With an anti-racism strategy ready to go, the City of Salmon Arm is pursuing grant funding for its implementation.
About a year ago, the city submitted a successful application for $15,000 in grant money, available through BC Healthy Communities and its Plan H program, to develop the strategy in collaboration with community partners.
The BC Healthy Communities website explained the program "is to support Indigenous and local governments, including health authorities, to advance policies, programs and strategies aimed at improving health equity and well-being for all."
At its July 23 meeting, council supported submitting another Plan H grant application for $15,000 that would go to the second phase of the project, "to implement this collaborative, multi-sectoral strategy and then to monitor its effectiveness," explained city building safer communities coordinator Sarah Zuidhof.
"We're excited about continuing this positive, up-stream work in the community, and know that through collective action we can indeed create lasting change in our community," said Zuidhof.
Five community partners were involved in In its development, Zuidhof said the partners prioritized two themes, one being Indigenous leadership, and the second, "honouring lived and living experiences."
"Central to the strategy is an acknowledgement that Salmon Arm is located on the unceded territory of the Secw茅pemc People," reads the strategy's introduction. "It affirms the lasting impacts of colonialism and the responsibility of settlers to actively advance reconciliation, justice, and equity."
The strategy is recognized as a living document, grounded in key principles expected to evolve through "ongoing reflection, community feedback and action." Those principles involve: collaboration and continuous learning, reciprocity and shared power, centred lived experiences, Indigenous knowledge and mutual accountability and transparency.
The latest draft of the strategy notes Salmon Arm has a history of racism, and that the legacy of colonialism continues to impact the community, "necessitating ongoing efforts to address and combat racism and promote reconciliation."
Strategic goals offered by the strategy include respectful engagement with Indigenous communities, enhancing education and anti-racism literacy, promoting representation and voice, increased community engagement and cultural awareness and continued support and empowerment.
Council supported the application and the work done so far.
"It's very important to work as a community and make sure everyone feels safe and that they belong, and this seems like a very modest and reasonable request of Plan H and I'm happy to support it," said Coun. Louise Wallace Richmond
