Tansi Ninôtemik,
In support of Tawâw Outreach Collective, this week's blog posts will each highlight a sticker by Blog Author Olive Bensler (in collaboration with tawâw) to highlight leaders in Indigenous harm reduction and human rights work in Edmonton. 100% of sticker sale proceeds will go to tawâw; all the designs are available here.
If you would like to make an order larger than 20 stickers (of this design or any others listed for this campaign), please reach out directly to rbensler@ualberta.ca).
Outreach Uncle: Bryce Ward
This design highlights Bryce Ward: a cofounder of tawâw Outreach Collective. Bryce's lived experiences of houselessness as a Metís man have shaped him into a profoundly compassionate and energetic support worker. Bryce knows firsthand the important role cultural engagement and connection has in breaking a cycle of crime and addiction. He is an advocate for evidence-based and trauma & culturally informed practice in harm reduction. Specifically, he values people who use drugs by upholding
The Edmonton harm reduction community testifies to his foundational role as a teacher and leader. He is especially known for his good character and ethical approach to outreach and harm reduction work at Radius: a supervised consumption site. Bryce's sticker can be found here.
Outreach Kokum: Kokum Kathy
Kokum Kathy Hamlin is a pillar of the Edmonton outreach and Indigenous harm reduction community. This sticker highlights her smudging prior to the Edmonton City Council meeting where, as a result of discussions that day, the council declared homelessness and the housing crisis an emergency.
When seeking out Kokum Kathy to get her consent for this sticker, Bensler only had to look as far as the next protest: this time in support of trans youth in Alberta. Kokum Kathy is a passionate supporter of two-spirit and transgender Edmontonians. The link to this sticker can be found here.
The "Outreach Family" mini-collection also includes the Outreach Auntie sticker, which can be found here.
Keep your eye out for the next post in this week's special series. You can see yesterday's post here.
Until next time,
The ReconciliACTION YEG team