Ancestral beliefs reflected in modern day practice

By Matteo Cimellaro Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Indigenous Peoples have long believed that everyone in a community ought to be cared for and fed. These days, that ancestral principle can find itself reflected in the modern social economy and non-profit organizations, including friendship centres, which have successfully adopted it as a pathway to an economic structure, says Kelly Benning, president of the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC). “I think it aligns so well with our traditions and beliefs,” explains Benning. “The term social economy has more or less given us a name for the way that we conduct ourselves.” Last week, the inaugural Urban Indigenous Social Economy Forum in Ottawa brought together friendship centres, provincial and federal organizations and Indigenous social organization leadership from across the country to network and…

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