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Q: What are the biggest challenges you face in advancing Truth and Reconciliation within the Calgary?A: is always challenging to recognize the depth and diversity of histories and Peoples. As we move forward to create a shared path forward that includes all of us, it is important that this is shared in authentic and meaningful ways, by the people who have the rights and know the stories. Our Elders and Knowledge Keepers will not always be here to share this with us and we have lost many already. It is really critical that we take the time to listen, to learn and to remember what we are taught. Too often we move ahead without asking and the richness that lies in the vast footprints of where we come from is always at risk of being lost. With Truth and Reconciliation work, people want to jump to action. Sitting in Truth, understanding the history of colonization, its legacy and its ongoing impacts is at the heart of creating positive, lasting change.Q: You emphasize the importance of female voices in leadership%u2014how does your #everydaypeacebuilder platform support this mission?A: Breaking barriers and fostering connections and creating more spaces for people who identify as females are critical to the #everydaypeacebuilder movement. Every time I am given a place at a table, I make a space for another female to sit with me or take my spot. There is so much wisdom to be heard from women globally and we need more places where women support other women. I prioritize any requests that are related to working with females, especially indigenous females. Where possible, my family and I give back including the gifting of pageant regalia and time. One of my favourite activities I always make time for are for celebrations centred on females as well as workshops for at-risk female youth. As the movement continues to grow, in the works is the establishment of a foundation that will offer scholarships and support for Indigenous females to participate in international pageants.Q: Your research delves into the intersection of gender, climate change and conflict, with a focus on the leadership of Indigenous women and their experiences. What are the key findings you%u2019ve discovered so far?A: My co-researcher, Dr. Julia Palmiano Federer, and I have travelled across Turtle Island and into S%u00e1pmi and found out the following by spending time in community with Indigenous female leaders:%u2022 The perceived risk factors of insecurity of climate change is not a future risk for many Indigenous communities, but a current lived reality (e.g. water scarcity and land dispossession) as a direct result of systemic oppression and colonial violence in both Turtle Island and S%u00e1pmi (North America and Europe).%u2022 Indigenous women%u2019s knowledge about resolving conflicts within a backdrop of climate change has always been there, but has been neglected or dissolved in scholarship, policy and practice. However, while often unrecognized, Indigenous female leaders have been leading through conflict in their communities, ensuring that the foundations for peaceful and inclusive societies have been kept alive and embedded in everyday life.%u2022 There are many different strategies Indigenous women peacebuilders are developing to adapt and mitigate the impacts of conflicts related to climate change and many are ground in Indigenous Original Teachings. By virtue of living these teachings, revitalizing these teachings and teaching them to younger generations, the women we have met are strengthening their communities%u2019 resilience and capacity in the face of climate change.%u2022 There is a need for researchers, policymakers and practitioners to redefine and expand notions of %u201cconflict%u201d and %u201cinsecurity%u201d to understand the intersecting, complex and often invisible impacts of climate change in places experiencing past and ongoing forms of colonialism.These findings are adapted from the report Power to Protect: Climate Change, Intersectional Environmentalism and the Leadership of Indigenous Women. The report can be found here: https://ottawadialogue.ca/news-events/resource/the-power-to-protect-climate-change-intersectional-environmentalism-and-the-leadership-of-indigenous-women/ Q: How do you navigate the complexities of fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in diverse cultural contexts?A: Understanding the intersectionality of each person and their lived experiences is critical, as well as the contexts in which people live. There is not one singular approach that can fit every situation or every person. It takes time to understand the realities, histories and the nuances of contexts to understand how to foster diversiMOSTMAGAZINEMOST MAGAZINE - ISSUE 61 61