Relational Principles
Guiding Yellowhead are the following sets of relational principles our team and collaborators are all encouraged to understand, engage with, and operate by in the course of undertaking Yellowhead work
Collective Governance
These principles translate our personal and collective values into a set of principles that govern our organization at a high-level. We aspire to these principles in our strategic direction, making key decisions, setting priorities, and relating to each other within the Yellowhead network and with the broader Indigenous community.
Building Community: Within the Yellowhead network, we make decisions collaboratively, providing space for every individual to express their views however they choose, and support them in their individual processes.
Centring Indigenous Life: We acknowledge that the community comes first; that we are doing this work for Indigenous peoples, and it should be shaped by Indigenous collaborators.
Influencing Change: We strive towards becoming an authoritative voice on issues of Indigenous law and policy, broadly defined, in order to effectively advocate for change. We must reflect the integrity that this requires.
Prioritizing Fluidity: We accept that building community requires flexibility in our approach and timelines, acknowledging interruptions and mistakes, and changing course when required.
Political Independence: We uphold the independence to support causes and communities while also holding governments, including Indigenous governments, accountable. Independence should factor into our relational decisions.
Accountability: We hold high standards of individual and community respect, valuing the contributions of each other across the network and reciprocating with care. In cases where we violate that care, we strive to restore balance.
Solidarity
Indigenous and non-Indigenous people work together both within Yellowhead Institute as well as in many different kinds of relationships and partnerships with the Institute. While non-Indigenous people bring our own commitments, values, and principles into our work, we recognize that our role within Yellowhead Institute is a supportive one to Indigenous leadership. The following are 10 principles of solidarity that govern how we approach our work with—and relationships within—the Yellowhead community.
Taking Direction: Though we may share common and intersecting goals, we are visitors to these lands and take direction from Indigenous peoples on all aspects of the work for self-determination.
Showing Leadership: Where we can show leadership is in the way we listen, show respect and humility, and materially support the goals of Indigenous movements.
Aiming at Non-Interference: Diversity among Indigenous perspectives means that “taking direction” from one individual or community may contradict the views of another. Where possible, we should avoid inserting ourselves into these debates. When this is unavoidable, we must be honest, transparent, and forthcoming about our positions, relationships, and convictions.
Practicing Reflexivity: There will be times when we feel challenged by opinions or actions we disagree with and times we may find ourselves passing judgment reactively. We must take time to recognize when this happens, and individually and intentionally reflect on the situation at hand. What next steps are needed to best reflect Yellowhead’s guiding principles? What will best serve the work and vision of the Institute?
Intersectionality: We must work to develop an understanding of oppression as relational and intersectional. Non-Indigenous people may also be subject to class, race, ableist, sexist, cis-heteronormative, and other forms of domination. But we must enter into consensual relationships of alliance without losing sight of how colonization shapes and grounds other forms of oppression on these lands.
Decentering Our Priorities: We must never centre our own ideological convictions or campaign goals in place of Indigenous political strategies and priorities.
Carrying Our Own Weight: We are responsible for doing the work to listen and learn from Indigenous articulations of self-determination.
Educating Ourselves: It is our responsibility to examine our own biases, demands, expectations, and to pursue education on Indigenous issues. It is not Indigenous peoples’ responsibility to do one-on-one counselling and education.
Backing Off: It is a privilege to be invited into community spaces, but not an obligation for Indigenous peoples to invite us. Plenty of work can be done in harm reduction advocacy with the state in partnership with Indigenous people, or by raising funds to support Indigenous culture and governance initiatives.
Fighting White Supremacy: For non-Indigenous people who are white, we have enormous privilege we did not earn, but we can spend what’s banked by standing up against racial and colonial injustice. We must acknowledge the racism that infects the air we breathe and consciously work to challenge it in ourselves and in the world around us.
Community Trust & Restoration
In cases of conflict arising within the Yellowhead community, from the Leadership and Staff to Research Fellows and Board of Advisors, we are guided by a number of processes that are informed by the following principles.
Building Trust: These Principles and practices rest on the trust Yellowhead members put into them. All efforts possible should be spent ensuring they are known, supported, and have integrity across the organization.
Centering the Community : We acknowledge that in the community, it may be difficult to gauge the “harm” and/or determine if there are multiple harms (or at least perceptions of harm). We strive toward collective well-being in the resolution of conflict.
Flexibility: A pathway to restoration, including specific steps and individual roles, should be decided upon by all members of the Yellowhead group involved and approved by those involved in the conflict/harm.
Transparency: Any restoration process ultimately decided upon by the parties involved must be understood by all participating and followed closely.
Trauma-Informed: Acknowledging that we operate within and through colonization and its myriad, diverse impacts that include ongoing oppression along many facets — including racialization, gender discrimination, ableism — we understand that trauma impacts our individual and collective actions, and these unique subjectivities and experiences must be accounted for in any restoration processes.
Time & Space: In cases of temporary irreconcilable differences, a period of distance is possible to provide a space for healing before attempting any restoration process.
Avoiding Disposability: To the greatest extent possible, efforts should be made to prevent the removal or dismissal of individuals involved in conflict/harm declarations. In the case, individuals are removed nonetheless, a process for repairing relationships and potential return to the community should be considered.
Reasonableness: Not all claims of harm require a restoration process. In cases of vexatious or unreasonable demands for accountability or action, we may choose to create boundaries. This decision must be made collectively, guided by our principles
Fairness: All members of the Yellowhead network should have access to a restoration process, guided by these principles, if requested.
Non-Interference: Individuals should have space for autonomy to respond to, attend to relationships, and process conflict in the ways we need to individually while being mindful of the collective work and relationships.
Yellowhead Institute is committed to upholding these principles. If you have questions or feel any of these principles have been breached in the context of your engagement with the Institute, please email us at contact@yellowheadinstitute.org and we will be in touch.
