Executive Summary

Community Engagement Findings

Phase one of the Skookum Lab involved community animators facilitating dialogue and culture-based activities to learn about the root causes of and priorities for addressing Indigenous child poverty in Surrey. The Skookum Lab community animators conducted 11 Star Blanket Exercises, three focus groups, and 6 key informant interviews with community members. Participants included youth, Elders, service providers and community leaders among others. The main focus of the engagement sessions was to learn what would make Surrey a great place to raise Indigenous children.

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All Our Relations: Honouring the Host Nations

Surrey Urban Indigenous Leadership Committee's work takes place on the traditional territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the Katize, Kwantlen, and Semiahmoo First Nations. We recognize their connection to this land and acknowledge that we are newcomers to Surrey like everyone else. Our group, the Surrey Urban Indigenous Leadership Committee does not represent these land-based First Nations and we are careful not to speak on their behalf. Instead, we represent urban Indigenous people that have moved here from all over BC and Canada to make Surrey their home. Our focus is making Surrey a great place for Indigenous people living in the city — regardless of where they come from, their legal status, or their particular culture heritage. As we do this, we endeavour to live in a good way with the land-based First Nations that have called this land their home since time immemorial.