Indigenous Perspectives Society’s Button Blanket Project began today with an outpouring of community support not held back by the rainy weather.
“We are honoured to host the button blanket project here at Indigenous Perspectives Society on the traditional territory of the Songhees, Esquimalt and Beecher Bay First Nations,” said Linda Lucas, Indigenous Perspectives Society Executive Director. “We are supporting this project to build community relationships in the spirit of Reconciliation.”
The Society’s button blanket project is a 10-week creative journey of Reconciliation sponsored by the Anglican Church to bring community together and honour our collective commitment to a new way of being in relationship to each other.
“I am grateful and humbled to have been chosen to develop artwork that will bring a community together. A community that will create a beautiful and meaningful art piece in the button blankets, and all the while, learning of each other, of culture and of Reconciliation,” said Darrell Thorne, Coast Salish Artist. “I raise my hands and thank Indigenous Perspectives Society for this opportunity.”
IPS will sew four button blankets with images of Whale, Eagle, Raven, and Wolf that when completed will hang on the walls of the IPS training room as symbols of our dedication to Reconciliation.
“I’m so excited for this opportunity to build relationships through creativity and art,” said Becky Miller, University of Victoria Environmental Studies Graduate Student. “What an honour to partake in Indigenous culture; thank you for hosting such a welcoming event! I am new to British Columbia and look forward to meeting new members of my community.”
Indigenous Perspectives Society (IPS) is a charitable and not-for-profit social enterprise that offers training programs and services that help foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous perspectives, cultural differences, and the need for self-determination. By creating excellence through training and leadership, we help strengthen lives and build successful relationships in our communities.
Beginning with a focus on Indigenous child and family service delivery through the CARF International accredited Aboriginal Social Work training series, IPS has grown to include Cultural Perspectives Training, Adoption Online, Recruitment and Retention of Indigenous People, and more. By creating excellence though training and leadership, IPS has been supporting communities throughout British Columbia and across Canada for more than 22 years.
To learn more about Indigenous Perspectives Society visit https://ipsociety.ca/
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Attached Photo: Second from left, Darrell Thorne, fourth from left, Laurie MacDonald, and Becky Miller.
Media Contacts:
Laurie MacDonald, 250 391 0007 ext. 223
Barbara Smith, 250 391 0007 ext. 247