Call To Action's 2022 Advent Calendar provides 27 days of prayer and study to lead into action and solidarity with Indigenous communities. Here is today's meditation.
Friday of the First Week of Advent
December 2nd, 2022
What does it mean to receive an education?
We often speak of education as the means to attain knowledge. But knowledge comes in many forms: awareness, empathy, and understanding.
Today, let us walk along the “perimeter of truth for understanding.” What do we see, in this search for understanding?
This path may be long and arduous. It’s important to rest. Take a breath. But don’t stray too far off the path; remember to whom you’re answering.
-Meditation by Indigenous Solidarity Collective Member Lauren Barbato.
Call to Action: 7-8
Education
“7. We call upon the federal government to develop with Aboriginal groups a joint strategy to eliminate educational and employment gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians.
8. We call upon the federal government to eliminate the discrepancy in federal education funding for First Nations children being educated on reserves and those First Nations children being educated off reserves.”
Organizations to know and follow
Urban Native Youth Association, a Canadian organization, provides educational programs and health and housing services for Indigenous youth.
First Nations Child and Family Caring Society provides education initiatives, public policy campaigns, and quality resources to support First Nations youth and their families.
Center for Native American Youth is an advocacy and research group that strives to improve the health, safety, and overall well-being of Native American youth.
The watercolor paintings featured on this calendar were created by Duane Yazzie, an artist of Hopi and Navajo ancestry. Yazzie creates artwork that reflects his Indigenous heritage and his childhood spent in the Southwest.
The 2022 Advent Calendar is a project of CTA's Indigenous Solidarity Collective, a working group that addresses the Catholic Church's historical and current role in colonialization. To support more projects from working groups like this one, please consider making a contribution!
