Yellowknife — March 9, 2021
Minister of Finance Caroline Wawzonek announced today that the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has launched new Indigenous Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity Training for GNWT employees.
Living Well Together – Indigenous Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity Training, is a self-directed eLearning course made up of eight modules divided into two series: The Truth series (Modules 2-5), which raises awareness about colonization, residential schools and Indigenous/non-Indigenous relations, and the Reconciliation series (Modules 6-8), which focuses on developing cultural sensitivity and the practice of reconciliation.
The GNWT is committed to building and maintaining a workforce that embraces diversity, cultural awareness and inclusion, and this educational training program is a vital step toward that objective. The focus of Living Well Together is to help GNWT employees further develop cultural competencies and play a more active role in reconciliation.
Intended for GNWT employees, Living Well Together contains a wealth of important information and learning opportunities for anyone who wants to learn more about intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism. The full training is publicly available through the Department of Finance website.
Quote
Living Well Together was created in the spirit of reconciliation and provides opportunities for our employees to reflect on ways we can all support reconciliation and decolonization as public servants and private citizens; in the workplace; and within the community. Through careful reflection and deliberate acts of reconciliation, we can make positive changes throughout the Northwest Territories and serve as an example for the rest of Canada.
-Caroline Wawzonek, Minister of Finance
Quick facts
- Living Well Together – Indigenous Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity Training, is a self-directed eLearning course made up of eight modules.
- Training time ranges between 10 and 30 hours depending on how much supplementary content learners choose to explore.
- This training provides opportunities for individuals to further develop cultural competencies and play a more active role in reconciliation.
- The Department of Finance, working alongside Education, Culture and Employment, and Health and Social Services, collaborated with many Indigenous elders, community members and Indigenous artists to ensure the training reflected the diverse and authentic perspectives of Indigenous peoples from across the North.
Related links
Media Requests, please contact:
Todd Sasaki
Senior Communications Officer
Department of Finance
Government of the Northwest Territories