Global Indigenous Development TrustGlobal Indigenous Development TrustGlobal Indigenous Development TrustGlobal Indigenous Development Trust
  • Who We Are
    • Our Story
    • Our Team
  • What We Do
    • Our Projects
    • Our Impact
    • Our Partners
    • Building a Nation Case Study
    • Events
    • In the Media
  • Work with Us
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Donate

Our Story

Sonia was on a mission. She had been around the world looking for a model of economic development that was rooted in values of who we want to be as a people, our relationship with each other, the Earth and all beings. A model that worked and had a shot of continuity on this beautiful planet. Being of Ukrainian heritage (as her first language) and having completed her last year of law school in Argentina, in Spanish, she had the opportunity to work for the Public Defender’s Office in Argentina, for the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine as legal advisor to the Prime Minister, and for the President of the Commission of Human Rights and Justice in Mexico. In 2013, Sonia was working as a finance lawyer at a big Canadian law firm in Toronto, on a six month stint in their Vancouver office’s mining group. As co-chair of the Latin American practice she was working to build relationships between Canada and Latin America. What she saw was a lot of conflict. Nothing seemed to be working.

Then in November of 2013, Sonia met Jerry at the Canadian Aboriginal Mining Association (CAMA) conference in Vancouver. He was this larger than life personality, commanding the room as he walked in. Jerry was serving in his last year as Vice President of CAMA (as founding member, having served for 22 years), along with sitting on half a dozen training and advisory boards in the area of mining.

Earlier that year, he had received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to the inclusion and training of Aboriginal People in the mining industry and was looking to pass on his experience.

Sonia introduced herself to Jerry and learned about how he led in the transformation of his Nation, based on impeccable values and principles of who they were as a people and their responsibility as stewards of the land. Jerry talked about the economy being a means to a healthy and prosperous nation, not an end of itself. He spoke about reinvesting everything back into training his people and building dynamic teams. He spoke about ensuring the Tahltans were decision-makers in how their lands and resources developed. He spoke about their 21 person Tahltan trained environmental and heritage assessment team that evaluated projects based on social, environmental and economic merits. He spoke about how they were not opposed to development, they were authors of what that development looked like. And it worked. 30 years later, they were thriving. As was their environment and their next generation.

Sonia was blown away! A model that finally made sense to her, and it was right here in Canada! Jerry and Sonia spoke over the next couple of days about sharing the Tahltan story with other indigenous communities around the world, to show what was possible.

As a teacher at heart, Jerry is always eager to help others achieve a brighter future for their people.

Two weeks later, at a breakfast pub in Vancouver, Jerry and Sonia sketched out the business plan for the new organization’s mission and vision on the back of a napkin and the Global Indigenous Development Trust was born.

They have since visited and conducted workshops with communities across the Americas and have been invited to countries across Africa, Asia and to Australia. They have been to heights of 5,000 meters deep in the Andes, into the heart of the Amazon and the Central American rainforests. And now they have come full circle back to Canada to support the re-building of Nations on natural principles at home.

***

Sonia and Jerry would like to acknowledge GIDT’s incredible Board members that walk the walk of these values on a daily basis.

Sean Willy is a leader who truly stands firm in his values. With more than 25 years’ experience, Sean is leading in the creation of innovative new businesses, partnerships and investment opportunities for indigenous and non-indigenous partners alike. By reinvesting back into people and building strong teams, he is leading the way for green growth, sustainable businesses, jobs and employment opportunities in English River First Nation and across Canada. Sean truly cares about people and is sharing opportunities and his experiences with communities in Canada and around the world.

Mary Boyden  is a heart-centered leader and committed to creating a world that works well for all people. Having cut her teeth in underground mines more than 40 years ago, and having worked in some of the most difficult arenas, from mining to homeless indigenous youth and sex trafficking in the heart of one of Canada’s oldest mining regions, to healing of the land and traditional ceremony, you will never see her without a smile on her face and a kind word for everyone she works with. She is a true bridge between worlds, indigenous and non, spiritual and secular. Mary has been working for the past 8 years on developing ways of bringing together indigenous knowledge with western science to heal and restore the land from more than 100 years of mining in Timmins.

Nalaine Morin works with First Nations across Canada on projects as varied as mining, pipelines and highway infrastructure. She fights unapologetically for what she believes in and garners incredible amounts of respect for her tenacity and skills. From mining executives to First Nations leaders, her reputation as an environmental expert and advisor is unparalleled. Having grown up in a mining community, her technical background combined with being of Tahltan descent has led to her identifying and developing ways to connect and support First Nations traditional knowledge and Western science, effectively managing complicated resource project issues in a cross-cultural setting. Many of the innovative processes she has helped develop have been subsequently adopted for use at the provincial level.

Global Indigenous Trust

Our Vision

Our vision is a global network of healthy, vibrant, thriving communities and people, living their true potential.

info@globalindigenoustrust.org
1801 – 1 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M5E1W7

Instagram post 2192333298057938637_1434995279 Here is just an update from Bogota, Colombia. Our Peacebuilder @bigmamacita was invited last month to Bogota, Columbia. To lead the Academic Agenda by the Petroleum Association of Colombia and the Canadian Colombian Embassy as a representative of @globalindigenoustrust , Canada and as a PhD Candidate. The purpose of her talk & panel was to discuss the challenges of increased social conflict and inequality in the resource sector. The title was Los Desafios del sector ante el creciente activism y conflictivad social en territorio: The Challenges of the sector amidst growing activism and social conflict in territories. As social conflicts increase in the oil and gas sector, the industry recognizes that it needs to change and adapt its practices. They were looking for academic insight from a Canadian to International perspective as to why social conflicts in the resource sector were increasing in the oil in gas sector. Though this may seem obvious. What are the causes, and how can government + industry respond to resolve these conflicts. What are recommendations we can make for positive community engagement and greater responsibilities + less human rights violations in the sector? We explored what social conflict is, how it can be understood in terms of inequality and causes, and how can industry engage differently with communities to work to resolve conflict, and innovate the industry towards partnership, responsibility and sustainability. Trying to work against polarization of viewpoints and towards dialogue and peaceful resolutions! 💜 Gracias de Colombia y ACP. #ilcumbrepetroleoygas
Instagram post 2172162447471980417_1434995279 Friendly reminder on this snowy day to look deeper for the beauty, harmony and interconnections all around us. “See that blade grass, look at that tree, and everything you see. Everything on this Earth is alive and lives. It is you that has to live in harmony with that blade of grass. Please be careful where you step.” – Theresa Day #redxtalks Toronto
Instagram post 2169965057050534042_1434995279 Thank you @ccab_national for the post, and participating in our conversation last week about the up and coming Indigenous economy in Peru! A very great conversation indeed on their opportunities and challenges – and of course, great to hear from about what is happening with Aboriginal business in Canada. • Thank you to HudBay and @ccab_National for joining us with these Peruvian community leaders.
Instagram post 2166939078744899015_1434995279 CGEN Forum 2019: Bridging Worldview's to Build Healthy Communities by Centre for Global Engineering - University of Toronto was a huge success earlier this week! Thank you to all who came! GIDT is partnered with the Centre for Global Engineering (CGEN) @uoftengineering to help with high-impact research projects and initiatives for community development across the world, through the Reconciliation Through Engineering Initiative (RTEI), a new initiative at CGEN. RTEI seeks to bring together Indigenous knowledge and the expertise of faculty members at the University in the spirit of co-learning to address some of the most pressing infrastructure challenges faced by Indigenous communities across Canada. This event aimed at examining the significant opportunity for a harmonization between Traditional Knowledge and Western Science to produce holistic, long-term solutions to community and infrastructure development. Indigenous Peoples have been stewards of the land for thousands of years. As keepers and practitioners of Traditional Knowledge, they have adapted to naturally changing landscapes and environments with resilience and innovation. Today, many Indigenous communities across Canada face unique barriers to food security, clean water, suitable housing, healthcare as well as reliable energy, transportation and communications systems. At the same time, climate change exacerbates these challenges. The 2019 CGEN Forum, was an experiential journey towards building research collaborations grounded in sustainability, reciprocity and an understanding of Indigenous ways of communicating and knowing. Beginning with a traditional ceremony led by an Elder, there will be an exploration of Indigenous Peoples’ history on Turtle Island, the legacy of research partnerships with Indigenous communities, the strengths and teachings of Traditional Knowledge and a demonstration of its fundamental role within a collaborative research methodology. The event will feature guest talks and panelists including leading Indigenous researchers, entrepreneurs, and innovators who are at the forefront of this Two-Eyed Seeing approach to science and engineering. #indigenousknowledge #2👀ing
Instagram post 2166306714320906001_1434995279 The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, was introduced in the B.C. legislature last week to drumming, singing, prayers and the Lekwungen Dancers. This adoption of #undrip is another step in healing and transformation into Canadian legislature, that will hopefully to continually spread across government, and industry in Canada. B.C. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration). It includes 46 articles covering all facets of human rights of Indigenous peoples such as: culture identity religion language health education community The UN Declaration emphasizes the Indigenous peoples' rights to live in dignity, to maintain and strengthen Indigenous institutions, cultures and traditions and to pursue self-determined development, in keeping with Indigenous needs and aspirations. The UN Declaration has been adopted by 148 nations, including the Government of Canada. B.C.’s Implementation of the UN Declaration The provincial government introduced legislation in October 2019 to implement the UN Declaration, which the Truth and Reconciliation Commission confirms as the framework for reconciliation. The B.C. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act aims to create a path forward that respects the human rights of Indigenous peoples while introducing better transparency and predictability in the work we do together. The Province worked with the First Nations Leadership Council (BC Assembly of First Nations, First Nations Summit and Union of BC Indian Chiefs), who have been directed by First Nations Chiefs of B.C., to develop the legislation. If passed, the legislation sets out a process to align B.C.’s laws with the UN Declaration. It will mandate government to bring provincial laws into harmony with the UN Declaration. It will require development of an action plan to achieve this alignment over time – providing transparency and accountability. And it will require regular reporting to the legislature to monitor progress. #indigenousrights
Instagram post 2162582712894906560_1434995279 “Indigenous Knowledge: it is intensely local, but at the same time, it is universal.” - Sacred Ecology Traditional Ecological Knowledge, also called by other names including Indigenous Knowledge or Native Science, (hereafter, TEK) refers to the evolving knowledge acquired by indigenous and local peoples over hundreds or thousands of years through direct contact with the environment. One estimate says that while Indigenous peoples only comprise some 4 or 5 percent of the world’s population, they use almost a quarter of the world’s land surface and manage 11 percent of its forests. “In doing so, they maintain 80 percent of the planet’s biodiversity in, or adjacent to, 85 percent of the world’s protected areas,” 🙌💕 Photo: by Luisa Rivera/ YaleE360 #traditionalknowledge #traditionalecologicalknowledge #sustainabledevelopment #holisticworldview
Follow on Instagram
  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • Work with Us
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Our Story

© 2019 Global Indigenous Development Trust

  • Who We Are
    • Our Story
    • Our Team
  • What We Do
    • Our Projects
    • Our Impact
    • Our Partners
    • Building a Nation Case Study
    • Events
    • In the Media
  • Work with Us
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
Global Indigenous Development Trust