During the months of August and September, NWAC’s communications team developed and produced content to support, uplift, and advocate for Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, transgender, and gender-diverse+ (WG2STGD+) people.

In August, we released edition 20 of Kci-Niwesq. This edition celebrated the languages of our ancestors and presented land-based learning as vital traditional teachings to be preserved and practised with pride. Feature interviews, including those with Dr. Amy Parent, who runs classes about living in harmony with the environment, and Julie Flett, a Cree-Métis author, illustrator, and artist.

We launched the POETA DigiSpark channel to publicize the innovative Partnerships for Economic Opportunities through Technology in the Americas (POETA Digi Spark) project. In collaboration with The Trust for the Americas, The Organization of American States (OAS,) and Microsoft, it aims to empower Indigenous WG2STGD+ individuals in Canada by providing vital digital skills, facilitating job opportunities and technology-supported entrepreneurship. The page provides information about the project, ways people can get involved, and how to stay up to date on news and events related to future POETA DigiSpark progress and initiatives.

We also launched a new microsite to promote Room Rental at NWAC, highlighting the unique spaces at our Social, Cultural, and Economic Innovation Centre in Gatineau, Quebec, which are available to book for events, meetings, or ceremonies, healing, and creative expression.

NWAC issued a press release on August 30 condemning the treatment of a First Nations woman who was left without access to emergency health treatment after a violent attack. Disruptions to the ambulance service in Témiscamingue, Quebec, led to inferior care, which may have contributed to the tragic outcome for Cindy Pagé.

On September 21, NWAC issued a press release concerning the protests against gender diversity policies in Canadian schools. The statement noted that these actions put vulnerable youth at risk and attempt to remove protections that help safeguard transgender and gender-diverse children and adolescents.

On September 29, NWAC published a press release that brought attention to the fact that after eight years there has still been little progress on the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action following their final report.

The press release was sent out on the third National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and demanded progress on the recommendations without further delay.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

To commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we launched a campaign to raise awareness and donations. The campaign content included:

• Sign the letter

A letter that members of the public could sign urging their MP to make progress on the TRC’s 94 calls to action:

• “Hard Truths About Reconciliation”

This op-ed article by NWAC was featured in the Toronto Star and highlighted the inaction following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report. It called the federal government’s response to the Calls to Action “a series of half measures.”

• Social media posts promoting the video for Cindy Paul’s haunting song “He Can Fancy Dance,” which describes the terrible legacy of residential schools and colonial erasure that created a stolen generation of children
• Posts containing important questions and answers on truth and reconciliation to educate the public and encourage advocacy
• An invitation to the public to visit a commemorative art exhibition to honour survivors and their families

Going Global Missions

We also produced two reports detailing NWAC’s recent Going Global work in both a Mission Report to Costa Rica and a Mission Report to Panama. These initiatives summarize CEO Lynne Groulx’s international work across the Americas to continue essential relationship-building between NWAC and the eight nations that make up the Central American Integration System (Spanish: Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana, or SICA). The missions include components that help build connections with both government representatives and entrepreneurs to foster economic growth for Indigenous Peoples across the continents. Social media posts were created to highlight the objectives and achieved goals of the international Going Global Missions.

Social Media

Our social media campaigns and posts helped spread messages about our important work and promoted our other marketing and communications efforts.

Efforts to increase the frequency of our social media posts were rewarded in the month of August when we achieved a 33.1 per cent increase in post clicks and gained a 25.1 per cent increase in our total audience growth, with our LinkedIn and X.com (Twitter) accounts receiving the most new followers.

Our video views in particular saw an increase of 47.4 per cent, mostly from those promoted on Facebook posts. Content concerning our National Apprenticeships Program and the Voices of Indigenous Elders: Share Your Aging in Place Perspective survey were particularly well received.

In September, we published 415 social media posts and saw a more modest increase in audience numbers of 1.6 per cent, with Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn receiving the most new followers. The LinkedIn audience was particularly receptive to our messaging, with a 70.8 per cent increase in impressions for posts on that site and an engagement increase of 126.6 per cent.

Posts promoting our workshops and #BeTheDrum networking circles were well received, as were videos, which reached 67,020 views on Facebook.

Our National Day for Truth and Reconciliation campaign performed well, with posts on the op-ed in the Toronto Star receiving a potential reach of 65,049. Posts about sending a letter to your MP to urge them to make progress on the Calls to Action and the “He Can Fancy Dance” video received a reach of more than 40,000 each.

Follow us on Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn to stay up to date on all of NWAC’s initiatives, and be sure to subscribe to our magazine, Kci-Niwesq.