Larissa Crawford

'Three Skills to Advance Reconciliation and Solidarity' will explore how we can build our capacity (today!) to ethically and sustainably contribute to reconciliation and solidarity within and between communities. Tangible tools and practices will be shared with the purpose of empowering the participants to reflect and articulate the value and wisdom they carry, regardless of age, status, or education. Larissa Crawford, York U alumni 2022 'One to Watch' awardee and Founder of Future Ancestors Services, will be delivering this presentation in dedication of her two beloved mentors and accelerators of anti-racist change at York University, Dr. Lorne Foster and Ruth Green. In an effort to humanize and exemplify the three skills explored, Larissa will weave storytelling from her 14 years of experience in anti-racism and Indigenous research, policy, and community engagement.

What does a successful relationship with Indigenous communities look like for your organization? Who is included in defining your criteria of success? How are your pathways forward aligned with ‘reconciliation’? In the spirit of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 31st), Reconciling Through Reimagining Strategic Planning will explore these questions in the context of strategic planning. After an effort to establish shared language around decolonization, Indigenization, and reconciliation, we’ll dive into an action-oriented dialogue of what these concepts look like in practice and how that can drive a relationship-first approach to organizational development. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, originally and still colloquially known as Orange Shirt Day, is a Canadian holiday to recognize the legacy of the Canadian Indian residential school system.

Just as important as our work output is how we work; the relationships we hold with ourselves, each other, and valuable knowledge all shape what we create and contribute to. In this presentation, we're going to be focusing on safety and belonging in how you work. First, we'll take some time to explore what successful safety and belonging looks like at your organization, and we'll use the language of 'cultural competency' to do so. After establishing a shared language, you will have the opportunity to build your capacity in understanding your own worldview and how it shapes your relationships. We'll finally examine three tangible practices and mechanisms that can contribute to safer, culturally competent spaces and relationships. We facilitate our digital shared spaces using dynamic practices informed by psychology research on 'Zoom fatigue' to honour the mental and physical strains of long-term video conferencing, diverse learning styles, and accessibility needs. Our spaces are also always caregiver-friendly; please do not feel the need to apologize for any responsibilities that arise before or during our session.

Hierarchies of whose knowledge is considered "unbiased and legitimate", and whose knowledge is considered "too spiritual and political" are informed by the living legacies of colonialism and extractivism. Consequently, groups of people become systemically regarded as the inferior "other" are harmed in often violent ways, and innovation, effective work outputs, and truly inclusive workplaces are stifled. This keynote explores how we may cause harm, and how we may address that harm through an awareness of our worldviews and relationships to time and qualification. Participants have the opportunity to leave with an improved capacity to "Think Different" and to critically self-reflect in pursuit of more just and sustainable futures. In advance of this keynote, participants can read “Environmental Scientists and Policymakers Have a Responsibility to Reconciliation, Too,” an article written on this subject by Larissa Crawford and published in The Canadian Science Policy Magazine, Issue 01, 2019.

What does it mean to be a future ancestor, and how can we apply this understanding in our lives today? In the session, "Conscious Future Ancestors: Reconciling Our Relationships to Self, Community, and Earth Across Space and Time" Larissa Crawford will hold space to explore how, when we seek to understand how the actions and inactions of our ancestors shaped the realities we've inherited today, we're better positioned to understand how our own actions and inactions are shaping our realities and those of future generations. Weaving incredibly intimate personal storytelling, historical research, and tangible tools, Larissa provides you with the opportunity to act and think in ways that are consciously aligned with the future ancestor you seek to be.

What is your relationship to time and productivity? What about your relationship to Earth? Maybe you’ve thought about these relationships, but it’s likely you haven’t been encouraged to consciously or regularly reflect on these relationships. When we critically reflect on what these relationships mean to us and why, we can be confronted with the insidious influence of the living legacies of capitalism and colonialism. And yes, this has everything to do with 'sustainability.' In our session, we'll explore how our understanding of sustainability is, and can be, informed by how we relate to Self, Community, and Earth. Our shared space will be shaped by the following reflection questions: - What do Self, Community, and Earth mean to me? - How have our approaches to sustainability been shaped by capitalism and colonialism? - What can I do to reimagine sustainability to better honour myself, my community, and Earth?

Our relationships to time and productivity are inextricably tied to our mental health and well-being - but how often do we talk about 'our relationship to time'? Maybe you’ve thought about these relationships, but it’s likely you haven’t been encouraged to consciously or regularly reflect on these relationships. When we critically reflect on what these relationships mean to us and why, we can be confronted with the insidious influence of the living legacies of capitalism and colonialism; in this presentation, we'll explore this practice as a wellness practice. - What is our medicine wheel, and how can we all benefit from Indigenous worldviews regarding well-being and health? - What is temporal (de)colonization? - How does ancestral accountability inform my responsibility to my own health? Moving beyond an individualized approach to mental health and well-being, audience members will leave with practical tools that address harm at its roots. Concrete examples will be provided for how the presentation learnings can be adopted into organizational frameworks and personal lives.

- Honouring Our Ancestors Today: Reflecting on the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and It's Living Legacies - Talking to Kids About Black History, Race and Privilege Year-Round