Aboriginal Reference Group

The Aboriginal Reference Group (ARG) membership was comprised solely of representatives from the voluntary sector. From Spring 2001 to October 2002, the Aboriginal Reference Group gathered 18 members coming from voluntary organizations across Canada to discuss issues of concern to the Aboriginal voluntary sector.

One of the accomplishments of the ARG was to produce a video on the notion of volunteering in Aboriginal Communities. The 21-minute video entitled “It’s Our Way” was produced with support under the Voluntary Sector Initiative through the Awareness Table and under the direction of the Aboriginal Reference Group, which has evolved into the National Aboriginal Voluntary Organization (NAVO).

It’s Our Way is a celebration of voluntary action from an Aboriginal perspective ranging from traditional to contemporary forms of volunteering and its meaning to First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples. The video is intended to be both a celebration and an awareness-raising tool to showcase and share how extensive and integral that the notion of volunteering is in Aboriginal communities throughout Canada. The reference to the “notion of volunteering” emanates from the fact that in research for the video, there is no specific word for volunteer in many indigenous languages. The act of volunteering was simply a way of life, a responsibility that was part of Aboriginal societies.

For further information on NAVO, please contact Damon Johnston at djohnston@winnipeg.ca.