
The Importance of Growing Gardens
Tuesday, July 20 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
This is presented by Mary-Anne Kechego who reminds us that all the plants we grow can help to “sustain us in life”.
Decolonizing Ourselves: Land and the Spirit of Treaty.
Saturday, August 7 at 1-4 PM, Fort Carlton, SK: Click here to register
We will learn about Crown land through the lens of law and Treaty, and from the experiences of First Nations, Métis, and settler people. Provincial Park fees are required: $9/family, $4/adult, $1/child. SPEAKERS include:
- Eleanore Sunchild, lawyer for Colten Boushie’s family
- Amy Seesequasis & Morley Maier, Treaty Land Sharing Network
- Javed Sommers, KAIROS Prairies North
This is an outdoor interactive learning event that will proceed rain or shine. Food will not be provided; bring your own lunch/snacks/drinks. Sponsors are KAIROS Prairies North Decolonization Group and the Treaty Land Sharing Network.
CUC Events
We want to be clear that this does not invalidate the passion or commitment we have for this issue. For more information and a message from the UU Ministers of Canada, see here.
Roundtables on a Potential 8th Principle
Saturdays, July 31 and August 28, 10:00 a.m. CST.
Join CUC’s Executive Director Vyda Ng in a conversation about the process to consider a possible 8th principle with a focus on anti-racism action. See here for more information.
Background reading includes the May 2021 CUC Dismantling Racism Final Report 2021 (large print version here) including results of a national survey.
Serving With Spirit: Nurturing UU Leaders
Sept. 26- Oct. 31 Sunday afternoons [Except Thanksgiving] 2 pm MT/CST
Cost: sliding fee scale: $70/ $100/ $130 (with an option to pay what you can)
Deadline to register is Sept 20. See here for more information
Past Events
Bill C-15
Bill C-15 has now passed third reading in the House and the Senate.
See here for background on the intent and content of Bill C-15 and what the Government expects to do now that it has passed. For addresses to send letters encouraging swift development of a Plan and other action ideas, see here.
Basic Income: Can we transform our society? with economist Dr Evelyn Forget
Tuesday April 20, 2021
Regina Unitarians will host Dr Evelyn Forget, well-known Manitoba health economist, researcher and educator for a presentation followed by Q&A. Dr Forget’s research shows that a basic income program has BIG benefits: Mental and physical health improve. People invest in education … And more…
Basic Income details
Dr Evelyn Forget is author of: Basic Income for Canadians: From the COVID-19 Emergency to Financial Security for All (2020).
Breaking Free from Plastics Dependence
Thursday November 19, 10:00 AM
In the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat there is plastic. Plastic pollution is a widespread, complex environmental and health emergency that requires global changes in policies, corporate sourcing, innovation, and consumer behavior. Grassroots action and restoration technologies are also needed to clean up plastic pollution wherever it is found. Like other environmental scourges, plastic pollution impacts the poor among us most. More information here.
Sparking Connections: Strengthening Grassroots Connections for Human Rights
Tues. November 7 – Sat. November 21
Check out this wonderful event, starting with keynote speaker Dr Pam Palmater who is a powerful speaker and always leaves you thinking …
Embracing Indigenous Rights: Bringing Life to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Sun. November 22, 3 pm: Part 1
Tues. November 24, 7 pm: Part 2
Hear a lawyer explain the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Then hear from Indigenous people what UNDRIP means for their lives and for their communities. Plan ways to implement UNDRIP in our own communities.
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
by Robin Kimmerer
Tues. November 24, 8 PM
As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent a career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools of science. As a Potawatomi woman, she learned from elders, family, and history that the Potawatomi, as well as a majority of other cultures indigenous to this land, consider plants and animals to be our oldest teachers. Register here.
Words for a Freezing Moon
Nov 7, 2020 at 02:00 PM (Sask time)
Words for a Freezing Moon 2020 will feature storytellers include Maria Campbell, Joseph Naytowhow, and Gregory Scofield and includes readings from authors Ashley Hayden, Tara Gereaux, and Karis Oscienny. Musical performances by Teedly Linklater and Joseph Dejarlais. Sponsored by SK Arts.
Registration required (no cost). Let’s show up and demonstrate we act on reconciliation.
Part of the Ânskohk Aboriginal Literature Festival – SAWCI
If you’d like to attend this amazing event, Register on Zoom
Sask. Peace Conference
Displaced: Upheaval, Hospitality, and Justice in the Search for Home
Sat. November 7, 10 am – 4:30 pm
Free online conference to explore the realities of refugees, internally displaced persons, and Indigenous peoples around the world and locally. Open to all. Sponsored by the Mennonite Central Committee SK. More details and registration here:
September is Climate Action Month
KAIROS declares September is Climate Action Month. It aims to galvanize awareness of how the climate crisis impacts vulnerable communities, including women and Indigenous peoples. Kairos intends to stimulate people to reflect on how climate change and Indigenous issues are deeply interwoven. KAIROS’ climate action is rooted in reconciliation and this initiative is intended to amplify and prioritize Indigenous voices. Kairos offers a card suggesting an action for each day of September. It is a great way to motivate your fall Climate Action! For more details on each action, Follow the Kairos blog .
https://www.kairoscanada.org/what-we-do/ecological-justice/climateactionmonth
Orange Shirt Day
Territorial Feminisms and Diverse Ecologies: A series of virtual gatherings on women and land defense
Tuesdays 8:00 AM (Regina time) October 6, October 20, December 15, 2020
The Latin American Network of Women Defenders of Social and Environmental Rights, a KAIROS partner, will host a series of virtual gatherings called “Territorial Feminisms and Diverse Ecologies”. Details
“Putting A Face on Justice: From Calls for Justice to Action”
A Missing Person’s Week Event – the families speak
Be sure to pre-register by September 14th, 2020, HeatherPeters@mccsk.ca . Heather will send you the Zoom link to attend.
World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel
September 14-21, 2020 – The World Council of Churches invites you to participate in the annual World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel. This is a time for people of faith all over the world to join in worship and prayer for an end to the occupation and for a just peace in Palestine and Israel. This year’s theme for the World Week of Peace in Palestine and Israel is “Creative Solidarity in Common Fragility”. During the week, KAIROS and member churches will call on network members to educate, advocate and pray for peace in Palestine and Israel. We will share educational and worship materials and highlight existing partnerships and advocacy for a just peace in Palestine and Israel, including last year’s church leaders’ delegation to the region and follow up actions. Stay tuned!
Women Hold Up the Sky: African Women Rise for Climate Justice
Tuesday, September 22, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Regina Time
KAIROS will host an online screening, followed by a discussion of Women Hold Up the Sky: African Women Rise for Climate Justice, by WoMin, an ecofeminist African alliance and KAIROS partner. Details
“Our Existences Are Political”: Identity and History As Pathways for Transformation
In 2019, Dr. James Makokis and Anthony Johnson became the first two-spirit Indigenous couple to win The Amazing Race Canada. The pair used the competition as a platform to tackle topics like gender and sexual identity, racism, mental health, and the environment.
University of British Columbia (UBC) is featuring a talk by the couple who will share their personal transformations, from their early years facing adversity around two-spirit and Indigenous identities to a lifetime of education, transforming them into leaders, activists, and role models.
A separate registration is required for the UBC talk, which is not a CUC event.
Join the CUC (Canadian Unitarian Council) immediately following the UBC presentation for a Coffee Chat debrief.
Please register for the CUC Coffee Chat.
For more information about the speakers and their presentation: https://irsi.
SPACE for Saskatchewan Queer and Trans Youth – an important milestone April 2020
Congratulations from the Unitarian Fellowship of Regina to UR Pride on its April 2020, First Anniversary of “SPACE for Saskatchewan Queer and Trans Youth” at 2139 Albert St, Regina. This is an important safe place for youth to gather and discuss issues of concern to them. In their first year a number of initiatives began, including a choir. Music brings joy. https://www.urpride.ca/spectrum/youth/
Kairos Blanket Exercise™ … a meaningful experience of 500 years of Indigenous history
“The exercise begins with simple materials – just blankets and a script – but it can end with powerful takeaways, and even tears. The blankets represent the land. In the exercise, participants are invited to step onto the blankets as Indigenous peoples …. Moving through history, living it out through actions, allows people to connect with it in a different way,” explained Sara Anderson, a Kairos facilitator and staff member in an interview with Kate McGillvray CBC News, July 26, 2017.
The blanket exercise fosters respect and reconciliation among Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. In November 2019, the Unitarian Fellowship of Regina hosted a blanket exercise attended by over 30 people from all parts of Regina. All our participants gained insight about the impact certain events had on Indigenous Peoples and now appreciate Canada’s history differently.
Brenda Dubois, an Indigenous knowledge-keeper shared her warmth, skill, and wisdom with us. Three trained facilitators helped build a positive experience and an effective talking circle. With their support, we built new relationships, a base for friendships to come.
We continue the journey. Come learn with us!
Regina Multi-Faith Forum Worked Together to Bring Syrian Family to Regina
The Unitarian Fellowship is part of Regina’s Multi Faith Forum, a group with diverse faith traditions: Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, Unitarian and others. Together, the Multi-Faith Forum jointly sponsored and welcomed to Regina, a Syrian refugee family: a young woman, her two children, and her parents. The family left a refugee camp in Lebanon and, to the relief of all concerned, arrived in Regina on December 16, 2016. The family lived through an extreme situation, and appreciated the support of the Multi-Faith Forum.
The sponsorship project was initiated when the worsening Syrian crisis became apparent. The intent behind the project was to show the wider community that people from diverse religious backgrounds can work together for a common humanitarian and compassionate cause. Members initially did fund raising, then broke into committees related to welcoming, health, housing, education, transportation and cultural support. Unitarians thank the Archdiocese of Regina for accepting responsibility as sponsorship agreement holder.
Along with other members of Regina’s Multi-Faith Forum, Unitarians celebrate the success of this venture. While planning for financial and social support for a year was a challenge, members from diverse faith traditions worked together well for a common cause. It was a satisfying experience for all.
The Unitarian Fellowship of Regina raised approximately $3,500 for the project over a six-month period, and several Unitarians helped with education, housing and health supports. We’ve learned along the way that a smart-phone app called Google Translate is one way to communicate with people who have limited English. Thanks to Hilary Craig and her many contacts in our city, we now have good links to the English Additional Language (EAL) community and multi-cultural translators.