Winnipeg's Siloam Mission brings in newly created director of Indigenous relations

A Winnipeg non-profit has created a new position as it aims to build more meaningful relationships with members of the Indigenous community.

Siloam Mission welcomed Christine VanagasMonday as the new director of Indigenous relations for theChristian-based service organizationwhich serves vulnerable Manitobans.

Vanagas isAnishinaabekwefrom Long Plain First Nation, which isapproximately 80 kilometres east of Winnipeg.

"I was really excited with the diversity of the role and what Siloam wants to accomplish for not only the Indigenous clients, but the Indigenous staff as well and making it align with its mandate," Vanagas said.

Her hiring comes in the wake of the 2021 Laborero Report commissioned by Siloam's board of directors, whichfound both Indigenous staff and clients saw a need for more culturally-informed Indigenous programming.

The report also made several recommendations, including the need for developing stronger partnerships with Indigenous people.

Vanagas comes to Siloam from her role as governance secretary for theNational Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, workingclosely with residential school survivors and other special projects. She also worked to address homelessness among Indigenous persons with the Hamilton Executive Directors Aboriginal Coalition in southern Ontario.

She believes her past experiences will serve her well as Siloam attempts to create stronger ties with the organization's clientele both Indigenous and non-Indigenous.

"They were taking this on as an organization and really allowing themselves through the work they did through their consultant of being vulnerable and looking at where they can make changes," Varagas said."And I think that looked like a great thing to be part of."

She wants to have dialogue with staff and clients to create a vision of what thatlooks like for Siloam, and she wants clients to see themselves reflected in the programming.

Varagasis "feeling that energy" anda real desire to seegood things for Siloam going forward.

Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud, Siloam's chief executive officer, calls the hiring of an Indigenous relations director a "huge step" in terms of the organization's commitment to working withthe Indigenous community.

She likes the fact that Varagasis informed and engaged in whereSiloam wants to go, including the need to try and think seven generations ahead.

"At Siloam, we don't want our reconciliation work to be in a silo," Blaikie Whitecloud said.

"We want it to be embedded throughout all of the ways that the organization operates."

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