A group of people seated outdoors on benches and tables

National Gathering 2023

The information, documents, and links you need for participating in the Righting Relations 2023 National Gathering, in-person or virtually.

Where is it?

We are excited to welcome you to beautiful Perth, Ontario for the 2023 National Gathering! Perth is located in Treaty 29 territory, on the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee Nations, Anishinaabe Nations, and Neutral People.

Our accommodations and venue will be at the Best Western Plus, located at 82 Peter Street, Perth, Ontario K7H 1S2. Your accommodation bookings will be coordinated by our events planning team based on the information you provided in your application.

On October 23rd, in-person participants spend the first day of our time together grounding in ceremony and connecting to the land.

When is it?

For participants joining us in person, October 22nd, 2023 has been designated as a travel day. We ask participants who are joining us by car to aim to arrive by around 5pm EST. We will be hosting a casual welcome dinner at 6pm, with a short introductory circle to follow.

October 23rd, the first day of the in-person event will be focused on connecting to the land and grounding together in ceremony.

For virtual participants, we will be welcoming you to join the teachings, conversations, and workshops starting the morning of October 24th and lasting until lunchtime on October 26th.

In-person participants will be travelling home on October 26th and 27th.

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Schedule

Day 1 - Oct 22nd

Day 2 - October 23rd

Day 3 - Oct 24th (First Virtual Day)

9:30am - 12pm - Longhouse Governance Teachings, Miigam'agan

12pm - Lunch

2pm - The Three Pillars of Righting Relations

The intention of this afternoon is to root back into the three pillars as our foundation; the "why we exist" so that we can come back to the roots and centre of our tree, and to discuss how these pillars show up in Righting Relations, what we are doing well, and where we need to recentre/strengthen.

6pm - Dinner

Day 4 - Oct 25th (Second Virtual Day)

9:30am - 12pm - The Three Benches Model of Governance, Andrea Curley

The intention of this morning is to learn about the three benches governance model of the Haudenosaunee and explore how these teachings can inform the way that Righting Relations works together across Hubs and Circles, challenging colonial, hierarchical governing structures.

12pm - Lunch

2pm - Putting Teachings into Practice, Andrea Curley

Andrea Curley will engage us in a role-playing demonstration of putting the three benches governance model into practice through consensus-based decision-making.

3pm - How We Are Structured

4pm - Discussion - on the National Steering Committee

5pm - Righting Relations Membership

6:30pm - Dinner

Day 5 - Oct 26th (Third Virtual Day)

Day 6 - Oct 27th

Documents To Review and Discuss

Throughout the gathering, we will be referring to a couple of documents to inform and guide our conversations. Below are links to these documents; if possible, we encourage you to read and reflect on them in advance.

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Logistics & FAQ

How do I get there?

Our venue and accommodations for this gathering will be provided by Best Western Plus in Perth, ON. In-person participants will have been contacted by event organizers in order to coordinate flights (for those travelling long distance) or carpool/driving information.

If you are driving, use this map for directions to the hotel. For those who are carpooling, we ask that you connect directly with your fellow travellers to confirm their pickup location. Our event coordinators will connect you with your driver or passengers so that you can communicate to organize your start time.

If you are flying, you will be picked up from the airport by one of our event coordinators or a volunteer driver and taken directly to the venue. We will share contact information for your driver with you so that you can communicate if your flight is delayed. Please update your driver as soon as possibl in the event of any flight changes or delays.

What about meals?

During the event, meals will be provided for all in-person participants. If you have notified us of any dietary needs, we will be communicating those needs directly to the caterers. Participants are also eligible for a per diem advance or expense payment to cover the cost of meals during their travels to and from the gathering. The per diem rates are:

$20/breakfast
$20/lunch
$30/dinner

To request an advance before you travel, fill out this form and send it to admin@rightingrelations.org. Expenses can be submitted after the event by completing this form and sending it along with photos of your receipts to admin@rightingrelations.org

You must keep and submit all receipts, whether receiving an advance or claiming an expense.

What are the accommodations like?

The Best Western Plus Perth is located on a main street in Perth, backing onto a quiet riverside park. For photos and information about the rooms at the hotel, visit their website. Some in-person participants may be required to share rooms due to availability. We have done our best to accommodate requests for single rooms when possible.

In addition to the comfortable accommodations and the conference rooms, the hotel offers a heated indoor pool, steam room, hot tub, and exercise facility, all of which are complementary. Please note that, unfortunately, the pool, hot tub, and steam room are not wheelchair accessible. A set of approx 5-6 stairs with handrails leads to the pool area.

How do I join virtually?

We are excited to be hosting our first hybrid National Gathering! We will be welcoming virtual participants from Oct 24 - 26th during our speakers, workshops, and breakout discussions.

Out of respect to our Elders and our speakers, ceremony and prayers will not be available virtually, and virtual participation is only available to Righting Relations members to preserve the confidentiality of our circle discussions.

If you have indicated in the application survey that was circulated this summer that you would like to participate virtually, you will automatically be invited to a Google Calendar invitation for each day. The calendar invitation will include the Zoom link and schedule for the day, and you are encouraged to join when/as you are able. To request an invitation, please contact admin@rightingrelations.org

We will have designated Virtual Ambassadors present at the in-person gathering who will work with virtual participants to ensure that they are engaged and their voices heard.

At this time, we are not planning to record any sessions. We acknowledge that we are still learning best practices for hybrid events in Righting Relations, and we will be open to your feedback throughout the event. If you have any questions or concerns about attending virtually, please contact admin@rightingrelations.org

What should I bring?

We encourage you to bring with you anything that you may need to feel comfortable and safe during the gathering, and there are a couple of things that you might want to consider bringing since we will be grounding in ceremony to open and close the gathering.

We invite you to bring what you need to connect with the land in your own ceremonial or cultural way; we would love to learn more about the different ways that we all connect with the land or introduce ourselves to the land. Folks can bring a community pipe to represent their community during the pipe ceremony, but we ask for no individual pipes for this ceremony. We also encourage everyone to bring a gift or gifts to contribute to the giveaway ceremony.

Other items that you might want to bring with you include:

a nametag or lanyard if you have one from a previous event (to reduce waste)
any medicines that you would like to bring with you
a bathing suit if you wish to enjoy the indoor pool, hot tub, and steam room
(empty) water bottles or cups if you are able

Giveaway

To acknowledge the help and guidance of our ancestors and our community, we will be wrapping up our gathering with a giveaway, so we encourage all of our in-person participants to bring any items that you would like to contribute. You can learn more about giveaways by clicking here.

Folks seated indoors on couches, all wearing masks except the speaker.

Covid Protocol

It is our aim to ensure that this event is as accessible as possible; part of that commitment includes putting in place COVID protocols that will keep all our participants safe and healthy, especially those who are at risk or immunocompromised. We recognize that it is unjust to exclude members with disabilities or chronic illnesses, or who care for loved ones who are at risk, and it is our responsibility to respect and protect our community members.

We are therefore putting in place the following protocols:

We ask all participants to wear kn95 masks or respirators when in common areas, except for eating and drinking.
Masks should cover the nose and mouth securely and without gaps
We ask all participants to test for COVID-19 prior to travelling

We will have rapid tests and kn95 masks available during the event, and ask all participants to test if you feel unwell.
We are requesting that participants who are traveling by plane wear their kn95 mask while at the airport and during their flights

Hand sanitizer will be also be available throughout the event
We ask all participants to show each other compassion and respect; if you are asked to put on a mask by an organizer or another participant, please do so

Accessibility

Event organizers have been communicating with participants and are taking steps to ensure that everyone feels welcome and included. For in-person participants, barrier-free accommodations are available and the venue is wheelchair accessible. We also have breakout spaces available that can be used for prayer, overstimulation, reflection, or rest. For virtual participants, captions will be enabled and we will have virtual ambassadors on hand to ensure your voices have equal space in conversations.

If you have any concerns about access needs, or have access needs that you haven't already shared with the event organizers, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing admin@rightingrelations.org

10 women pose in a group outside in front of a teepee. Most are wearing face masks; in the front row, two of the women are seated, one on a mobility aid.