b'MOTHER EARTHmuch to learn from our youth, and [Elder Whabagoon] reminds us thatwhen theyre ready to speak, we need to be there, she says.reconciliation is a personal commitmentENLIGHTENING THE TTSWhabagoons appointment as First Peoples Leadership Advisor with each of us makes to take responsibility forTorontos Transportation Services came in early 2023. The title of the role is very long, but its meaningful. our own learning journey Our vision is to walk beside one another hand in hand and heart to heart. I have asked [Transportation Barbara Gray, Toronto Transportation Services Services General Manager] Barbara Gray every day to start thinking about how they can make change in the way they do things, through an Since then, Whabagoon has spentconfident in my culture, to be proud ofIndigenous lens, says Whabagoon. many summers working with Nikibiiwho I am as an Indigenous person andRemember that youre walking into Dawadinna Giigwag, a program thatclaim that. someones community when youre helps Indigenous youth move towardswalking into a forest, because the careers in landscape, architectureThrough StreetARToronto, Whabagooncrow will announce my being there and urban design. Ella LaForme, ahas helped to bring large-scale muralto the whole community. For her youth participant and mentor withprojects to fruition, such as the Terry Foxpart, Gray says she is honoured to the program, says it has given her aMural at 500 University Avenue, createdbe walking with Whabagoon: She sense of family in a place with otherby Alexander Bacon and Que Rock, andreminds us that reconciliation is a Indigenous people like me. Elderthe Calling of the Four Directions muralpersonal commitment each of us Whabagoon gifted me to be moreat the Aga Khan Museum. We have somakes to take responsibility for our own learning journey.Im trying to get them to look through an Indigenous lens, explains Whabagoon. I share my Working to end violenceteachings with them, and its always against women, childrenabout the land: gratitude, respect for the land and the water. Its almost and youth since 1975 like they have to undo what theyve learned and start thinking about nature first.Kingston Interval House provides essential,Ultimately, though, the undoing responsive and empowering services to women, childrenof harm done in the past is never and youth who have experienced the impact of violencetruly finished. I had a good life against women. Our core services include emergencywith my adopted parents. But the system that brought us together is shelter, transitional and outreach counselling services,an atrocity that took me from my second-stage housing, public education, awareness andland, my people, my language. We prevention as well as community engagement. have to bring attention to it, and we have to keep telling the story, Whabagoon says.Contact us:While Whabagoons work has Crisis Line:613-546-1777 or 1-800-267-9445 proven substantial to communities of all sizes, she sees that there is still Office:613-546-1833 a long road ahead for Indigenous peoples: Sometimes I speak, and www.kingstonintervalhouse.com I ask who has heard about the Sixties Scoop, and sometimes Kingston Interval House @KIHInterval there is not one raised hand, and I think my work is not done: it has just started. 38Fall/Winter 2023'