Quick EscapeTruth & Reconciliation
Truth & Reconciliation
History is often written by those with the most power. We acknowledge that many voices were excluded from YWCA Hamilton’s story; as part of our reconciliation work, we are committed to repair. This means we are asking questions, and inviting more voices and experiences into how we understand our history. The content we share here will evolve over time, as our understandings do.
In 1889, YWCA Hamilton’s first location opened. 135 years later, the organization works to improve the lives of women, gender-diverse people and girls.
By looking to the past, we can better understand how our programs and services have changed over this time.
Adelaide Hoodless was YWCA Hamilton’s second board president (1889-1903). She founded the School of Domestic Sciences at YWCA Hamilton in the 1890s, and was successful in having domestic sciences integrated into the Ontario public school curriculum. Hoodless believed domestic sciences would help ground young women in becoming civilized, industrious, patriotic and Christian (McCallum, 2002). She believed young women’s main role was to perform domestic labour in the home (Hoodless, 1900).
YWCA Hamilton recognizes Hoodless’ intentions and their impacts as tools for oppression and assimilation.
The impacts of Hoodless’ work harmed First Nations, Métis and Inuit women, and erased their cultural identities and traditional knowledges. In 2022, YWCA Canada shared a preliminary report with member associations across the country detailing our movement’s involvement in the colonial project. This preliminary report confirms that YWCAs across Canada, including YWCA Hamilton, delivered recreational and employment programs as part of residential schools and ‘Indian’ hospitals, as well as to the broader community.
The report details Adelaide Hoodless’ involvement in supporting colonial practices that sought to assimilate Indigenous women and girls.
YWCA Hamilton benefitted financially from Hoodless’ ties to the colonial project. This report was authored by two white researchers and used only secondary settler-created sources. YWCA Canada is working with Indigenous researchers on a full report that will centre Indigenous voices and experiences of residential schools, ‘Indian’ hospitals and day programs, as well as their descendants.
YWCA Hamilton chooses to publicly share this information because the organization has benefitted financially from Hoodless’ ties to the colonial project, and truth-telling is an important first step toward reconciliation. Since learning about these truths, we started work with Niibin, an Indigenous consulting firm alongside an internal staff group to share these truths across our organization and to develop an action plan.
YWCA Hamilton acknowledges and apologizes for the YWCA National Movement’s involvement in the colonial project and the ways our organization has benefited from colonial violence.
YWCA Hamilton is on a humble journey to reconciliation. We acknowledge the harms that YWCA Hamilton has been complicit in.
Acknowledging these painful histories and injustices that shaped the early years of our organization is our first step.
We encourage all community organizations in Canada who have received public funds to commit to accountability and transparency – to search archives, talk to local Indigenous communities and acknowledge past and current harms in ways that minimize re-traumatization.
Note: The full report can be accessed by emailing reconciliation@ywcacanada.ca
A humble reflection and commitment from YWCA Hamilton CEO, Medora Uppal
Truth and Reconciliation are important terms for work that will take lifetimes. When I learned of YWCA’s involvement in the colonial project, I knew we had to dedicate the time and resources to do this work with intention. We engaged an Indigenous Consulting Firm, Niibin, to guide us with humility alongside Indigenous leaders at our organization to assemble a Truth and Reconciliation Working Group.
The commitments that guide our work:
– Indigenous colleagues and community members are well-supported and feel belonging in this process
– We believe it is ethical to be real and humble
– We must be committed to stewarding this journey and avoid causing greater harm and risk.
– We will find methods of reciprocity to community and colleagues.
We released the preliminary report to staff and have held 6 half-day sessions for meaningful learning and engagement with all staff in our organization.
Our vision for this work is that the release of the report and subsequent reflection will propel YWCA Hamilton to meaningful and realistic change which enables Indigenous folks in our community to trust us. We intend to foster work environments that resist colonial structures and nurture belonging for all.
We are working to acknowledge the harms that YWCA Hamilton has been complicit in, and to envision how we can centre accountability and community-building in our work going forward. Acknowledging these painful histories and injustices that shaped the early years of our organization is our first step. We will continue to foster open dialogue, listen to affected voices, and take meaningful action.
With sincere and humble commitment,
Medora Uppal
Action Plan on Reconciliation
This Truth and Reconciliation Action Plan serves as a living document reflecting our commitment to thoughtful action, frequent reflection and meaningful collaboration. We understand that the work of uncovering and reporting the truth, and engaging with and sustaining reconciliation is a continuous journey. YWCA Hamilton is determined in our responsibility for reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, rooted in our values. We honour and respect Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing which center their wisdom, expertise and sovereignty.
Our reconciliation efforts are informed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action, as well as the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG2S), and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment and culture where Indigenous staff and service users feel valued and respected.
We pledge to:
- Provide our staff with opportunities for practice and reflection on Indigenous teachings, histories and cultures.
- Maintain and sustain cultural safety and respect.
- Engage in reflective practices to identify, address with integrity and address any harms caused.
- Lean into listening, walking alongside with, acting on the learnings of and growing right relationships with Indigenous partners.
YWCA Hamilton’s Thematic Process for Truth and Reconciliation Actions:
Cultivating and Strengthening the Roots of our Reconciliation:
This stage of the process will focus on the core cultural and procedural work required to support our internal Truth and Reconciliation efforts.
See: Key Actions 1, 2, 3.
Nurturing our Relationships:
Built upon a stronger foundation, this stage of the process will focus on the cultivation of meaningful and reciprocal relationships with Indigenous organizations and partners.
See: Key Actions 4, 5 and 6.
Growing Social and Cultural Change:
YWCA Hamilton will practice, role model and work on the social and cultural growth necessary for lasting reconciliation during this period of the process. This involves incorporating wise and promising practices learned and integrating them into internal practices and addressing historical injustices. The success of this stage of the process is dependent on the sustainable and successful achievement of all key actions that came before it.
See: Key Actions 7, 8, and 9
Our Nine Key Actions
1. Integrate Reconciliation in Operations & Budgeting Processes
YWCA Values: Responsibility, People-Centered
Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRCC) Report and the 94 Calls to Action 92
MMIWG Calls to Justice 13.1-13.4, 15.1-15.8
2. Create a Communications and Engagement Strategy for Truth and Reconciliation
YWCA Values: Responsibility
TRCC Calls to Action 57
Calls to Justice 6.1, 15.1, 17.19
3. Develop Education and Training Pathways for YWCA Board and Staff
YWCA Values: Responsibility, People-Centered, Belonging
TRCC Calls to Action 5, 52, 62, 92
Calls to Justice 7.7, 7.8, 8.1, 11.1, 11.2, 12.1-12.12, 15.1-15.8
4. Relationship Building and Reciprocity with Indigenous Organizations
YWCA Values: Partnerships, Responsibility
TRCC Calls to Action 92
Calls to Justice 15.1-15.8
5. Engage Indigenous Partners about YWCA Hamilton’s History with Residential Schools and ‘Indian’ Hospitals
YWCA Values: Partnerships, Responsibility, People-Centered
TRCC Calls to Action 77
Calls to Justice 15.1-15.8, 16.11
6. Foster and Maintain Cultural Safety for Indigenous Staff and Service Users
YWCA Values: Intersectional Feminism, People-Centered, Belonging
TRCC Calls to Action 23, 24, 62
Calls to Justice 7.2, 7.6, 7.9, 12.3, 12.4, 12.12, 15.1-15.8
7. Develop and Implement the Objectives and Plan for Improving Hiring and Retention of Indigenous Staff
YWCA Values: Belonging, People-Centered
TRCC Calls to Action 23, 92
Calls to Justice 7.1, 7.3, 7.4, 7.6, 7.8 7.9, 12.3, 12.4, 12.12, 15.1-15.8
8. Explore and Establish Sustained Support for an Indigenous Staff Circle
YWCA Values: Belonging, People-Centered
TRCC Calls to Action 92
Calls to Justice 1.1, 5.3, 7.1, 7.2, 7.6, 7.9, 12.1, 12.4, 12.14
9. Create a Model of Practice for Designing and Delivering Programs for Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit Persons
YWCA Values: Responsibility, Intersectional Feminism
TRCC Calls to Action 62
Calls to Justice 7.1-7.9, 8.1, 12.1, 12.4, 12.14, 15.
How does YWCA Hamilton still benefit from its colonial past?
YWCA Hamilton principally benefits from its colonial past through its long-standing reputation as a leader in providing services and supports to women and gender-diverse people. This reputation has brought about funding opportunities and accolades over the years. While we have been able to provide life-saving services to community members via this much-needed funding, we acknowledge that our name recognition and long-term presence in the social service sector stems first from the organization’s complicity in the colonial project.
What is the colonial project and how exactly did YWCAs participate?
The colonial project refers to the historical process through which European nations expanded their territories, power, and wealth by establishing control over other regions and peoples from the 15th to 20th centuries, primarily through violent means. This involved the occupation and exploitation of lands, extraction of resources, and imposition of foreign governance and cultural norms on Indigenous peoples. This project continues to have a profound and far-reaching impact on our contemporary society.
Why is it difficult to determine the extent of the YWCA’s involvement?
It is difficult to determine the extent of the YWCA’s involvement in the colonial project because many records from that time are lost, missing and difficult to access. We are devoting resources to recovering as much knowledge as we can from that time and will make what we find publicly accessible.
Why are you just acknowledging this now?
YWCA Hamilton became aware of the implications of Adelaide Hoodless’ actions and rhetoric with the publishing of the recent report by YWCA Canada. In hindsight, our organization should have investigated this history much sooner than we did. We are committed to doing everything we can to acknowledge and rectify harms done going forward.
I am an Indigenous woman, girl or two-spirit person who is affected by YWCA’s involvement in residential schools and ‘Indian’ hospitals. How can I share feedback on this plan with the organization?
If you would like to share feedback with us regarding the effect of YWCA’s involvement in residential schools and ‘Indian’ hospitals, please reach out to:
Violetta Nikolskaya, Director of Inclusion and Engagement at vnikolskaya@ywcahamilton.org
I am a settler and want to practice allyship – what can I do?
- Recognize that the word “Indigenous” refers to many distinct nations with diverse histories.
- Understand that we can still do harm even when we have good intentions; amplify Indigenous leadership in decision-making processes that affect their communities.
- Educate yourself: learn about Indigenous histories, cultures, and the ongoing impacts that settler colonialism has on all our communities. Then – teach your friends!
- Advocate for Indigenous land rights.
- Challenge discrimination in your circles.
- Support Indigenous-owned businesses to help promote economic self-determination.
The Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program provides cultural and emotional support, as well as mental health counselling services to survivors of Indian Residential Schools and their families.
Program eligibility: All survivors of ‘Indian’ Residential Schools, regardless of Indigenous status or place of residence within Canada, are eligible to receive services from the Resolution Health Support Program.
In recognition of the intergenerational impacts that the Indian Residential School system has had on families, Resolution Health Support Program services are also available to family members of survivors of ‘Indian’ Residential Schools, which includes:
- a spouse or partner
- those raised by, or raised in the household of, an ‘Indian’ Residential School Survivor
- any relative who has experienced the effects of intergenerational trauma associated with a family member’s time at an ‘Indian’ Residential School
The Survivor’s Circle for Reproductive Justice is a not-for-profit created to centre the lived experiences and priorities of Indigenous women, men and gender-diverse people who have experienced reproductive and obstetric violence. Their mandate is to provide supports to survivors and to advocate for reproductive justice for all First Nations, Inuit, and Métis across the provinces and territories. Visit their website for more information about the supports they offer.