Podcasts about reconciliation commission

The era of top-down energy projects is over. Today demands collaboration, equity, and stakeholder engagement. And in the clean energy movement, Indigenous partnerships often lead the way. James Jenkins, Executive Director of Indigenous Clean Energy, joins thinkenergy to unpack the Regenerative Energy 2026 Report. He explores what a just transition looks like, how Indigenous communities are shaping the future, and what the industry can learn from working together. Related links:  Indigenous Clean Energy: https://indigenouscleanenergy.com/ James Jenkins on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-jenkins-27787913b/ Regenerative Energy 2026 Report: https://indigenouscleanenergy.com/regenerative-energy-national-survey-2026/ Bringing it Home Program: https://indigenouscleanenergy.com/our-programs/bringing-it-home/  Trevor Freeman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-freeman-p-eng-8b612114  Hydro Ottawa: https://hydroottawa.com/en    To subscribe using Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinkenergy/id1465129405 To subscribe using Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7wFz7rdR8Gq3f2WOafjxpl To subscribe on Libsyn: http://thinkenergy.libsyn.com/ --- Subscribe so you don't miss a video: https://www.youtube.com/@thinkenergypod Follow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkenergypod/  Stay in the know on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thinkenergypod  Keep up with the posts on X: https://twitter.com/thinkenergypod -- Transcript: [00:00] Trevor Freeman: Welcome to Think Energy, a podcast that dives into the fast-changing world of energy through conversations with industry leaders, innovators, and people on the front lines of the energy transition. Join me, Trevor Freeman, as I explore the traditional, unconventional, and up-and-coming facets of the energy industry. If you have any thoughts, feedback, or ideas for topics we should cover, please reach out to us at thinkenergy@hydroottawa.com. [00:26] Trevor Freeman: Hi everyone, and welcome back. We often talk on this show about the what of the energy transition. What needs to happen, what is happening, what technologies or initiatives are growing or up-and-coming. But it's also important to consider the how of it all. Energy systems are complex. That is something that should be clear in all the conversations we have around here, but it's not just technical complexity that we need to consider. Our energy systems are also socially, politically, and societally complex. It's not just a matter of picking the right technology and implementing it. If it was that case, we've got, you know, most of the technology we need, and we'd be in a much better position than we currently are. We have to figure out how we move these projects forward. [01:14] Trevor Freeman: Traditionally, energy projects have been these large, top-down infrastructure projects. But increasingly, we're moving into a time when collaboration, equity, and stakeholder engagement are critical components of project success. One area where this can be seen—and, in fact, it's an area that's really pushing a lot of this change—is Indigenous leadership. [01:38] Trevor Freeman: Over the past decade here in Canada, at least, we've seen a profound evolution where Indigenous communities are not just participants in the clean energy transition or kind of bystanders; they are actively leading it in many cases. That's not to say all the problems or challenges have been solved, but we're seeing a lot of movement here. And that's the topic of my conversation today. [02:02] Trevor Freeman: To help us understand the scale of this movement, I'm joined by James Jenkins. James is the Executive Director of Indigenous Clean Energy, which is a leading organization accelerating First Nations, Inuit, and Métis participation in clean energy projects from coast to coast. I'm really excited to have James on the show today because his expertise comes straight from real, actual experience on these projects. As a proud member and former CEO of the Walpole Island First Nation, James personally drove the equity development for two 100-megawatt wind farms for his community. Today, he leverages that firsthand experience along with a diverse background in consulting, local government, and academia to serve as a national champion for Indigenous clean energy partnerships. [02:54] Trevor Freeman: His organization just released their third national survey, the Regenerative Energy 2026 report, which provides a really eye-opening snapshot of how Indigenous communities are shaping Canada's energy future through innovation, equity ownership, and community-driven solutions. So today, we're going to dive into the findings of this report, talk a little bit about, you know, what a just energy transition looks like, and explore what utility and industry players can learn from these successful partnerships. James Jenkins, welcome to the show. [03:31] James Jenkins: Hi Trevor, thank you for having me. [03:34] Trevor Freeman: So, James, let's start a little bit with some background. Tell us about Indigenous Clean Energy and how your organization works to advance First Nations, Inuit, and Métis participation in the clean energy sector. [03:47] James Jenkins: Sure. Indigenous Clean Energy is a not-for-profit organization, and we've been operating for about 10 years. So we started 10 years ago with the 2020 Catalyst Program, which was designed to develop a cohort of clean energy leaders coming primarily from Indigenous communities and businesses that could really shape the future of Indigenous participation in the energy transition. So we started with a cohort. It was led by just a few staff and our founding director, Chris Henderson. And this is our 10th year, so we'll be celebrating 10 years of the 2020 Catalyst Program at our national gathering in August. [04:24] Trevor Freeman: Awesome. Congrats. [04:26] James Jenkins: Thank you so much. So the goal of that program was to really expand the opportunities, the capacity, and the number of communities engaged in clean energy. And we have seen that progress tremendously over the last 10 years. We've seen federal grant programs to support that work also emerge as major contributors, and we've seen utilities across the country get on board and try to find ways to expand Indigenous participation. [04:54] James Jenkins: So we've seen quite a bit of success, and with that success, we've grown as well. So we're now a team of about 35, and we're much larger. So we've expanded into a few other areas. One of them is youth, so we have two different youth programs. And we've expanded into energy efficiency as well, mostly under our "Bringing It Home" umbrella. [05:16] James Jenkins: And the idea behind that is we've seen the success of the 2020 Catalyst Program and clean energy leaders really pushing the envelope in terms of what is possible when it comes to Indigenous-led generation projects. So now we're identifying a gap still existing when it comes to energy efficiency. And so, in a way, we're trying to replicate the success of the 2020 Catalyst Program. We'll be running our third year of the Project Accelerator soon. So that's geared towards energy efficiency; it's an intensive training program, and it comes with a grant. [05:47] James Jenkins: And finally, we have a policy arm as well that's also very involved in engaging at the community and regional level. So that's through our Energy and Climate team, and we have a national hub that just completed a series of directional gatherings regionally. We also have a global hub as well that's active in Oceania and Latin America. [06:09] Trevor Freeman: Oh, that's fantastic. Tell me a little bit about the youth programs that you're running. [06:14] James Jenkins: So, we support youth across our programs, but we have two programs in particular that are geared towards youth. One of them is the Imagination Program, which comes with wrap-around supports and training. Right now, we're developing a micro-credential with the University of Saskatchewan for our program participants. It comes with a grant to lead a community-scale project. A good example might be a solar-powered greenhouse. Many of them are linked to schools, and, you know, we see the passion of younger members of communities that want to move these projects forward, but it's entrepreneurial in spirit. [06:49] James Jenkins: The second is called Generation Power, which is a wage subsidy program for Indigenous youth, and we pair them with employers in the clean energy field. So some of them are utilities or renewable businesses; in some cases, they're communities or Indigenous businesses that are moving forward on projects. And it's more than just a wage subsidy; we identify all of the potential barriers for Indigenous youth entering these jobs and provide those kinds of support to increase their chance of success and staying in the workforce after the placement. [07:22] Trevor Freeman: Oh, that's very cool. We've talked a few times on this show about building that next generation of energy champions and people that are focused, you know, on this new form of energy—this new energy transition or this new world of energy that we're moving into. So fantastic to see you guys participating in that. That's really cool. [07:42] Trevor Freeman: So, I want to spend some of our time here talking about the report that your organization recently released titled Regenerative Energy 2026. So before we dive into the specific data and the numbers, let's talk about, you know, just that title itself and what the document sets out to achieve. So first of all, tell us about that term, "regenerative energy." What does that mean? Why did you choose that title? [08:09] James Jenkins: Sure. So just generally, regenerative energy is the idea that these projects are doing more than producing electricity for the market and potentially bringing in revenue. They're also contributing to the broader ecosystem, which could mean the ecology of the landscape or a reduction of carbon into the atmosphere. So it's looking at the wider impacts and planning energy with that in mind. [08:33] James Jenkins: In the Indigenous context, it goes deeper than that. We're incorporating sovereignty, energy sovereignty, and acknowledging that communities are increasingly expecting to be able to move through their energy journey on their own terms. And so that could mean other outcomes in addition to just energy stability and security. It expands to food security, but also ultimately the community being able to plan its future—how does energy fit into that? [09:03] James Jenkins: I think it fits into what we're seeing in Indigenous communities in general, where there is a need to revitalize our cultures, our practices, our governance structures. We're finding that the energy sector—it's a business sector and an opportunity and an expanding sector—but there's also alignment in terms of values in many places, with communities looking to have an impact on their landscape, on the ecology, and this is a way to do that. [09:30] James Jenkins: So regenerative energy is acknowledging that there is this revitalization happening. It's not as though our communities, our governments, our nations were extinguished over the last 300 years. What does it mean in terms of revitalizing those practices, and how do all of these projects and ambitions when it comes to energy fit into that? [09:51] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, I like that description. Thanks for that, James. I don't want to put words in your mouth, but is it fair to say that the choice to use "regenerative" instead of "renewable"—which is fairly buzzy as a term, everyone kind of has renewable energy on their mind—was a deliberate choice? You're building more aspects to it; there are more facets of the description you just gave of regenerative energy compared to just renewable energy. Is that fair to say? [10:19] James Jenkins: Well, and that's true as well. And as you've read in the report, we're seeing projects expand beyond just what we would term "renewable" projects. So that was the bulk of the projects up until recently, but now transmission lines and battery storage are becoming more prominent. [10:36] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, absolutely. Great. Okay, I do want to talk to you about that. So my second question kind of at a high level around the report is, you know, one of the goals or one of the things you're doing in this report is really compiling and tracking national data around these projects. Why is that important? Why is that something that you're striving to do—to really track and compile that data? [10:59] James Jenkins: Well, in the context right now, we have a federal government that is trying to identify meaningful projects that can have an impact on the economy, have an impact on spurring economic growth in different regions. And so it's a critical time for us to broadcast information on our dataset because collectively, these projects that have Indigenous ownership and co-ownership are a massive portion of the electricity generating infrastructure of Canada, and they have a meaningful impact on the economy, but also the ability for communities to finance their own programs, to reinvest in economic development. [11:36] James Jenkins: So it's a critical time from that perspective. I think there's a need for us to be even louder because collectively as a nation, we seem to be looking for these wins that can be a shot in the arm. You know, we're worried about economic growth, and here we have many examples of projects that have Indigenous participation and that are having these benefits that are allowing different regions that are not participating in the economy in as active a way—this is a real opportunity for them. [12:05] James Jenkins: And unlike many of the mega-projects that we're thinking about right now, these have shorter timeframes, less challenges, and the risk is much more manageable in comparison. So, you know, we are trying to point out that, A, these kinds of projects—which are renewables, but also battery storage and some of these other projects—these are important for the federal government to continue to invest in because they have been investing in it heavily over the last 10 years, and that's part of the success story. [12:35] James Jenkins: But there is also a set of learnings that can be drawn from when we have so many examples of good partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations moving these projects forward. So I think when we look into the future as to how this should look, what does Indigenous participation look like for these mega-projects, we have a bit of a blueprint that we can draw from. [12:57] James Jenkins: And so we are trying to bring more attention to this. I think it's really step one. The federal government can pat itself on the back that it's been one of the key reasons why Indigenous participation in the energy sector has grown over the last 10 years, but it's not getting the attention it deserves in the current conversation. So I think that's why it's a really critical time, possibly for other non-government actors as well that are asking, "Well, in the current global and national framework, what is the best way to achieve climate outcomes, Indigenous participation in the economy, greater social outcomes?" And so we do want to point to this as a good news story that has a track record, and that's what the data really does—it speaks to that track record. [13:41] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, you often hear it framed, and in fact, just, you know, we're recording this on a Monday—just over the weekend I was listening to the radio, one of those call-in shows that really framed the choice as, "you know, we either invest in climate solutions or we focus on the economy." And I think you can probably say, "we invest in, you know, Indigenous partnership or the economy, or climate solutions." And what I'm hearing from you is it doesn't have to be a zero-sum game. It doesn't have to be either/or. In fact, the data you're showing and the projects that you're highlighting show that all of these outcomes can be achieved with the right focus and with the right investment. Is that fair to say? [14:21] James Jenkins: It is. And generally, the bucket of renewable projects or clean energy projects, the timelines are shorter, the cost is going to be easier to quantify, and the cost is coming down for these technologies—wind, solar, battery—in comparison to some of the other technologies that are being framed as the solution, which I think they will be. But framing it as either/or doesn't make much sense, especially when electricity demand is growing and it's an immediate issue. [14:51] James Jenkins: So we should look at some of these immediate solutions and acknowledge it's still a question mark for some of the other sectors that are going to be involved in building out our electricity capacity. Mining, some of these other sectors, there are some examples of Indigenous participation, but not hundreds of examples of equity participation. And so, absolutely, I've been hearing those kinds of either/or arguments, or "no more federal grants, we should have access to capital instead." That could do a real injustice to the existing capacity that's already there, like the number of people in energy offices at Indigenous communities right now. [15:28] Trevor Freeman: Yeah. So let's dive into some of the data then. You know, you see headlines sometimes about major Indigenous clean energy projects happening in collaboration, and the data in your report really backs this up. I don't want to throw too many stats out there for our listeners, but just quickly, you know, there are over 350 medium-to-large electricity generation projects across Canada with Indigenous participation. We've got 250 of those already operational, the rest in either construction or planning stages. From your perspective, James, you kind of already touched on this—the role of the federal government driving some of this momentum and visibility—just expand on that a little bit. Like, how did we get to these pretty impressive numbers where we're seeing lots of these projects? [16:15] James Jenkins: Sure, definitely. I think the origin goes back at least to around 2000 to 2008 when there was a series of Supreme Court decisions that ruled in favor of Indigenous communities when it comes to the duty to consult and accommodate—that's what the Supreme Court ultimately called it. So that's a framework that was very important when it came to Indigenous engagement in energy projects. [16:43] James Jenkins: As the UN Declaration starts to gain traction in our country, it may become less important, but it was certainly a turning point. So decisions like Mikisew Cree up to Tsilhqot'in created a framework where communities could get involved and had the legal backing to do so. Some jurisdictions—with Ontario probably taking the lead at that time, BC following, and many others following that model—supported Indigenous communities so that they could be involved in what the Supreme Court was framing as consultation. And what that meant was having the capacity to be engaged in project review. And often, the developer bore the cost of that. [17:23] James Jenkins: But there could be positive outcomes because it meant there was a framework and an impetus for communities and developers to sit down at the table when the development was taking place in the territory of an Indigenous community and their rights were potentially going to be impacted. So as that process became the norm in most regions in Canada, what emerged was this mechanism called an Impact Benefit Agreement as a way for the developer and the Indigenous community to sit down and say, "Okay, we've identified these impacts—and these are impacts to the practicing of rights that are enshrined in the Constitution, so there's this channel back to the Supreme Court decisions—so we'll have a confidential agreement called an Impact Benefit Agreement to offset those impacts," which never really fit the spirit of the Supreme Court decisions, but it was adopted all over the country. [18:14] James Jenkins: And when Ontario and BC went to bring more renewables onto the grid more quickly, they were looking at different ways to ensure there was the kind of local participation, and so they experimented with creating incentives for Indigenous equity participation in the projects. Sometimes that included municipal participation as well, but we saw a large uptake in that. And that was something I was involved in; I was a band manager in my community of Walpole Island First Nation in the past, and while this was happening, I had some other roles. [18:47] James Jenkins: But we saw it as an opportunity, and ultimately, there were many renewable projects entering the grid in Southern Ontario at a rapid rate. One of the things we were able to identify was that equity participation brought much more benefit to the community than an Impact Benefit Agreement. In the kind of projects we were looking at, it was usually tenfold if you quantified the net revenue from equity participation versus the takeaway from an Impact Benefit Agreement. [19:17] James Jenkins: So that started to become the norm, and Indigenous communities started to see this as a more meaningful way to address the need for development to happen rapidly in certain regions and especially with renewables. So there was a period where new hydroelectric projects started to include some equity participation, and then we saw, with the expansion of wind and to some extent solar, that happening at a rapid rate starting about 2008. [19:44] James Jenkins: It's expanded since then for a few reasons. So one is that over time, most regions in Canada have—most provinces have directed their utilities to put incentives in their calls to power to try to ensure more examples of Indigenous equity participation. The other possibility that's happened, which was more an Alberta story but it's been experimented with in some other jurisdictions, is a deregulated market where an Indigenous partner and non-Indigenous partner, or a fully Indigenous-owned project, can go to a consumer and negotiate a power purchase agreement, sell power directly. Sometimes having an Indigenous community providing power provides other benefits to the purchaser, whether it's the industrial or commercial partner, and so that led to quite a few projects as well in Alberta for completely different reasons. [20:34] Trevor Freeman: Would those other benefits be like preferred rates? What are the other benefits that you're referring to there? [20:39] James Jenkins: It could be preferred rates. In many cases, it's things like corporate responsibility, just the sustainability measures of having, you know, purchasing from an Indigenous partner. So that was enough of an incentive to really, you know, spur a market in those areas. [20:56] James Jenkins: And then we've seen the federal government invest through grant programs in Indigenous capacity in the energy sector. So that has allowed communities in many regions to engage in these opportunities and just have the staff to do it. Because most communities are generally dealing with many, many issues all at once—it's like three levels of government all in one, and most services are underfunded. So being able to actively participate in these opportunities, ensure there is enough trust to move forward and that the community is coming along with it, usually requires some expertise and people in the community that understand energy enough to keep everybody engaged. And these federal grant programs have contributed to that as well. [21:40] Trevor Freeman: Yeah. So with this change over the last let's call it 20-odd years or so, is there a fairly established model or process now that you see Indigenous communities and partners working through, or is every kind of new project finding its way anew? I guess what I'm asking is, yeah, is there an established process? Is it kind of like you know how these projects are going to go now, given that there's quite a bit of experience over the last 20 years? [22:06] James Jenkins: It's not an established process. And so we—for our Energy and Climate team—we engaged with BC Hydro and Manitoba Hydro to some extent on their recent calls to power and procurement because they're both looking at ways to ensure there's more Indigenous equity in projects, and there are different models to choose from. But there is the ability to look at what happened in different jurisdictions, draw from maybe what worked and what didn't, and so we're seeing utilities start to do that as they develop new procurement procedures. [22:38] James Jenkins: On the partnership side, things continue to evolve, and there's always the risk that some of these partnerships may be less beneficial to the Indigenous partner. So another report we released six months ago with Clean Energy BC is an equity guide, and the target audience of that is Indigenous communities that are looking at these equity participation opportunities to make sure that the process is fair to them and transparent to them. So there is a framework in place, but I think there's always a need to ensure that communities have access to the tools so that they have a meaningful seat at the table. And it's not a given that those will be in place, so it is an area where we place some of our efforts. [23:22] Trevor Freeman: And have you seen a change—like you talked about kind of the initial push for a lot of renewable projects being part of the impetus of seeing a big expansion here in Indigenous partnership—at least here in Ontario, which of course is where I'm sitting and we're having this conversation, there was a bit of a slowdown in that, but as we see demand significantly increasing, we're looking at more and more projects. So are you seeing that ebb and flow of project participation as well, or has it been pretty steady in terms of engagement over the last little while? [23:54] James Jenkins: In most regions, it's been growing. So you look at the Atlantic region, Quebec is really pushing for Indigenous participation in renewables. In most regions, that's happening—Maritimes very much so right now. [24:10] James Jenkins: In Ontario, we saw with the results of the most recent call to power quite a few northern projects, which is a bit surprising, but I know that's what they wanted to see happen, and it opens up some opportunity for communities in Northern Ontario. In Ontario, I think there are more regions where renewables are less socially accepted right now. And I talk to some people in Southern Ontario that are surprised how accepted it is in most of the country, with a few exceptions. So, you know, I think we might see ways that Ontario tries to draw projects in, whether it's within regions or partners where there is that social acceptance. But that's to be seen. [24:50] James Jenkins: But Ontario, like other places, knows they need to meet this growing demand, and renewables are relatively quick to deploy, relatively low risk, and will likely be part of that solution, just like everywhere. [25:05] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, absolutely. Great. Okay, I do want to talk to you about that. So my next question, you mentioned this a few times, that we're not just talking about solar panels and wind turbines, which I think is what most people think of when they think of clean energy projects, but you have mentioned a significant growth in transmission projects as well as battery storage. And there's a number of projects that are now kind of in operation with Indigenous co-ownership that fall into that transmission and battery storage category. So tell us about the economic opportunity for Indigenous communities of these types of projects, not just generation projects. [25:44] James Jenkins: Right. So battery storage is growing more along the same trajectory as those generation projects have been in the past, and as the cost for battery storage has come down, it's become a very viable way for utilities and provinces to deal with the intermittency of electricity and increase stability while meeting targets for carbon emissions. So we're seeing more Indigenous leadership in that area. [26:10] James Jenkins: And there's a premier project in Ontario, the Oneida Energy Storage Project, where Six Nations of the Grand River approached NRStor, their partner, to develop the project and then went to the Ontario government and said, "This is what we'd like to do, this is how we see it will meet some of the needs." So there was some real ingenuity in there, and I think in some way, that's an example of what could be the next stage in terms of Indigenous energy planning as that kind of capacity builds because Six Nations of the Grand River had quite a bit of experience under their belt in terms of participating in energy projects. [26:45] James Jenkins: And then Ontario has also been the leader in procuring battery storage projects, and for the most part, most of them have Indigenous equity participation in those projects. A lot of them benefit from existing relationships between construction companies and communities that can look at these opportunities and co-design them together. And I think we'll start to see that in other parts of the country as that builds. But it is a major opportunity as the technology allows us to meet some of the need to stabilize the grid, and, you know, it could reduce our reliance on solutions like natural gas, so it's a real opportunity. [27:21] James Jenkins: When it comes to transmission lines, it's a slightly different trajectory, but I think it goes back to the duty to consult and accommodate and parties sitting at the table understanding where do we go from here when there's a project that is going to have this enormous landscape impact and we can no longer do what we did in the past, which was ignore any Indigenous rights on the landscape. [27:46] James Jenkins: And I was in Ontario for the last 20 or so years and witnessed the demand from Indigenous communities to participate in transmission projects. It wasn't passive in any way. So now we hear from utilities that are saying the right thing to do is to provide these opportunities, which is fantastic. But back then, it really was Indigenous people with the foresight and the stubbornness to for years say, "No, we need a solution that's going to meet all of our needs." And as we started to see some examples—Saugeen and Nawash being one of the first, and then others in Ontario where there would be this kind of Indigenous co-ownership—it gradually started to become more accepted. [28:25] James Jenkins: And now it's part of the plan in many regions of Ontario, and this is a way to move the project forward, have Indigenous communities on board, and when they're sitting there as partners, there are a number of advantages that they bring to the table because in many cases there is knowledge of the landscape itself. And looking at preferred routes and other major decisions can really benefit from having these communities at the table providing their knowledge as opposed to sitting sort of on the other side of an adjudication table, which is only going to add risk to a project. [29:00] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, I mean we see all parts of the electricity sector growing, and transmission is one of those areas for sure that in order to support electrification across the province, we're going to see more transmission. So it's great to hear that this is an area that is growing, or getting more buy-in, or there's more partnership happening in all parts of the electricity sector. [29:21] Trevor Freeman: So, James, you talked about regenerative energy earlier, we touched on that a little bit, and how that term is focused on being built on fairer and more equitable relationships. In your report, you kind of take this a step further by explicitly stating that this work seeks to advance the Truth and Reconciliation Commission—notably, Call to Action number 92. And so for our listeners who are not familiar—and please, definitely step in here if you want to explain it differently than I'm going to—but Call to Action 92 specifically calls on corporate Canada to adopt the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to commit to meaningful consultation and consent, and ensure Indigenous communities gain equitable access to jobs, training, and long-term economic benefits. [30:13] Trevor Freeman: So we often hear reconciliation discussed in a social or a political context, but your report really points to the actual act of Indigenous-led clean energy infrastructure and how that can embody this reconciliation in a material and meaningful way. And I apologize that I'm rambling a lot, this is a long question. How does building out physical infrastructure—like generation programs, transmission lines that we've been talking about, battery storage—how does that advance these goals that are kind of laid out and described in this particular Call to Action? [30:52] James Jenkins: Mm-hmm. And you're right, the benefits of these projects isn't just the net revenue, but it's also apprenticeships, jobs, the business capacity that comes with participating in the project, and sometimes the ability to open up opportunities for practicing harvesting rights where, when Indigenous communities don't have a seat at the table, often the gate or the door is shut to opportunities and access. So it's a way to open those up. [31:19] James Jenkins: And in my experience with projects in my community, when we were reviewing projects through the IBA or Impact Benefit Agreement process, the goal was always a number of apprenticeships, contribution to education, capacity, and it was always a good news story getting some jobs, employment readiness out of the project. And it was a remarkable shift to be sitting at the table as a partner and be discussing those same outcomes and really led to more of a spirit of cooperation. And we had some really great successes come out of that. [31:51] James Jenkins: As well as community members feeling like, "This is an industry that I can go work in, and I'm not a stranger in a strange land. My community has a stake in this," and feel that sense of ownership but also home, which can be this indirect challenge when it comes to people entering the workforce and sticking with it. So that kind of ownership—it's part of the solution, how do we grow the Indigenous workforce? When the Indigenous communities have a financial interest in it, it really changes the picture quite a bit, and it really helps with the foreignness that can exist. And so we've seen the opposite in renewable industries and clean energy where many communities and youth are starting to see this as a viable career path and one that makes sense for them. [32:38] James Jenkins: So, you know, and like I said before, when Indigenous communities are sitting at the table—and in my experience we had gone through project review on many, many projects because of the Impact Benefit Agreement process—we were able to bring that knowledge we had of project review to the table, which can help the project. So it was a real meaningful exchange of, "How can we meet these milestones on time? What can we bring to the table?" So there's that aspect of it, but then there's also the multi-generational knowledge that comes with living on the land. [33:10] James Jenkins: And, you know, in some ways sitting down with elders, that does take a long time and commitment and is often different than how we would typically view going through the early stages of a project. But at the end of the day, it can lead to better outcomes and actually not take as long because the pathway to gain the knowledge for the least impact through a traditional process is also incredibly time-consuming. And so having an Indigenous party at the table that can bring the correct knowledge keeps things forward, making a meaningful decision from their perspective can really add value in that way as well. [33:48] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, it's great to hear that you're seeing the impact of these programs on both the projects themselves and better outcomes in the projects, as well as building capacity and partnership in Indigenous communities. And I'm glad you kind of brought those youth programs back up; it's great to hear about those programs. [34:07] Trevor Freeman: So, you have a report or you have a section sorry in your report called "Opportunities Unrealized," which really highlights major gaps or a gap for community-focused projects right now as different federal funding programs sunset, and you specifically call out three particular pillars that need renewed policy and funding commitment. So first off, you talk about 78 healthy energy housing projects that are mostly just small pilot initiatives. And that's looking at energy efficiency in homes, which you did touch on earlier, and how that's tied to Indigenous health and energy sovereignty. So how do we move beyond those pilots to fund these at scale? What are your thoughts on how we do that? [34:53] James Jenkins: Right. So our approach is really, A, to support these pilots as much as we can so that we have that cohort of Indigenous leadership that has that experience in community, and so it can have that ripple effect where, when we started to see successful generation projects, some of them coming out of the 2020 Catalyst Program, other communities said, "Well, I want to do that too. How do I make that possible?" And then there's some leadership to grow from. So it's really catalyzing that momentum. And where do we start? So that's the piece in terms of making sure that there is a core group of energy leaders in communities that are almost at the stage where they can have a very impactful, community-scale project when it comes to efficiency that can be replicated and that there are individuals with this knowledge that are in the community. [35:41] James Jenkins: So that's the first piece, but then the second piece and the other side of the coin that we're very active in is identifying what would the solution look like to make that kind of change repeatable on a national scale. And what we're generally pointing towards is some aspect of federal support, but also private investment as well. So what kind of mechanism can be put in place that will allow private finance to make sustainability programs for Indigenous healthy homes and buildings and infrastructure feasible? [36:15] James Jenkins: And we think it is going to have to be some kind of partnership between the federal government to secure some kind of financing tool and then to bring that private capital in. And so we have a number of partners that's expanding in the finance sector, in government, to really look at what a solution like that looks like. [36:35] James Jenkins: Indigenous housing, being a federal responsibility with the federal government having a large role in it, is certainly unusual and comes with some very unique challenges that make change at that scale difficult, but it's also an opportunity. And it does put the federal government in a position where it could lead a process like that and have some very large impact. So we want to make sure there is the existing community capacity for community members to know what meaningful change looks like at the local level, what the challenges and opportunities are that can contribute to that process. So that's the idea behind the Project Accelerator, but also design at the national level of a program that can lead to new builds, new sustainable builds, and retrofits on a major scale. [37:21] James Jenkins: And there are interesting examples. I was in the US earlier this year at a clean energy conference and was surprised to learn that there were very large subsidies for energy efficiency that were available to Indigenous communities up until recently—I would say at a scale tenfold of what we've ever seen in Canada. So those kinds of programs are possible, and I think we need to think outside the box and think about how do we put this into action. [37:51] James Jenkins: But ultimately, what we point out in those reports is that energy efficiency also leads to other very critical outcomes, including health and social outcomes at the community level. And speaking with communities, politicians from communities, housing tends to be a near number one or number one issue, with housing in need of repair being the core issue. And so ensuring that new housing is built with these sustainability measures in place will lead to houses that stay healthy for longer. And so, you know, it really goes much farther than just energy outcomes and that's why it's so critical. [38:34] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, it's another example of it it's not an either or question here, it's, you know, do it right in the right way and have a focus on both healthy and affordable housing at the same time as making sure it's energy efficient and you're kind of achieving both of those goals. So that's great. [38:58] Trevor Freeman: So, the second item you've identified in this section is, you know, a lot of northern and remote communities who rely on diesel for their energy focus, and our listeners may remember about a year ago we had a conversation with Quest Canada on this topic as well. And so, a lot of those communities are among the most affected by climate change and natural disasters, and you address what needs to happen from an early-stage planning and funding perspective to ensure that those communities that are not necessarily connected to a grid aren't left behind in this transition. Can you speak to us a little bit about that? [39:41] James Jenkins: Absolute. So already the cost of diesel in these remote communities is very high. So it's already an economic and social challenge in the territories and remote areas in the northern provinces. And so it's an area where communities tend to be very engaged and have been since the beginning. So we've been engaged with northern communities since the beginning with 2020 Catalyst. [40:15] James Jenkins: And I think it has a really—for them, clean energy has this impact on them like on a visceral level. For communities that have been able to implement clean technology and turn off the diesel generator for a while, they've talked about the impact of that silence that they haven't heard in so long, you know, the smell of clean air and that sort of thing. So there's this real passion, but also acknowledgment that, you know, they want to be part of a larger climate solution, they're feeling the impacts. And so there are many initiatives in the north, a number of which we've supported. [40:53] James Jenkins: But there are many challenges as well in terms of logistics, the value chain. Transportation is a real challenge compared to infrastructure in the south. So because there have been so many projects and we partnered with the federal government through two phases of a program called the Indigenous Off-Diesel Initiative—and that was supported by a number of federal programs and we're just finishing off the second cohort—there is so much that we've learned through a couple dozen communities that have been heavily invested in reducing their diesel reduction. [41:35] James Jenkins: And we're really at a stage now where we can learn—we can take stock of what we've learned through this process and identify how do we get this to the stage of successful projects. And we've learned a number of things. It's also bringing technology to these places that's robust enough to withstand the challenges and just be at a utility scale, ensuring different technologies can work well with each other. [42:04] James Jenkins: But there's a real need to continue that growth, especially when there's been so much investment and so many communities are so close, with a few success stories and so much pride that comes with this. But ultimately, if they are left behind, the cost for them to power their communities with diesel is not going to become less of a challenge over time. It's only going to become more problematic. And so it's a real priority, and something that, you know, we need to keep staying loud about as well because these are where some of our real energy leaders are living and coming from when it comes to clean energy and ensuring that their priorities have a seat at the table. [42:52] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, you mention success stories, James, and as we kind of wrap up our conversation here, I want to touch on that a little bit. So you talk about looking at this in perspective of the global stage, and one of your policy recommendations discusses Canada Global Indigenous Cooperation. And you outline that there are more examples of successful Indigenous-led energy projects in Canada than anywhere else in the world. How is your organization, Indigenous Clean Energy, sharing this expertise internationally, and what can the rest of the world learn about what's happening here in Canada? [43:32] James Jenkins: So we started to learn just how far ahead Canada is in this area through participation in forums like the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and we participated in a pre-conference with 88 global Indigenous delegates. And many of them were surprised to learn of these equity projects and opportunities that exist in Canada. For us, it can still be very frustrating, so it is good to put that in perspective in terms of—from many other jurisdictions, they're still at the beginning stages. [44:06] James Jenkins: But we do have some programs in place, and for several years we've been supporting a sister organization in Australia called First Nations Clean Energy Network using a train-the-trainer model. So we've been active in Australia every year. We've been active in New Zealand as well. And we have some programming in South America in Ecuador and Colombia. And over the last year, we finished a program where we engaged with all of the provinces within Colombia with delegates from communities to assist in developing clean energy plans for their communities that they could bring to the government and and discuss a partnership framework so that they could start to reduce their reliance on diesel and other other carbon fuels. [44:59] James Jenkins: And we supported those meetings with the government as well and supported delegates from these countries to also visit communities and see success stories in Canada. And the US is another area where there have been some really positive success stories over the last few years, and there were a number of energy programs that particularly rural and remote communities benefited from, Alaska having probably a slight majority and then others in the northern part of the Lower 48. I think they're going to start to struggle because those programs are sunsetting now, I think most of them have recently sunsetted. And so I think it should be a wake-up call to our federal government that there has been this investment in the form of grants from the federal government. If we don't have some kind of programming in place, we will start to see that progress recede. [45:57] James Jenkins: But just in general, there's a lot that we can share with other jurisdictions globally, everything from what a good partnership looks like, you know, what are the learnings for meaningful participation. But we do have some examples that are very unique, I think, in almost every jurisdiction—Indigenous equity in transmission lines is is really unheard of, so so we should, you know, acknowledge that there are some things that we're doing well and um sharing that and learning what other communities are going through in other jurisdictions. It also really helps us in our strategy. [46:40] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, I mean we started this conversation with you describing what your organization does, and something that struck me is it's a combination of supporting projects and project models and helping things get up and running off the ground, providing education, and focusing on advocacy. And I imagine that, you know, even within Canada but also looking at some of the partners you've just mentioned around the world, the focus on, you know, each one of those individual aspects will vary depending on what the biggest need is in that jurisdiction at that time as things change, as funding programs change. So I imagine, you know, advocacy becomes more and more important as you see funding programs change or even just project structure change. Is that kind of fair to say? [47:28] James Jenkins: Definitely. And our model is very community-driven with with community-tailored solutions and with education and capacity building at the community level being our our primary focus, which does set us apart from other organizations to some extent, but does reflect that that um every every solution is going to be different, and really bringing up that capacity at the community level is the most effective way to do it. And for these kinds of projects, there isn't one solution that fits everybody. [48:02] Trevor Freeman: Is there, to kind of wrap it up here, is there, you know, one piece of advice that you'd give to—I know this is a bit of a big loaded question, it's hard to boil it all down to one piece of advice—but is there something that you would kind of leave with let's say a utility or a developer who wants to build a successful and mutually beneficial partnership with Indigenous communities? What's that kind of one piece of advice you'd leave with them? [48:30] James Jenkins: Um, the one piece of advice, and sometimes I am asked that question, and I know there are developers outside of Canada that are starting to look at our market as things change globally. And what I would share, first of all, meeting with the communities is incredibly important. Community leadership, finding out what their process is for engagement and then establishing that relationship is hugely important. And um I think the advice usually stops there. I think many utilities and developers have heard that. [49:07] James Jenkins: But what I would suggest based on my own experience is that engagement occurs from the very top of the organization, from the utility and the developer. And that if the C-suite isn't meeting with the Indigenous partner themselves, they should be fully aware and engaged in what's happening. And that's usually the recipe for success. And you know, for these opportunities, many communities have a history where trust is something that does need to be cultivated, and that would be my main suggestion. I think it's where really successful partnerships have their strength, is there's that level of engagement from the entire vertical organization of the non-Indigenous partner. And so when there is an issue, political leadership from the community, they know who to call and vice versa, and it doesn't lead to larger misunderstandings. And it can lead to some of the more innovative projects we've seen like Oneida Storage, and there are many other examples of that where the developer and the community, after a successful project, they sit down together and they say, "What's next?" And they want to build on what they've developed together. [50:37] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, I guess that's an indication of there actually being a relationship, trust built, rather than just kind of boxes checked and a process being followed. But if there's that actual trust built, it is more of a conversation that what next question can come up and there's sort of that mutual learning. So that's great. Thank you for that. So James, we always end our interviews with the same series of questions to our guests. So I'm going to dive right in here. What's a book that you've read that you think everybody should read? [51:11] James Jenkins: These are the top uh these are probably going to be the tougher questions for me, but um so I recently read a book by Cal Flyn, a UK author from Scotland, and it's called Islands of Abandonment. And the subtitle is Nature Rebounding in the Post-Human Landscape. And what she does is, in an investigative journalist style, goes to places where there hasn't been human presence for 50 or more years. Some of them are no man's land in war zones, some of them are cities facing urban decay, some of them are environmental catastrophe sites like Chernobyl, but then finding that nature has rebounded and that there is remarkable biodiversity in some of these places. [51:59] James Jenkins: So the message I don't want to take away from that is that if you get rid of humans everything will be perfect, because humans have had an impact on the landscape everywhere for much longer than we can comprehend. And in some cases, negative impacts to the landscape are because humans aren't doing what they were doing for a long time. So human intervention has a role and always will, but I think it's important to tell more stories that aren't a story of loss when we get to that point. [52:36] James Jenkins: And for Indigenous communities, many of us have been going through a process of healing, and many of us are still in that process. But as we start to heal and and ask ourselves what's next, that's when we start to think about regeneration, so regenerative energy, revitalization of our culture and and that's what's next and acknowledging that practices that have been lost are near lost can be revitalized in a way that that is uh is incredibly meaningful. And so I was happy to see that story in a widely publicized book because the major story in conservation, but also climate and other areas, has been one of loss. And so, with all of this loss, and and in some cases, you know, a bedrock of tragedy and historical tragedy, where is the, you know, where is the good news story? And I think having these stories about how nature can regenerate is important. It's important to tell that story. [53:50] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, that's fantastic. I appreciate that explanation, and these aren't supposed to be my questions to answer, but I do want to quickly mention a book called What If We Get It Right?—and I can't remember the author off the top of my head, but it really is a series of essays and poems and an exploration of like, what if we do the right things and we can address climate change? And I found it very helpful to kind of be able to imagine, yeah, this is what happens if we do the right thing, if we can address some of these challenges. So, along the same vein as what you mentioned. So, the next question is kind of the same, but what's a movie or a show that you've watched that you think everyone should take a look at? [54:36] James Jenkins: Uh, that that's a really tough one. I do like movies and shows. Um, I recently started watching two British series, um and uh they seem to be very into murder mysteries in the UK, which uh isn't something, you know, normally my favorite, but they do it really well. So I I really liked um Shetland, which is a series that takes place in remote islands in Northern Scotland. [55:06] James Jenkins: In some ways, I think even the setting that it's trying to tell, it resonates with our work in some ways and even the experience of living in an Indigenous community in a less remote location. So I enjoyed that, and then that led to um Sherlock, the the newer one starring Benedict Cumberbatch, which I thought was a very intelligent um show with a, you know, a compelling uh character with sort of superhero, but but somewhat comic book style realistic attributes, but also failings. Um, so I find I enjoy shows that are drawing from literature and putting them into today's terms and not worrying too much about um, you know, what's realistic and what's not, but really trying to—what would we how would this be written today? So I enjoyed that as well. [55:58] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, I like that. Um, if somebody offered you a free round trip anywhere in the world, where would you go? [56:05] James Jenkins: So, Air Canada used to have contests for that, and we used to say Nunavut because it would get the most bang for your buck. You know, these are $4,000–$5,000 tickets, which speaks to the challenges that those communities face when it comes to decarbonizing the north. Um, for me, I mentioned I spent much of my childhood in Northern Arizona. I think at this time I'd probably use it for that, you know, I hope to visit again soon. [56:39] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, fantastic. Um, James, who is someone that you admire? [56:44] James Jenkins: Um, I've been grateful for wonderful mentors in the course of my career. Um, I'm really grateful that the founder of ICE, Chris Henderson, has dedicated himself to be a mentor for me and has has really he's committed to that um and I've learned a great deal from him. [57:04] James Jenkins: Working at Walpole Island, there were a number of chiefs that I worked closely with and have been thinking about one, um Charles Samson, who's passed away, and he really came into his own once he was chief. He had run for a long time, over 10 years, and um really learned a lot from him and his perspective. But then, uh other chiefs, Burton Kewayosh and Dan Miskokomon really really supported me and helped um helped develop my uh the breath of experience that I draw from. And today, um the current chief, Leela Thomas, is really showing some really great leadership, and I think it's a real breakthrough in our region that most of the chiefs in Southwestern Ontario are female, which was um really more rare in the past. So that's a breakthrough as well. [57:59] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, that's great. Uh, and final question, what is something about the energy sector or its future that you're particularly excited about? [58:08] James Jenkins: Um, I think what I'm excited about is that the door is open for Indigenous communities to really change the way that they're engaged with the economy, um for there to be some real opportunities for business development. Um, you know, for many years because I lived in the United States for a while, it felt like the overall economic development capacity of US tribes was far beyond what exists in Canada for a number of reasons. And and one of them is there were a few key industries in the US that the federal government, um it cultivated at different times, gaming being one, uh but it did lead to the infrastructure for US tribes to engage in business all across the country in a way that's still the exception rather than the rule in Canada. [59:02] James Jenkins: So it is exciting for me to think about there being that shift and that um truly Indigenous-led projects stop becoming one-offs, um but they start to be that real uh, you know, Indigenous leadership becomes embedded in the framework of energy decision-making. Um, the idea of it becoming a career path becomes more solidified. So I think it was a dream at one point that some ambitious leaders had, like thinking of Saugeen and Nawash equity participation in that transmission line, there was no blueprint for that. [59:39] James Jenkins: Um, but now that there's been a dream and we've seen it come into practice, so um it's exciting to think that we may continue to see that progress, and then in 10 years there there will be some foundational pillars for communities to really meet their own communities' needs on their own terms. Right now it continues to be a challenge in most places. It's uh, you know, what do we prioritize with limited resources? And um yeah, exciting that this could be a pathway to to start thinking more in terms of abundance. [1:00:19] Trevor Freeman: Yeah, I mean we started this conversation with you describing what your organization does, and something that struck me is it's a it's a combination of supporting projects and project models and helping things get up and running off the ground, providing education, and focusing on advocacy. And I imagine that, you know, even within Canada but also looking at some of the partners you've just mentioned around the world, the focus on, you know, each one of those individual aspects will vary depending on what the biggest need is in that jurisdiction at that time as things change, as funding programs change. So I imagine, you know, advocacy becomes more and more important as you see funding programs change or even just project structure change. Is that kind of fair to say? [1:01:03] Trevor Freeman: James, thanks so much for your time. I really appreciate you coming on the show and helping us understand the work that Indigenous Clean Energy is doing, some of the great success stories, but also a little bit of the path that's still to be walked in order to get to success. So thanks very much, I appreciate your time. [1:01:21] James Jenkins: Thank you, Trevor, really enjoyed it. Thanks so much. [1:01:23] Trevor Freeman: Great. Take care. [1:01:25] Trevor Freeman: Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the Think Energy podcast. Don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and it would be great if you could leave us a review. It really helps us to spread the word. As always, we would love to hear from you, whether it's feedback, comments, or an idea for a show or a guest. You can always reach us at thinkenergy@hydroottawa.com.

Reconciliation isn't the same thing as forgiveness. We've probably been confusing the two for too long, and it's had real consequences for real people. In this episode, let's look honestly at what genuine repair actually requires, who's responsible for what, and why it's worth the hard work of getting it right.    LINKS: Book of Forgiving  |  Connect  |  YouTube  |  Coming Up TRANSCRIPT: Ian calls kids up and shares puppets (all the animal characters from Wally and Freya) Setup: We've been talking about Wally and Freya for a few weeks now. But there were other animals in this story— a whole community. And when something happens between two people, the whole community has to figure out how to respond. I need some helpers. Each of you gets a character. Facilitate a short, lively role play — you narrate, kids voice their characters: Wally did something that hurt Freya. Now everybody has to decide what to do.Name each option clearly as kids play them out: Get even — someone decides to do something mean back to Wally. Throw a tantrum — someone just explodes with feelings. Ask for help — someone goes to a trusted adult. Forgive — someone decides to let it go and move forward. Choose the relationship — someone decides whether they even want to keep being Wally's friend. Wally & Freya book Here's what I want you to notice: in any situation where someone gets hurt, everybody has choices. Not just one choice, but a whole menu of them. Some of those choices help. Some of them make things worse. And some of them are really, really hard. The hardest one (and the most interesting one) is what we're talking about today. The word you are going to hear me use is called “reconciliation,” and it means making a relationship better. It's not the same thing as forgiveness. They're related, but they're different. Here's the difference: Forgiveness is something YOU do, inside yourself. Reconciliation is something that happens BETWEEN PEOPLE. It takes both people showing up. Painting rocks… what are words we could use? The Distinction We Were Not Taught We have spent this whole series untangling forgiveness from the myths we inherited about it. Today we untangle one more, and it might be the most practically important one. Forgiveness and reconciliation are not the same thing. We use them interchangeably. We shouldn't. Collapsing them into one action creates real damage: It pressures the wounded person to restore a relationship before they feel safe. It lets the person who caused harm off the hook for the actual work of repair. It produces what we might call false reconciliation, a surface-level "we're fine" that buries the wound rather than healing it. The Tutus: "The preference is always to renew unless there is a question of safety." But — and this is important — reconciliation is the fourth step of the Fourfold Path, not the first. You cannot skip to it. And sometimes, honestly, you never get there. To be clear: not reaching reconciliation is not s sign of failure either. That's reality. Lessons from the TRC In 1995, Nelson Mandela appointed Archbishop Desmond Tutu to chair South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission… a body tasked with the nearly impossible: helping a nation begin to heal from decades of apartheid-era atrocity. The TRC was empowered to grant amnesty to perpetrators who confessed their crimes truthfully and completely to the commission. Not automatically. Not cheaply. Truth first. Tutu's final remarks after submitting the report were: "We have looked the beast in the eye. Our past will no longer keep us hostage." Notice what the commission was called. Not the Reconciliation Commission. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Truth comes first. Always. What Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the TRC understood, and what we so often get backwards, is that healing actually does have an order. You cannot reconcile what you have not first actually named. You cannot repair what no one has acknowledged was broken. Skipping truth in the name of peace doesn't produce peace. It produces a ceasefire. Those are different things. The TRC also knew its limits. The commission's final report recommended prosecution in cases where amnesty was not sought or was denied. Reconciliation and accountability were held together, not traded against each other. That's the model. The Asymmetry of Reconciliation Here's something the Tutus make explicit that almost nobody else does: the person who was hurt and the person who caused harm have fundamentally different work to do in reconciliation. The path is not the same for both. For the person who was hurt: Your work is the Fourfold Path: telling the story, naming the hurt, granting forgiveness, and then deciding whether to renew or release the relationship. You do not owe anyone reconciliation. Forgiveness is yours to give on your own timeline. Reconciliation requires the other person to show up. The Tutus: "Ask for what you need from the perpetrator in order to renew or release the relationship." That's your right. An apology. An explanation. A changed behavior. To never see them again. All of these are legitimate. For the person who caused harm— the Tutus' framework from Chapter 8 is equally clear: ADMIT the wrong. Witness the ANGUISH Don't argue, don't cross-examine, don't justify. Just listen to what your actions cost the other person… APOLOGIZE genuinely… When you apologize, you are restoring the dignity that you have violated, and acknowledging that the offense has happened. ASK for forgiveness… and honor whatever answer you receive. Make AMENDS or restitution wherever possible. This asymmetry matters because we almost never name it. We treat reconciliation as if both parties are equally responsible for making it happen. But if someone caused harm and hasn't done their work— hasn't admitted it, hasn't witnessed the anguish, hasn't asked for forgiveness— placing the burden of reconciliation equally on the wounded person is just another form of harm. What Gets in teh Way Why is our culture so bad at this? A few honest reasons: Cheap accountability. "I said sorry, what more do you want?" An apology that doesn't include witnessing the other person's pain, or making any effort toward repair, isn't accountability. It's a bid to end the discomfort of being the one who caused harm. Forced and premature reconciliation. Especially in families, churches, and workplaces (read: systems with power dynamics!) pressure to reconcile before the wounded person is ready, or before the person who caused harm has done their work, is coercion masked as grace. No shared vocabulary or ritual. This is a distinctly American problem. We have almost no cultural practices around genuine repair. We have legal settlements. We have awkward apologies. We don't have a process. The Tutus give us one. Most of us were never taught it. The fear that accountability and restoration can't coexist. They can. The TRC proved it — imperfectly, controversially, but really. Truth and healing are not enemies. They need each other. Sometimes, Reconciliation isn't Possible or Appropriate. Some people may be carrying experiences of abuse, violence, or sustained harm Some relationships should not be restored. The Tutus themselves say the preference is always to renew… unless there is a question of safety. Safety is not a small caveat. It is the first question. Releasing a relationship— choosing not to restore it— is not a failure of forgiveness. It is sometimes the most brave thing a person can do. You can forgive someone and never speak to them again… it's totally not a contradiction. Reconciliation requires two willing, honest, accountable people. If only one person is doing the work, what you have is not reconciliation. It's one person carrying everything alone… again. The Reconciliation Map Here's a practice to take into this week... Think of a relationship in your life where there has been harm… either harm done to you, or harm you caused. Ask yourself honestly: Where are we actually in this process? Has the story been told — honestly, out loud, to someone? Has the hurt been named — the feelings underneath the facts? Has forgiveness been granted — or is it still in process? Has there been any movement toward renewing or releasing the relationship? You don't have to be further along than you are. This isn't a checklist for shame. It's just a snapshot, and an honest look at where you actually stand, so you can take the next step that's actually yours to take. Wrap-up Next week is our last week together in this series. We're going to flip the question one final time and ask: what does it mean to be forgivable? What's my role in the harm I've caused — and what does it look like to become someone who can be forgiven? This is hard, slow, important work. You're doing it!

Bongani Bingwa speaks to veteran journalist Michael Schmidt as South Africa marks forty years since the Magoo's Bar bombing. The conversation explores Robert McBride's role in the attack, the broader context of the armed struggle against apartheid, and how the Truth and Reconciliation Commission sought to uncover the facts and navigate one of the country's most complex and contested chapters. 702 Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa is broadcast on 702, a Johannesburg based talk radio station. Bongani makes sense of the news, interviews the key newsmakers of the day, and holds those in power to account on your behalf. The team bring you all you need to know to start your day Thank you for listening to a podcast from 702 Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 06:00 and 09:00 (SA Time) to Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa broadcast on 702: https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/36edSLV or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/zEcM35T Subscribe to the 702 Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc Follow us on social media: 702 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio7See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eleanore Sunchild, KC (Sunchild Law) and Professor Tom Flanagan (University of Calgary) join us to discuss residential school denialism and recent proposals to prohibit it under the Criminal Code. The conversation explores the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, competing claims about residential school history, and the evidence underlying contemporary debates over residential school denialism. Sunchild and Flanagan discuss questions surrounding abuse and mortality within residential schools, the removal of Indigenous children from their families, and ongoing debates regarding unmarked graves and alleged burial sites. The guests also examine proposed amendments to the Criminal Code, the relationship between free expression and reconciliation, and the legal and moral arguments for and against criminalizing certain forms of denial, downplaying, or misrepresentation. Along the way, the discussion considers the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, historical memory, and the role of criminal law in addressing disputed historical claims.

Through lived experience and leadership, these grads are contributing to the priorities outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and helping shape more equitable futures for Indigenous Peoples and communities. This engaging conversation celebrates Indigenous excellence, women in leadership, and the power of alumni driving change. Featuring Reagan Bartel 04 BSC, 19 MSc; Tonya Simpson 16 BSc., 19 MA, Current Doctoral Student and Jacquelyn Cardinal 11 BA.

Forgiveness has a pace of its own, and sometimes the most honest thing we can do is admit we're not there yet. This episode explores what it means to give ourselves (and each other) permission to be in process, without the pressure to be further along than we actually are.    LINKS: Book of Forgiving  |  Connect  |  YouTube  |  Coming Up   TRANSCRIPT: Brief framing before reading: We're talking about forgiveness in this series. About what happens when someone hurts us — or when we hurt someone else. And about the choices we have when that happens. I'm going to read you the first half of a book today. We're going to stop in the middle on purpose because the most important part of the story for TODAY is actually what happens right... here. And we're going to finish it next week. Read first half of Wally and Freya. Brief unpack after reading: What's happening in the story: someone got hurt. Both of them, actually. And now they have a choice. Two roads: get even, stay hurt… OR something harder, and maybe even braver. Forgiveness doesn't always happen right away. It takes practice. And the very first steps are: tell somebody you trust what happened, and then tell about what it felt like. When somebody does something that hurts me, I feel sad, and kind of mad. Sometimes it feels like I don't matter much to them. Just saying that out loud is an important thing to do! In the story, Wally and Freya are both sad. Both hurt. And now they have a choice to make. So do we. We'll find out what they choose next week. The Stone — Kids Practice Give each child a stone. This stone is like the hurt we carry when someone has hurt our feelings, or our bodies, or our hearts. It has some weight to it, just like the hurt does. You can return to your seats and work in their special kids Sunday Paper: Trace the stone on the paper. Inside the tracing, write or draw what the hurt is. Hold onto your stone. We're going to do something with it in a few minutes, everybody together. You can also listen in to what I'm saying, if you want to hear more about forgiving! Catching Everybody Up//Recap Welcome anyone who is new or wasn't here Week 1. I want to do a brief recap: We're in a series called The Book of Forgiving, drawing from Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter Mpho's important work on what forgiveness actually is, and how to do it. The Tutus aren't theorists. Desmond Tutu chaired South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Mpho lost her husband to violent crime. These are people who have earned the right to talk about this. Their framework is called the Fourfold Path: Telling the Story → Naming the Hurt → Granting Forgiveness → Renewing or Releasing the Relationship. In wk 1 we looked at the first step: Telling the Story. Today: Naming the Hurt. The big idea underneath all of it: We desperately need an imagination bigger than the revenge cycle we live inside culturally. That cycle is everywhere— in our politics, our entertainment, our instincts. The Tutus show us a different road. The Problem with How We Do Forgiveness Let's be honest about why forgiveness is so hard to practice, even for people who believe in it. We've collapsed forgiveness into remorse. Someone says "sorry!"— maybe genuinely, maybe not— and suddenly the pressure shifts entirely to the person who was hurt: Now you have to forgive. We skip the whole middle. That's not forgiveness. That's cruel urgency dressed up as something kind. We've made forgetting the goal. But the Tutus are clear: forgetting is not only impossible, it's actually counterproductive. Memory is part of how we protect ourselves. Part of how we stay honest. Forgiveness is not amnesia. We've weaponized it. In religious spaces especially, "forgive" has been used to protect people who caused harm and to silence people who were hurt. When forgiveness gets wielded as a command that bypasses accountability — when it becomes "Jesus says you have to forgive, so stop talking about what happened" — that is not sacred or faithful. That is abusive. And yet — Jesus does make forgiveness an ultimate, limitless command. Seventy times seven. God forgives without limit; our response is gratitude and extending that same grace. So how do we hold both? How do we take forgiveness seriously without letting it become a weapon? The answer is: we stop skipping the important steps. Forgiveness Cannot Be Rushed The Fourfold Path is a path…  it has an order for a reason. You cannot get to granting forgiveness without first telling the story and naming the hurt. Trying to skip there is what creates the toxic, pressured, performative version of forgiveness we've all experienced. And we'll get into this later in the series, but granting forgiveness has nothing to do with the decision to either renegotiate or release that relationship.  Forgiveness needs to be as slow as it needs to be. It has a pace of its own. That pace deserves to be honored. (Callback to the stone practice from Week 1): Did anybody actually hold that stone in their non-dominant hand for six hours this week? What was that like? [[funny?]] That's the point. Six hours felt like a lot. Some of us have been carrying something for six years. Or sixty. It deserves time. The Second Step: Naming the Hurt  So what does it actually mean to name the hurt? It starts with telling your story… to yourself? To God? To people you trust. Not to everyone. Not on social media. Not to the first person who will listen. To the right people, in a safe space. The Tutus: Tell your story first to a friend, loved one, or trusted person. That's a good place to start. There is a reason confession exists across almost every spiritual tradition. Not as a transaction, but as the practice of being heard without being fixed. What naming the hurt does: It begins to move what happened from something that is happening to you — constantly, on loop — into something that happened, that you can now begin to look at. Bessel van der Kolk: the body keeps what the mind won't name. When we give language to an experience, we move it from the body's alarm system into the part of the brain that can begin to process it. The Tutus frame it this way: Identify the feelings within the facts. The facts are WHAT HAPPENED. The feelings are what it COST you. What naming the hurt does NOT do: It does not mean what was done to you was okay. It does not mean you've forgiven anything yet. It does not mean you owe anyone resolution. But there is something that begins to shift. There is relief– which to be clear, is not the same as justice, and not the same as healing, but real relief— when the hurt stops being the main character in your story because you finally named it out loud. The Tutus again: No feeling is wrong, bad, or invalid. Move forward when you are ready. We Are Only Human With Other Humans This is why we do this together. Not because community is always safe — sometimes it isn't. But because we cannot become fully human alone. The Tutus: We do not heal in isolation. Connecting with others is how we develop compassion for others and for ourselves. What makes a good witness to someone naming their hurt? The Tutus give us a short, countercultural list: Listen. Do not try to fix the pain. Do not minimize the loss. Do not offer advice. Offer your love and your caring. That's it. Stay in the room. Don't flinch. Don't fix. That is one of the most profound gifts one human can offer another. Invitation: The Stone Practice Now we're all going to do something together— kids and adults. Invite everyone to pick up or find their stone. Walk them through the Tutus' "Clenching the Stone" practice (Book of Forgiving, Chapter 5): Take your stone in your dominant hand. Think of a hurt you are carrying right now. Name it… silently, or under your breath. As you name it, clench the stone in your fist. Now open your hand. As you release your fist, release the hurt — not forever, not resolved, just... set down for a moment. You can clench and release again for each thing you're carrying. Breathe… We're not asking you to be over it. We're not asking you to forgive it yet. We're just asking you to name it, and take the permission you can give yourself to walk the path of forgiving, at a pace that is right for you. That's enough for today. That's the work.

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.We start with the launch of Expedition Robinson in Sweden in 1997 and discuss how reality TV began around the world with our guest Misha Kavka, Professor of Cross-Media Culture at the University of Amsterdam.Plus, a Norwegian Sami protest song that made history in 1980, Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission which investigated residential schools and the uncovering a lost burial ground in Brazil in 1996.Also, the 'sporting miracle' of 5,000-to-one outsiders Leicester City FC winning the English Premier League and the discovery of the fossil that revealed the first feathered dinosaur.Contributors: Martin Melin - the first winner of Expedition Robinson. Misha Kavka - Professor of Cross-Media Culture at the University of Amsterdam. Chief Wilton "Willie" Littlechild - former Commissioner with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Philip Currie - palaeontologist who helped identify the first fossil of a feathered dinosaur. Wes Morgan - former captain of Leicester City FC. Inga Haetta - sister of Mattis Haetta, who performed the first joik at Eurovision. (Photo: Group of adults lying by a pool with a film crew giving instructions - stock photo. Credit: Yellow Dog Productions)

Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a seven-year project which examined the country's residential school system. For more than 100 years, Indigenous children were taken from their families to boarding schools with the sole purpose to “kill the Indian in the child”. The schools were run by various church organisations on behalf of the Canadian government, and many children were subject to physical and sexual abuse. In 2015, the commission found that cultural genocide had been committed against Canada's Indigenous people. Chief Wilton Littlechild was one of the three commissioners who travelled the country hearing survivor's testimony. He has been speaking to Tim O'Callaghan. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Female students at a residential school with a nun in 1940. Credit: Reuters/ Canada. Dept. Indian and Northern Affairs/Library and Archives Canada)

Sonali Kolhatkar is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, writer, and author. She is the founder, host, and executive producer of “Rising Up With Sonali” which airs as a radio program on KPFK,  dozens of community radio stations around the U.S. and as a TV show on Free Speech TV. In addition to her journalistic and political work, Sonali is a prolific artist and has won several awards, as well as being a talented singer/songwriter. Her major subjects are racial justice, police divestment, economic justice and income inequality.  The USA needs a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address many of the previous abuses such as racial injustice.  In South Africa, Nelson Mandela did not seek retribution, but a discussion of previous problems, a forgiveness, and involvement of Apartheid supporters. When the current Trump administration is out of office, a reckoning with their nonfeasance, misfeasance, and nonfeasance for America to recover. 

Families of the TRC victims have welcomed the ruling as the High Court has dismissed the bid by former presidents Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki to remove Sisi Khampepe from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission inquiry. The court found the application procedurally flawed and invalid, while also ordering both former presidents to pay legal costs, clearing the way for the commission's work to continue without further delay. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Lukhanyo Calata, the son of murdered struggle stalwart Fort Calata,

What role does forgiveness play in the hard, often painful work of building peace? In this episode of The UpWords Podcast, host Jean Geran sits down with her longtime friend Todd Deatherage, co-founder of Telos, a nonprofit helping leaders navigate conflict and work toward reconciliation in some of the world's most challenging places.Drawing from decades of experience in the Middle East, Northern Ireland, South Africa, and the American South, Todd shares why forgiveness can't be forced — but why, when it does happen, it has the power to break open even the most entrenched cycles of hurt. From the story of Mama Callie Greer in Montgomery, Alabama, to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in post-apartheid South Africa, this conversation is for anyone wrestling with what it means to pursue peace without sacrificing justice.What You Will LearnWhy forgiveness is essential to peacemaking — but can never be required or rushedThe six principles of peacemaking that guide Telos's work around the worldThe difference between inner transformation and systemic justice — and why both matterThe story of Callie Greer: how one woman's act of forgiveness launched a lifetime of advocacyWhat the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa teaches us about truth, forgiveness, and communal healingWhy forgiveness across communal lines creates space for the offender to be transformed — not just the victimHow restorative justice works, and why the American criminal legal system leaves so little room for repairThe meaning of shalom — and why “peace” is a pale translationCommunal responsibility, historical injustice, and what it means to say “I'm not responsible”Why “hurt people hurt people” — and why healed people have the power to bring healing to the worldGuest BioTodd Deatherage spent ten years on Capitol Hill and six years at the U.S. State Department working on human rights and international religious freedom — where he and Jean first became friends and colleagues. In 2009, he co-founded Telos, a nonprofit that helps leaders better understand conflict and equips them to pursue reconciliation and peace in some of the world's most difficult contexts. Telos has created experiential learning journeys in the Middle East, Northern Ireland, South Africa, and the American South (Restory Us). Todd's work is deeply rooted in his Christian faith and his conviction that justice, peacemaking, and forgiveness are inseparable.Resources & LinksTelos: telosgroup.orgRestory Us (experiential learning in the American South): telosgroup.orgOne Day After Peace — documentary referenced in this episodePoor People's Campaign (Rev. William Barber): poorpeoplescampaign.orgPrevious UpWords Podcast episode with Dr. Robert Enright on forgiveness: slbf.org/studioListen and view other podcasts in the Forgivness Series: https://slbf.org/questions-of-faith-podcast-episodesCONNECT WITH USSubscribe to The Upwards Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and visit slbf.org/studio to learn more about our work at the intersection of faith, the academy, and the marketplace.This episode was created by the SLBF STUDIO at Upper House.Produced by Daniel Johnson and Dave ConourEdited by Dave Conour

Former head of the National Prosecuting Authority Vusi Pikoli has told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that the independence of the National Prosecuting Authority must be protected, even while maintaining cooperation with the government. Pikoli says his approach was always based on tactical flexibility, sharing information where necessary without compromising the NPA's constitutional independence. Pikoli also recalled a meeting with several ministers where concerns were raised about prosecutions linked to apartheid-era activities. He says some feared that pursuing certain cases could trigger renewed calls to prosecute former liberation movement members for actions before 1994. Let's briefly listen to the testimony of former head of the National Prosecuting Authority Vusi Pikoli.

Hosts: Nolan Altvater and Nick Bear Zoom Recording Technician: Scarlett Tudor Producer: Esther Anne Original music: Nick Bear Dawnland Signals highlights indigenous topics not immediately represented in mainstream media and is meant to share, inspire, and inform. This month: – Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement. – Beyond the Claims: Stories from the Land and Heart, Wabanaki REACHs truth seeking oral history project. – Maine Wabanaki-State Truth and Reconciliation Commission. – Where the River Widens, a community devised play. – Public access to the Beyond the Claims archives at Bowdoin College. Guests: Maria Girouard, Penobscot Nation citizen and Tribal historian who served as Executive Director of Wabanaki REACH and is the visionary behind the Beyond the Claims oral history project. Kat Stefko – Interim Director of the Bowdoin College Library – former Director of Special Collections and Archives Collections – facilitates access to the TRC and BTC archives library.bowdoin.edu/ Links: Wabanaki REACH: www.wabanakireach.org/ Dawnland Signals: www.wabanakireach.org/dawnland_signals The post Dawnland Signals 3/10/26 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Environmental History, #2 of 4. Many of the conservationists who've defended the Arctic heralded it as the “last great wilderness,” an ecosystem and landscape unmarred by corporate greed and violence, a place that needs to be preserved because of its “pristine” and “untouched” beauty. While well-intentioned, this narrative is, of course, problematic, because the absence of white settler colonial development is not the same thing as “pristine” or “untouched.” Entire communities of people call the arctic home. The Gwich'in and Inuit nations live on and have stewarded the northernmost reaches of this continent for some 24,000 years. At every imperialist and capitalist effort to destroy those lands with their greed, the Gwich'in and (some) Inuit have shown up to protest, testify, and speak out against those violences. Bibliography “Legal Action Challenges Arctic Refuge Drilling Plan,” Center for Biological Diversity, (15 Jan 2026) H.R.1 - An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018. Congress.gov. (2017) Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Status of Oil and Gas Program. Congress.gov. (Updated 4 Feb 2026) Lenny Kohm and the Last Great Wilderness Tour (1995) Part 4 The Wilderness Act (1964) Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (1980) “The Inuit and Northern Experience,” Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume 2 (2015) Thomas Berger, “Northern Frontier, Northern Homeland,”  THE REPORT OF THE MACKENZIE VALLEY PIPELINE INQUIRY: VOLUME ONE Finis Dunaway, Defending the Arctic Refuge: A Photographer, an Indigenous Nation, and a Fight for Environmental Justice (UNC Press, 2021) Donella Meadows, “National Energy Policy,” The Donella Meadows Project (Sep 1991) Elizabeth Manning, “Trump Administration Opens the Entire Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to Oil and Gas Leasing,” (23 Oct 2025) Brian Palmer and Anna Greenfield, “The Long, Long Battle for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,” Natural Resources Defense Council (Oct 24, 2025) Kyle Whyte, “Indigenous Climate Change Studies : Indigenizing Futures, Decolonizing the Anthropocene,” English Language Notes, Volume 55, Number 1-2, Spring/Fall 2017, pp. 153-162 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jane Dutton speaks to EWN Reporter, Dimakatso Leshoro about The Truth and Reconciliation Commission cases inquiry is hearing evidence from former national director of public prosecutions (NDPP) advocate Bulelani Ngcuka. The Midday Report with Mandy Wiener is 702 and CapeTalk’s flagship news show, your hour of essential news radio. The show is podcasted every weekday, allowing you to catch up with a 60-minute weekday wrap of the day's main news. It's packed with fast-paced interviews with the day’s newsmakers, as well as those who can make sense of the news and explain what's happening in your world. All the interviews are podcasted for you to catch up and listen to. Thank you for listening to this podcast of The Midday Report Listen live on weekdays between 12:00 and 13:00 (SA Time) to The Midday Report broadcast on 702 https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj and on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from The Midday Report go to https://buff.ly/BTGmL9H and find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/LcbDdFI Subscribe to the 702 and CapeTalk daily and weekly newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc Follow us on social media: 702 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio702 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inside the City of Kingston | Lemoine Point Farm, Sydenham Rd. shelter, ALTO support and more Lemoine Point Farm – The City will purchase 2000 Front Rd., keeping this waterfront property open for public use and protected for the community.  Emergency shelter – A new emergency shelter on Sydenham Road has completed guided tours and is now moving to phased opening.  Council highlights – Council expressed support for the high-speed rail project, contingent on a new stop in Kingston, and directed staff to review the outdoor rink program and tree bylaw.  Reflections on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report – City Hall will host an event on Feb. 22 examining Canada's progress on reconciliation since the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission report.  Interim tax bills – 2026 interim tax bills, based on 50 per cent of 2025 taxes, are due Friday, Feb. 27.  Links & Resources

10 years after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, we read the media section of the MMIWG2 report because of the denialism, Nathan Chasinghorse trial, the Epstein report and the upcoming Valentine's Day Marches.If you'd like to act or donate to this podcast:https://linktr.ee/nativecalgarian ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

10 years after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, we read the media section of the TRC because of the denalism, Nathan Chasinghorse trial, the Epstein report and the upcoming Valentine's Day Marches.If you'd like to act or donate to this podcast:https://linktr.ee/nativecalgarian ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

#200 - A new name, a sharper mission, and a story that hits like a drumbeat. Journey with Jake evolves into The Human Adventure, and we mark the moment with Joleen Hyde, a South African guide whose life moved from the weight of apartheid to the work of building bridges through travel, education, and Ubuntu. This is not a safari highlight reel. It's a tour of how courage, forgiveness, and community can transform how we move through the world.We start with the why behind our new title: a focus on people, resilience, and purpose. Joleen brings that focus to life. She explains what it meant to be legally classified under apartheid, how her father's quiet generosity shaped her, and what she learned while working with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Mandela's model of forgiveness looms large here, not as a slogan but as a discipline that keeps hope practical. From there, Joleen traces a path to the United States and the creation of Into Africa Tours, an impact-driven approach to travel that pairs wildlife and coastline with classrooms, townships, and feeding programs.You'll hear how guests step beyond surface-level tourism to meet teachers and students, support community projects, and experience the spirit of Ubuntu: I am because we are. We talk about the hard parts too—limits, heartbreak, and the humility to choose one project and follow through. There's laughter in the mix, from language lessons to bold bites of local food, and plenty of adventure that still honors safety and respect. Listeners walk away with a richer view of South Africa, tangible ways to get involved, and a challenge to keep serving back home, long after the passport is stamped.Ready to rethink why you travel and what your presence can do? Press play, share this with someone who needs a dose of human connection, and subscribe to stay with us on The Human Adventure. Your review helps more people find stories that turn empathy into action.To learn more about Joleen and Into Africa Tours visit her website www.intoafricatours.com and give her a follow on Instagram @intoafrica_tours.Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake 

Robert L. Dilenschneider, founder and CEO of The Dilenschneider Group, is one of the world's foremost communication experts and leadershipcoaches. Dilenschneider is widely published, having authored 18 seminalbusiness and career development books. His latest book is “Character: Life Lessons in Courage, Integrity, and Leadership.” He discusses the traits of several leaders. Nelson Mandela, who was jailed for years, won the first all-race election in South Africa and created the Reconciliation Commission, as well as being a role model both at the UN and for potential young leaders worldwide. Other outstanding leaders included Eleanor Roosevelt and John McCain.  Eleanor Roosevelt used her White House platform to work on a variety of social issues such as women's suffrage, civil rights and leadership at the United Nations through the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. All of the aforementioned exhibited courage, integrity, and dedication to being effective.

On this episode of Face to Face: Cody Groat As a professor in history and Indigenous studies, Cody Groat always has his eyes on political affairs, and at the moment, there is no shortage of consequential issues affecting Indigenous Peoples. The 10th anniversary of the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final report is one of those top of mind issues for Groat, who is Mohawk and a member of Six Nations of the Grand River. • • • APTN National News, our stories told our way. Visit our website for more: https://aptnnews.ca Hear more APTN News podcasts: https://www.aptnnews.ca/podcasts/

10 years after the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, three members of the family of the late Murray Sinclair, the chair of the commission, reflect on his legacy. Stephanie and Sara Sinclair are the co-editors of two new collections of writing, "A Steady Brightness of Being" and "You Were Made for this World." They talk about their own family history, and the importance of sharing stories, knowledge and culture — as a path to a better future. And Niigaan Sinclair, Murray's son, and columnist and university professor, reflects on his Dad's lessons of love, and the time he spent at his father's bedside before he died.

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final report. We've seen significant albeit imperfect progress since and there's much more for us to do together.On this episode of Uncommons, I'm joined by Ava Hill and Willie Littlechild, two incredible Indigenous leaders. We talk about the state of reconciliation and what real partnership could and should look like, with a specific focus on their work to advance Indigenous participation in sport.Ava Hill is a former Six Nations Chief, and Willie Littlechild is a former TRC commissioner, former MP, and residential school survivor. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.uncommons.ca

Max Pearson presents a collection of Witness History and Sporting Witness episodes.We start with the street artist Banksy, and his 2015 dystopian 'bemusement park'.Then, we talk to roller coaster enthusiast Megan MacCausland, from the European Coaster Club. Plus, we go back through the BBC archives to tell the story of the coelacanth, a fish believed to have been extinct for 65 million years. Next, South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, set up after the abolishment of apartheid in the 1990s. This programme contains contains harrowing testimony and graphic descriptions of human rights violations throughout.Also, the six-day IRA siege on London's Balcombe Street in 1975, where a couple were taken hostage.Finally, it's been 10 years since 193 countries and the European Union adopted the Paris climate agreement, in December 2015. Our Sporting Witness programme this week looks at how an international skiing scene developed in the mountains of Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, in 2011. Contributors: Kurtis Young - steward at Dismaland. Megan MacCausland - European Coaster Club. Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer - South African museum curator (from archive). Sisi Khampepe - served on the Amnesty Committee. Steven Moysey - saw the Balcombe Street siege unfold. Christiana Figueres - head of climate negotiations at 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. Alishah Farhang - Afghanistan skier. (Photo: Dismaland in Weston Super-Mare. Credit: Kristian Buus/In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images)

Following the abolishment of Apartheid in the 1990s, South Africa had to find a way to confront its brutal past without endangering the chance for peace. But it was a challenging process for many survivors of atrocities committed by the former racist regime. Sisi Khampepe served on the Amnesty Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, she spoke to Rebecca Kesby in 2018 about how she had to put aside her own emotions and experiences at the hands of the police, to expose the truth about Apartheid. This programme contains contains harrowing testimony and graphic descriptions of human rights violations throughout.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina's Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall' speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler's List; and Jacques Derrida, France's ‘rock star' philosopher. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world's oldest languages.(Photo: Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu at the Reconciliation and Truth commission. Credit: Reuters)

Send us a text! We'd love to hear your thoughts on the show.If you've ever felt like your novel is taking far too long—or wondered whether you can keep writing through big life challenges—this conversation with novelist Melanie Schnell will speak straight to your writer heart.Melanie is the author of While the Sun is Above Us, which won both the Saskatchewan First Book Award and the City of Regina Award and has been part of the ELA A30 curriculum in Saskatchewan schools. Her new novel, The Chorus Beneath Our Feet, began with a single, vivid image: two women standing on a tree branch in the middle of a violent storm. That image stayed with her for 15 years, slowly growing into a story about siblings, war, grief, and everything that lies hidden beneath our feet—and beneath our lives.In this episode, Melanie shares how that first image evolved into the fictional city of Ravenswood, a Regina-inspired setting anchored by a central tree. She talks about how research into unmarked graves at the Regina Indian Industrial School, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, mass graves in Ireland, and the history of the British Home Children all fed into the novel's themes of buried histories, family bonds, and unseen networks—like fungi and tree roots—running under the surface.We also dig into her unforgettable characters. Jes, a grief-stricken soldier returning from Afghanistan with his best friend's body, and Mary, his ethereal, elusive sister, form the emotional core of the book. Melanie describes the challenge of getting Jes's voice right, balancing his trauma and anger with real vulnerability, and how early reader feedback helped her deepen both siblings until they felt fully alive on the page.Melanie is candid about what it took to finish this novel over 15 years while raising her son as a single mother, navigating a demanding academic career, and living with chronic illness. She talks about losing the ability to read and write for stretches of time, the frustration of feeling like the book was always moving ahead without her, and the moment an editor helped her finally “see” what the story needed structurally—especially around Mary's voice and the ending.If you're a writer living with chronic illness or other big life constraints, Melanie offers gentle, hard-won encouragement: you are not your illness, and your story is coming from a central, lit-up place inside you that doesn't disappear, even when you can't reach it every day.If you've been wondering whether it “still counts” if your book is taking years to finish, I think this conversation with Melanie will remind you that deep work takes the time it takes—and that the story is still there, waiting, even when you have to step away.

Send us a textThis week we review the season four episode Rising Star.Joe doesn't know why the thing with the blinky red lights is on that desk, Sarah predicts what will happen to Lise in season 5, Gaby considers a second career in writing lady smut, and Mike gets distracted by Richard Biggs' chest again.Music from this episode:"Surf Punk Rock" By absentrealities is licensed under CC-BY 3.0"Please Define The Error" By Delta Centauri is licensed under CC-BY 3.0"The Haunted McMansion" By Megabit Melodies is licensed under CC-BY 3.0

When forgiveness is offered without truth or accountability, it may feel noble but it can also ring hollow. From Erika Kirk's public absolution of her husband's murderer to the Nuremberg Trials and South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, history and Judaism teach a harder truth: real reconciliation demands confession, justice, and a reckoning with God. Rabbi Dunner shares the eternal message of Yom Kippur.

10 years after the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, three members of the family of the late Murray Sinclair, the chair of the commission, reflect on his legacy. Stephanie and Sara Sinclair are the co-editors of two new collections of writing, "A Steady Brightness of Being" and "You Were Made for this World." They talk about their own family history, and the importance of sharing stories, knowledge and culture — as a path to a better future. And Niigaan Sinclair, Murray's son, and columnist and university professor, reflects on his Dad's lessons of love, and the time he spent at his father's bedside before he died.

Ten years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report laying out 94 calls to action, is the federal government any further ahead on healing its relationship with Indigenous Peoples? Governor General Mary Simon reflects in a sit-down interview. Plus, Power & Politics asks Crown Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty if she thinks the government's major projects agenda collides with its path to reconciliation.

This year marks 10 years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission began releasing its findings from a multi-year project to document the experiences of residential school survivors and lasting trauma caused by the schools. We hear about the impact this work has had on your life and we hear from guests: Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, chair of Truth and Reconciliation at Lakehead University and chair of the governing circle for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, and Brian Davey, CEO of the Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund (NADF), a non-profit that supports Indigenous business and economic development in northern Ontario.

The apartheid era in South Africa ended in 1991 with the National Peace Accords. The peace agreement also paved the way for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Yet TRC head Desmond Tutu considered the process “scandalously unfinished.” Lawyer Prakash Diar agrees: "You don't undo centuries of colonization just like that.”Diar and writer Kagiso Lesego Molope were young activists in apartheid-era South Africa. They saw the toll that oppression and state violence took: on their families, communities, and themselves. In our fourth episode of our series Inventing Peace, they consider the history of the history of this pivotal peace agreement and what other countries might learn.

Episode 210: Everyone has moments from the past they wish had unfolded differently. Some dwell on those memories, while others find ways to reinterpret them in order to move forward. But how far can people go in retelling their own stories before they risk losing sight of the truth? Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada begin the conversation with a simple piece of advice Rada found online — the idea that the past lives only in memory and can be reshaped. The phrase struck him differently than most internet platitudes, raising both curiosity as well as concern. Kyte pushes back against the claim that the past exists only in perception. He points out that facts remain, regardless of how people interpret them. Using examples ranging from family disputes to the Woody Allen film “Crimes and Misdemeanors,” Kyte underscores the danger of self-deception and the temptation to absolve ourselves of responsibility by revising history. Yet the discussion is not without hope. The hosts explore how changing perspective can help people heal. Forgiveness, they note, often requires reframing painful experiences in a way that releases the grip of bitterness. Examples from South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Rwanda’s post-genocide cultural performances illustrate how art and storytelling can create the distance needed for forgiveness to take root. The episode also examines the challenges families face when siblings recall childhood in starkly different ways. While such differences can fuel conflict, they also highlight how memory is filtered through emotion, circumstance and personal growth.

Dr. Fred Luskin, director of the Stanford Forgiveness Projects, explains how releasing resentment can transform both mind and body. Drawing on decades of research and work with people in war-torn regions around the world, Luskin explains why forgiveness is a powerful act of healing for the forgiver. He shares compelling stories and practical steps to help keep past hurts from stealing your peace today. Plus, the Zulu concept of Ubuntu and how South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission used Ubuntu to help guide a nation's journey towards healing. For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com   For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org  

This week Boredwalk's Meredith Erin and Tess Menzies chat with JayJay from @JayJayLegal about the latest stories unfolding in U.S. politics. Key Questions Discussed:  • Will Republicans be forced to make Donald Trump resign due to the Epstein files? • When will we see more damning evidence about Donald Trump's ties to the Epstein scandal? • What can blue states do about the current lawlessness and controversial actions by the Trump administration?  • Will we see war trials similar to the Nuremberg trials in post-WWII Germany in the U.S. for the Trump regime and ICE agents? • Will there be a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and justice at the end? • Will Pam Bondi be disbarred? • What should governors like Gavin Newsom be doing right now? • Why pro-democracy advocates shouldn't lose hope. • Will the U.S. ever repair its reputation on the global stage? Thanks for stopping by to hang out, commiserate, and (hopefully) laugh with us! FOLLOW US: FACEBOOK ► facebook.com/boredwalktshirts INSTAGRAM ► instagram.com/boredwalk THREADS ► threads.com/boredwalktees YOUTUBE ► youtube.com/boredwalk.los.angeles BLUESKY ► bsky.app/profile/boredwalk.com TIKTOK ► tiktok.com/@boredwalk.lol

Hi, everyone. Here's an audio version of yesterday's post…MWThe big-beautiful-actually-big-ugly bill that passed through Congress and hit the President's desk on July 4th will cause untold damage to our country. Ironically, the pain will be felt most acutely by those who have supported the President most. Many legislators who voted for the 940-page bill have admitted they didn't actually read it, but rather took other people's (namely Trump's) word for it that it didn't, for instance, cut Medicaid - which it decidedly did, and to the tune of a trillion dollars.As if depriving almost 12 million people of their healthcare isn't enough, that's not even the most dastardly thing about this bill. The most dangerous piece of the legislation, one that cuts into the very heart of our Constitutional system, is its expansion of ICE. The 2024 ICE budget was $9.7 Billion; it now will be increased to an annual expenditure of $48 Billion. Over the next four years ICE will receive $170 Billion, making it bigger than most of the militaries of the world. The ICE budget will now be more than the FBI, the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm), the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), US Marshalls, and the Bureau of Prisons combined. The bill orders 10,000 new ICE agents, adding to the 20,000 agents already on the streets. The annual budget for detentions now rise from $3.4 billion to $45 billion a year, constituting a 365% increase. While ICE is currently holding around 59,000 detainees - nearly half of whom have no criminal records - the new bill calls for adding 100,000 more. And the power of ICE lies not only in its size. It operates outside of due process and the judicial system, meaning the administration has effectively hired its own private police force to do whatever it is they want it to do. Just as Trump forces have managed to effectively neuter the U.S. Congress and our Supreme Court, with the latest changes to ICE they have effectively neutered the regulatory statutes that protect us from police overreach as well. This is not normal.The President campaigned on getting violent criminals off our streets - a goal no one would argue with - but what's happening now is much bigger than that. The administration is not going after criminals; if that were the case, it wouldn't be pardoning some of the biggest while collar criminals in America. They're not just going for criminals; they're going for numbers. Stephen Miller is demanding 3,000 arrests be made per day, even suggesting ICE agents stand outside Home Depots and see who they can round up. They might target one person, then just pick up whoever is standing near them whether they're on a target list or not. This is not about helping America, it's about reshaping it. E Pluribus Unum - the “Out of many, One” First Principle of the United States - provides for a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society united by common principles of liberty and justice for all. Yet those principles are considered anathema to the White Nationalists, Christian Nationalists, and techno fascists who are behind all this. Their goal is to shred the Constitution and demolish our democracy; Victor Orban didn't hang out at Mar-a-Lago just for the scones. Between Project 2025, this Big Bad Ugly bill, and a militarized ICE, they're following a specific blueprint for war on our basic institutions.Paul Dans, former director of the Heritage Foundation and one of the authors of Project 2025 , has said it's succeeding “beyond our wildest dreams.”Millions are asking, “My God, how did all this happen?” There are complicated answers to that question, but what should not be underestimated is the role of Trump's propaganda machine. As with Hitler's Nuremberg Rallies, he has mesmerized millions with the performative power of his lies. In both my campaigns for President, I stated often: “Trump has ushered in an age of political theatre, and we will not be going back.”Using the biggest megaphone in the world, Donald Trump gained the power to do the hateful things he is doing by propagating hateful ideas. He then injected them like poison into the veins of our body politic.Remember when he rode down his elevator and announced about Mexico, ‘They're not sending us their best people?” That was the first shot not in a war against Mexico, but in a war against the United States. Now he's gone all the way to suggesting that immigrants have “criminal genes.” This is more than fear-mongering; it's strategy. The biggest mistake we can make is to laugh at anything he says.Without the President's strategy of demonizing our immigrant community, none of this could have occurred. Those who so often said, “Take him seriously, but do not take him literally,” were seriously wrong. He's not just trolling. He says he hates you today, and he comes after you tomorrow.And he's not done. He now calls liberals and progressives “left wing lunatics” and he says Senators who disagree with him are people who “hate their country.” He went so far in fact as to say he hates Democrats. “Don't you?” he asked his audience. He actually said that he “can't stand” us. When a reporter asked a reasonable question about the the Camp Mystic tragedy, the President said that only an “evil person” would ask such a question.What is being perpetrated here is grand plan to transform the United States from a flawed democracy to an authoritarian dictatorship. It's unwise to assume that the forces behind all this have any intention of stopping with immigrants.Yesterday the President said he's “giving serious consideration” to taking away Rosie O'Donnell's citizenship because she's “a Threat to Humanity.” This is something the Constitution does not give the President the authority to do, of course. But Donald Trump has obvious disdain for anything the Constitution says that might limit his power. Already he has called for ICE to go after American citizens, and both Trump and Pam Bondi have called for a plan to denaturalize some who have become American citizens. The fact that an idea is deranged doesn't make it less dangerous. DOGE has worked with ICE to create the federal government's first “national citizenship data bank.”If all of this feels to you profoundly Un-American, it's because it is. If it bothers you, rankles you, and infuriates you, that means you're a patriot. And you are not alone.The good news is that the American people do not like what's going on. In a new Gallup poll, only 35% of Americans approve Trump's immigration policies now, which means that 27% more people disapprove of them. 79% of Americans now say they believe that immigration is good for the country. Even Joe Rogan is now going after the President about this, unhappy at all the innocent people who have been arrested in the ICE raids. But none of this should surprise him; it's not like all of a sudden the President became a pathological liar. None of it is new. The only thing new is that he doesn't even try any more to cover his tracks. From crypto deals to taking bribes from Middle East power brokers to suing media companies to selling his own brand of unisex fragrance, the President's corruption knows no end. He has increased his personal fortune by billions since he was inaugurated in November. At this point, the question isn't “What will he do next?” The most important question is, “What will we do next?”The only thing that can save us now is for the American people to wake up. A spiritual awakening, mocked and derided by America's pseudo-sophisticated political class (you know, the guys who lost to Trump twice) is the most powerful antidote to the forces of hate. If we allow them to, those forces will kidnap more than our bodies; they will kidnap our spirits. But if we're truly dedicated to love, the purveyors of hatred cannot snatch our soul. From there it follows that they cannot snatch our mind, and then they cannot snatch our country.Love does not make us weaker, it makes us stronger. It makes us stronger because it makes us smarter. It restores reason and not the other way around. Evil is the mental energy of love when inverted and turned into something else. Recognizing the existence of evil, the loving mind understands how to prevent it (start by not allowing tens of millions of people to live for years in chronic economic anxiety, lacking health care, economic or educational opportunity) and knows what it takes to override it (provide those things now). It recognizes the anger and despair which people lacking such things feel, making them vulnerable to all manner of societal dysfunction. Disease doesn't start on the level of symptoms; it starts on the level of feeling and thought.And that's where we must counter it. We must meet the forces of hate with the force of our love. Today's “arsenal of democracy” begins in the mind. No one can take away your conscience unless you are willing to surrender it. Do not allow anyone to limit your willingness to love your fellow man.That is not woo woo; it is the salvation of the human race. Totalitarianism is an extreme and perverse consequence of a world in which we've been taught to think that the needs and interests of others should be seen as secondary to our own. It is the opposite of “love thy neighbor as thyself.” Let's not forget Elon Musk told Joe Rogan that “empathy is the biggest weakness in Western civilization.” And damn right that was a Nazi salute. He didn't even deny it; I don't know why anyone else would.Hannah Arendt, premier political philosopher of the 20th Century, said “the death of human empathy is one of the earliest and most telling signs of a culture about to fall into barbarism.” She said that a lack of empathy, as well as a lack of critical thought, could lead people otherwise not inherently evil to acquiesce to atrocities.Arendt said the modern mind's obsession with itself led to what she called the “loss of the world.” We become so self-referential that we stop caring about one another, seeing the notion of a “common good” as some quaint relic of former times. This has disunited the United States, endangering us as a country and weakening the gates to the city. It became inevitable then that barbarians would come in.Hitler himself said this: "They refer to me as an uneducated barbarian. Yes we are barbarians. We want to be barbarians; it is an honored title to us. We shall rejuvenate the world.”So much for “It could never happen here.” In our arrogance, our complacency, our distractedness, and our social and political immaturity we made it way too easy for the barbarians to enter. Now that they are here, they are sacking the city. Latino immigrants are just first on their list.So what do we do now? There are some who are seriously focused on the political externalities of the 2026 and 2028 elections, and well they should be. This will include countering all efforts on the part of the administration to rig or even suppress all upcoming elections. TrumpWorld's forces have already begun with plans to further gerrymander Texas, criminalize the behavior of election officials who don't “safeguard” our elections, and so forth.Traditional political and legal efforts are needed, and they are needed badly. But they alone will not be enough to compensate for the lack of moral clarity that made us vulnerable to all this to begin with. That is what we lost, and what we must regain if we are to defeat fascism in our time.Reclaiming that power is up to each of us. No matter what happens, do not allow yourself to lose your own commitment to the humane treatment of other human beings. Do not let them take from you your own moral compass. Do not pass up any opportunity to speak your truth. Do not compromise and do not surrender to the administration's excuses, much less glorification, of sadism and human cruelty. No, “Alligator Alcatraz” is not funny. It is sick and it is inhumane. It is not hyperbole to call it a modern internment camp, and the savage conditions described by those who have been inside the facility are merciless. What is happening in America today is barbaric.To those who say “Well, this is what we voted for,” I do not believe that. I know good people who voted for Trump, and I don't believe that in their hearts they thought they were voting for human cruelty, or masked goons disappearing people, or any of the trauma or terror that our government is now inflicting on innocent men, women and children.I think many of those who voted for Trump do not know what is actually happening, because many of his voters who I've spoken to, when I show them evidence of certain things, make comments like, “Well that wouldn't be right.” And I've realized that our opponent here is algorithms. Their algorithms are so different than ours - we're not just seeing different content, we're being shown different universes. Greedy, sociopathic elements in our society have fostered those differences. Media and social media giants who could care less about providing an honest, objective presentation of facts, and care only about their already multibillion dollar profits, will one day be looked back on as some of the biggest villians in this story. At the end of all this we will have a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and it will be a doozy.Others who voted for Trump were simply reacting in anger to a system that had failed them, and had the Democratic party responded to their despair in more fundamental ways - universal health care, a guaranteed living wage, repealing the 2017 tax cut when we had the chance, increasing access to higher education and tech school - the rise of a political strongman would have been far less likely. As it is, the political elite in America chose to ignore every lesson in history and allow this scourge to fester. The Republican party lost its mind over the last few years, but it didn't help that Democrats lost their spine.The institutions we have lived our entire lives thinking would protect us from any enemies of democracy have either fallen, or been deeply compromised. The message of history is now this: “American people: over to you.” I know in my heart we have what it takes to rise to the occasion, to handle this moment, and to save our dying democracy. In the words of Winston Churchill, "Never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”That's our charge today. This isn't an easy time, in fact it's heartbreaking and infuriating. But dark chapters challenged our ancestors too, and they responded with strength and courage. Now so must we. We are called to be deep and serious and mature and wise, and all those things we were born to be. I have no doubt in my mind that we have it in us. The choice whether to become the people we need to be, in order to do the things we need to do, is up to each of us.It's an inside job. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

The happiness we used to know was like a reward, something that shows up once life finally goes our way. But what if that moment never comes? What if life hands you unimaginable loss instead, and you're left trying to piece together who you are and what comes next? The truth is, happiness isn't a finish line. It's a conscious choice, and a lifelong practice. And no one embodies that truth more powerfully than Karen Guggenheim.Karen Guggenheim is the founder and CEO of WOHASU®, the organization behind the World Happiness Summit. A leading voice in global well-being, she is recognized for turning personal adversity into a powerful mission: helping individuals and organizations thrive through science-based strategies for happiness. Most recently, Karen led the expansion of WOHASU to the United Nations and global cities, advancing the conversation on mental health and well-being at the highest levels. Karen is the author of Cultivating Happiness: Overcome trauma and positively transform your life.In this episode of the Happiness Squad Podcast, Ashish Kothari and Karen Guggenheim, explore what it means to treat happiness not as a fleeting emotion, but as a conscious, lifelong practice.Things you will also learn in this episode:• Defining happiness as a framework, not a feeling• The misunderstood nature of happiness• The urgent need for systemic change in how we lead, work, and educate• Why forgiveness is the most challenging but transformational pillar of personal growth• What every leader, parent, and teacher needs to hear about happinessThis episode will remind you that happiness is not something you wait for, but something you build, even in the aftermath of heartbreak. Give it a listen, and you'll never think about happiness the same way again.Resources:• Karen Guggenheim: http://karenguggenheim.com/ • World Happiness Summit: https://worldhappinesssummit.com/• Wellbeing Leadership Certification by World Happiness Summit: https://worldhappinesssummit.com/wellbeing-leadership-certification/ • World Wellbeing Policy Forum: https://wohasu.com/portfolio/world-wellbeing-policy-forum/ • Conscious Entrepreneur Summit: https://events.humanitix.com/2025-conscious-entrepreneur-summit • The Bridge to Happiness by Karen Guggenheim at TEDxMiami: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcgJo9IGxxk • World Happiness Summit on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-mbWbPUjzHCVQ0iU3rmCsQ • Dr. Fred Luskin - Forgiveness and Happiness from WOHASU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaklxaKGWNU&pp=0gcJCdgAo7VqN5tD • Truth and Reconciliation Commission with Desmond Tutu: https://www.theforgivenessproject.com/stories-library/desmond-tutu/ Books:• Cultivating...

***Producer's note: This is a preview of the latest episode of Kuskalla, a trilingual (Quechua-Spanish-English) podcast produced by Red Media and hosted by our comrades Yojana Miraya Oscco and Renzo Aroni. Listen to the full episode on the Kuskalla podcast feed*** In this episode, I talked with Jonathan Ritter, who is the Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology and Chair of the Department of Music at the University of California, Riverside. We discussed his viral Quechua Pumpin song “Karumanta Qamurqani” (I have come from far away).  Characterized by a carnivalesque style, Pumpin is often interpreted as testimonial music from the Fajardo province in Ayacucho, a central region deeply impacted by the Peruvian internal armed conflict between the Maoist Shining Path guerrillas and Peruvian state security forces, lasting from 1980 to 2000. This conflict resulted in nearly 70,000 deaths, primarily affecting Quechua-speaking Indigenous peasants in this region, as noted in the 2003 report of Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In 2001, shortly after the conflict ended, the Truth Commission began its efforts in communities throughout the Pampas River valley in central Ayacucho, where the Pumpin enjoys popularity. A year earlier, Jonathan Ritter started his fieldwork in the village of Colca for his dissertation focused on this music. After mastering the Pumpin guitar, he composed his song “Karumanta Qamurqani” to perform at the newly relaunched Pumpin contest held on the Waswantu plateau in February 2001. This contest had been on hold since 1983 when government security forces shut it down, targeting locals for allegedly supporting the Shining Path guerrillas. In February 2002, he performed his song again, and Asto Producciones filmed it for the first time on video cassette. In this episode, we talk about how Pumpin transforms from traditional music into a powerful form of testimony that recounts wartime experiences and survival in the aftermath. We then examine the lyrics of “Karumanta Qamurqani,” discussing their meanings and the song's reception both during the live performance in Waswantu and after its 2008 upload to YouTube. The response from Peruvians sheds light on issues of race, class, and identity, as well as the reclamation of Quechua language and culture in the post-war context.  This episode is dedicated to Alejandro Mendonza Alca from Colca, Jonathan Ritter's mentor and maestro of Pumpin, who sadly passed away a few years ago. For more information on Pumpin music and its history, check out Jonathan Ritter's articles, including “Carnival of Memory: Songs of Protest and Remembrance in the Andes,” published by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings in 2013. Thank you for tuning in to the Kuskalla Podcast.  If you enjoy this podcast, you can support it by sharing it, hitting subscribe, or leaving a review. Our podcast is produced by Red Media and Red Nation; please consider supporting our work if you don't already on Patreon: www.patreon.com/redmediapr Follow us on social media: @KuskallaPodcast on Twitter; @KuskallaPodcast on IG Kuskalla Abya Yala https://kuskallaabyayala.weebly.com/

Daily Dose of Hope June 27, 2025   Scripture – Matthew 18:21-35   Prayer: Holy God, Thank you for your incredible mercy.  Your compassion is never-ending and your love is powerful.  We are overflowing with gratitude.  Help us demonstrate this same compassion and love toward others.  May we become people of grace and see people through your eyes.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  I just want to remind you all of our amazing worship night tonight at 7:30pm AND our special guest on Sunday.  Dr. David Wilkinson is giving the message in the English-speaking service.  He is a PhD in both astrophysics and theology and his life's work has centered on the intersection between the Christian faith and science.  After the 9:30 service, he has also agreed to a Q&A in the social hall, where a pancake and sausage brunch will be available by donation.  All donations will go to the Residing Hope Children's Home.   Today is part two of Matthew 18.  Here we have this very uncomfortable parable on forgiveness.  Peter wants to know how far should forgiveness be extended.  I mean, Jesus had just offered this conflict mediation model for churches to ensure that justice is upheld.  But what about mercy?  Jesus' answer is really fascinating.  He basically is saying, “Stop keeping count!”   Let's talk a bit about the parable itself.  A servant owes his master a huge sum of money, something like 10,000 bags of gold.  The servant was facing both imprisonment and the sale of his family to compensate for the debt.  He goes to the master and asks for mercy.  The readers are totally surprised – the master shows tremendous compassion and mercy.  He totally forgives the huge debt.  Unheard of and an act of extravagant compassion.   That same servant then goes demanding payment of a debt that a fellow servant owes him.  This isn't a big debt, but something smaller and more manageable.  When the fellow servant asks for more time, the forgiven servant refuses, denies compassion, and has the poor guy thrown in prison.   Seeing the injustice of all of this, there are whistleblowers that see what happens and let the master know.  The master is enraged and reinstates the man's debt.  How could he fail to show compassion after such great compassion was shown to him.  He is imprisoned and tortured.    While the ending is really horrific, Jesus is once again making a point.  Forgiveness is critical and yet it is very hard.  If we look at the whole of Matthew 18, we see the need of both holding people accountable and offering extravagant compassion and forgiveness.  How do we even begin to reconcile this as a church?  Upon doing research on this topic, one scholar suggested that the most powerful and instructive model is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in post-apartheid South Africa, guided by Bishop Desmond Tutu. Reconciliation entails both the offer of forgiveness and the naming and acceptance of responsibility for wrongful, wounding conduct. This approach to mercy and justice is congruent with Jesus' call in Matthew 18 as a whole: while the faith community prioritizes grace and mercy, it also holds its members accountable for what they do to others.    But what else might Jesus be saying in this parable?  Pay compassion forward.  God has been extraordinarily compassionate toward us.  He gave his Son for us, so we might live abundantly now and in the future.  Our sins are forgiven, our slate has been wiped clean.  We owe Him a debt of gratitude.  And yet, here we see what that looks like in a practical way.  Show mercy, demonstrate compassion, love well, and forgive.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Iranian and European foreign ministers hold talks in Geneva today as part of diplomatic effort to end the Israel-Iran conflict. UN Security Council meets on Israel-Iran conflict. The Liberal government set to pass its major projects bill as the House rises for the summer. Local businessman Mike Pemberton becomes the new leader of Yukon's Liberal party and the new premier. Mixed progress on health-related calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Summer blockbuster, Jaws, turns 50.

Relations between Canada and Indigenous Peoples have certainly evolved since The Agenda first began covering these issues in 2006. There was Stephen Harper's historic apology to former students of Residential Schools in 2008. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission that followed, led by the late Senator Murray Sinclair. The Idle No More movement of the early 2010s. And much more. As we mark National Indigenous History Month, we thought we'd look back at some of these flashpoints in our history, and find out how much progress has been made. From Kanesatake First Nation, council Chief Serge Simon; Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, Chair on Truth and Reconciliation at Lakehead University; Karyn Pugliese, journalist and instructor at Carleton University; and Riley Yesno, PhD candidate in political science and Indigenous studies at the University of Toronto, join Steve Paikin to discuss.Chief Serge Simon; Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, Chair on Truth and Reconciliation at Lakehead University; Karyn Pugliese, journalist and instructor at Carleton University; and Riley Yesno, PhD candidate in political science and Indigenous studies at the University of Toronto, join Steve Paikin to discuss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textBreaking a silence that spans nearly two decades, Chuckie Taylor speaks directly from federal prison in a raw, unfiltered conversation that challenges deeply entrenched narratives about his life and role in West African conflicts. The son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor doesn't shy away from confronting the most heinous allegations that have shadowed him since his father's regime collapsed.With remarkable clarity, Taylor dismantles what he describes as propaganda by focusing on simple facts – born in 1977, he questions how he could have masterminded atrocities in the early 1990s when he was a teenager living in Florida. He points to the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission's findings, noting his absence from their list of those responsible for "gross abuses" during the civil war. "If I had something to hide, I wouldn't be making myself open to dialogue," Taylor asserts, establishing a system through LFTG where he'll directly address questions from Liberians seeking answers.The conversation reveals a man who has used his imprisonment to develop articulation and perspective, directly challenging expectations that he'd emerge as "someone inarticulate, someone who wasted their time in prison." While acknowledging the trauma experienced by war victims and offering prayers for their healing, Taylor maintains that propaganda has confused his identity with his father's actions: "The son has paid for the sins of the father for 18 years." His parting message combines defiance with reconciliation: "I believe I have a genuine contribution to make, but it has to be done after we confront these lies." Have questions for Chucky Taylor? Submit them through LFTG, where he's committed to addressing the most pressing inquiries about his past and Liberia's complex history.Support the showFollow our IG & Twitter for live updates @LFTGRadio

305 | Maria Diemar and Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom We have two incredible adoptee activists with us today. Maria Diemar and Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom, both adopted in Sweden, joined up to elevate adoptee causes in some very impactful ways. Maria is the subject of Lisa's latest graphic novel, The Excavated Earth, which exposes a horrific story of how thousands of Chilean babies were literally kidnapped and stolen to be sold for adoption to Sweden and many other countries. You won't believe some of the shocking details that Maria and Lisa share with us today. Lisa also shares a few thoughts with us on the findings of the South Korean Truth and Reconciliation Commission.   Full Show Notes and Transcript Here   Join our adoptee community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here! This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

In this episode of Everyday Conversations on Race, Simma Lieberman, The Inclusionist, is joined by two incredible global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts: Michaël Stuber, the European DEI Engineer, and Nene Molefi, founder of Mandate Molefi HR Consultants in South Africa. While the focus of this episode is on the global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion landscape, it's also a deeply personal conversation about their journeys, the challenges they've faced, and how their backgrounds have shaped their approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion. As we explore how Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives differ across countries, Michaël and Nene share their unique personal experiences—from Michaël's upbringing in a family where cultural diversity was the norm, to Nene's harrowing memories of growing up in the midst of apartheid in South Africa. These personal stories are woven into the conversation, bringing a human element to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion discussion that goes beyond theories and strategies. Detailed Time Stamps: [00:00] Introduction to Simma and the guests [04:30] Michael Stuber shares how his diverse upbringing shaped his perspective on DEI [07:00] Nene talks about growing up during apartheid in South Africa and the 1976 uprisings [12:00] The impact of apartheid on Nene's personal and professional journey [16:00] Michaël's early experiences with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work and the importance of a European context [21:45] The role of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in shaping Michaël's understanding of DEI [26:30] Nene discusses her experience in developing South Africa's Employment Equity Act and its legacy [32:15] Challenges and growth in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work across South Africa and Europe [37:00] Michaël reflects on the global DEI landscape and adapting U.S.-based DEI concepts for Europe [42:00] The importance of systemic change in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: addressing structures, not just attitudes [47:15] Current challenges in DEI: nationalistic movements and the regression of progress [52:30] The personal impact of the global political climate on DEI work [57:00] Nene and Michaël discuss the shifting attitudes towards Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and the need for integrity and truth-telling [01:02:30] Closing remarks: The importance of global perspectives in DEI and continuing the conversation This isn't just about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; it's about understanding the deep-rooted histories that influence how we work, relate, and view one another today. Michaël and Nene's personal stories and shared wisdom will help you see Diversity, Equity and Inclusion not just as a corporate or political issue, but a human one. Key Takeaways: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is about more than just policies—it's about understanding personal and cultural histories that shape our worldviews. Real change in DEI requires confronting deep-rooted systems of oppression, as demonstrated by Nene's experience in apartheid and Michaël's work in Europe. Effective DEI strategies must be rooted in listening, respect, and understanding of the complex histories that shape people's lives. Guest Information: Michaël Stuber – Described as “Germany's diversity pioneer” (ManagerMagazin), Michael Stuber is known for his evidence-based, internationally experienced and critically reflective D&I approaches—beyond mainstream ‘good' practice. Combining deep expertise with systemic thinking, he designs diversity strategies that are differentiated, holistic and therefore effective. Nene Molefi is a globally recognized consultant, keynote speaker, coach and author with over 25 years of experience shaping leadership, organizational transformation, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across industries. Born and raised in Soweto, Johannesburg, she has built an esteemed career advocating for values-driven leadership, high-performing teams, and systemic change in organizations worldwide. As the Founder and CEO of Mandate Molefi HR Consultants, Nene has advised multinational corporations, governments, and nonprofit organizations. Her expertise spans Whole System Culture Change, Executive Leadership Development, DEI Strategy and High-Stakes Facilitation—guiding courageous, results-driven conversations that tackle complex organizational and societal challenges. She has led and steered intricate, long-term cultural transformation and leadership initiatives, working with multi-disciplinary and specialist teams.      Click here to DONATE and support our podcast All donations are tax deductible through Fractured Atlas. Simma Lieberman, The Inclusionist, helps leaders create inclusive cultures. She is a consultant, speaker, and facilitator. Simma is the creator and host of the podcast, Everyday Conversations on Race. Contact Simma@SimmaLieberman.com to get more information, book her as a speaker for your next event, help you become a more inclusive leader, or facilitate dialogues across differences. Go to www.simmalieberman.com and www.raceconvo.com for more information Simma is a member of and inspired by the global organization IAC (Inclusion Allies Coalition)    Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn Tiktok Website    Previous Episodes Navigating Race, Mental Health and Well-being in Corporate America How Racist Competency Checks Prevent Merit-Based Hiring Can Descendants of the Enslaved Reconcile with the Enslavers?   Loved this episode?  Leave us a review and rating

Thousands of children from South Korea have been adopted by Australian families over decades. In many cases, these children were raised to believe they were orphans – and their adoptive families believed they were doing something loving and selfless by giving them a home. But a much more sinister truth has been laid bare: South Korea’s own Truth and Reconciliation Commission exposed how many of those adoptions were built on falsified orphan records, and traced trafficking and forged documents back to the agencies involved. Today, associate editor for The Saturday Paper, Martin McKenzie-Murray, on the trafficking of fake orphans, and whether Australia is finally ready to confront its role in the trade. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Associate editor for The Saturday Paper, Martin McKenzie-Murray. Photo: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, South Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission found that Korean adoption agencies were responsible for widespread fraud, malpractice and even human rights violations. More than 140,000 South Korean children were adopted by families living abroad in the decades after the Korean war. The report documented cases in which agencies fabricated records and others in which abandoned children were sent abroad after only perfunctory efforts to find living guardians.Documentarian Deann Borshay Liem was an adult when she first learned the story she'd been told about her identity was a lie. She was adopted by an American family from California in 1966, when she was eight years old. Her adoption records said she was an orphan, but she eventually discovered her birth mother was alive, and she had a large extended family in South Korea.She shares her adoption story, her reaction to the commission's report, and her thoughts on what justice looks like for adoptees.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Trump administration’s drive to dismantle inclusion policies is undercutting federal funding for scientific-research grants. The 19th looks into some of the fallout. CNN reports on how special elections for two House seats in Florida this week have Republican leaders worried about their razor-thin majority. A preliminary report from South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission acknowledges that the government failed to protect the rights of adoptees. The Washington Post has the details. PBS spoke to adoptees about falsified records and swapped identities. Plus, Trump expressed anger at Putin, rescue efforts in Myanmar continued, and all four No. 1 seeds made it to the men’s NCAA basketball Final Four. Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.

This is our unabridged interview with Mpho Tutu van Furth. What does it mean to ask someone for forgiveness? The experience after Apartheid in South Africa has much to teach us. “In English, you say, ‘I'm sorry, forgive me.' It's all about me”  Says Mpho Tutu van Furth, daughter to the late Desmond Tutu. But in the South African language of Xhosa “You say ndicela uxolo which means ‘I ask for peace'. And that's a very different thing than ‘forgive me'” In this episode, explore the deep impact of apartheid in South Africa, the meaning of true forgiveness, and the profound philosophy of Ubuntu. Discover how Mpho carries on her father's legacy of peace and reconciliation while navigating her own journey as an Episcopalian priest and social activist. This heartfelt and enlightening conversation delves into the courage required to love, forgive, and build a just community. Show Notes Resources mentioned this episode: The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation Forgiveness and Reparation: The Healing Journey by Mpho Tutu The Book of Forgiving by Desdmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa   Similar NSE episodes: Azim Khamisa: Ending Violence Through Forgiveness Forgiving My Mother's Murderer: Sharon Risher Pádraig Ó Tuama: A Poet's Work in Peace and Reconciliation PDF of Lee's Interview Notes Transcript of Abridged Episode Want more NSE? JOIN NSE+ Today! Our subscriber only community with bonus episodes designed specifically to help you live a good life, ad-free listening, and discounts on live shows Subscribe to episodes: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Google | YouTubeFollow Us: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTubeFollow Lee: Instagram | TwitterJoin our Email List: nosmallendeavor.com See Privacy Policy: Privacy Policy Amazon Affiliate Disclosure: Tokens Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program… Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

What does it mean to ask someone for forgiveness? The experience after Apartheid in South Africa has much to teach us. “In English, you say, ‘I'm sorry, forgive me.' It's all about me”  Says Mpho Tutu van Furth, the daughter to the late Desmond Tutu. But in the South African language of Xhosa “You say ndicela uxolo which means ‘I ask for peace'. And that's a very different thing than ‘forgive me'” In this episode, explore the deep impact of apartheid in South Africa, the meaning of true forgiveness, and the profound philosophy of Ubuntu. Discover how Mpho carries on her father's legacy of peace and reconciliation while navigating her own journey as an Episcopalian priest and social activist. This heartfelt and enlightening conversation delves into the courage required to love, forgive, and build a just community. Show Notes Resources mentioned this episode: The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation Forgiveness and Reparation: The Healing Journey by Mpho Tutu The Book of Forgiving by Desdmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa  Similar NSE episodes: Azim Khamisa: Ending Violence Through Forgiveness Forgiving My Mother's Murderer: Sharon Risher Pádraig Ó Tuama: A Poet's Work in Peace and Reconciliation PDF of Lee's Interview Notes Transcription Link Want more NSE? JOIN NSE+ Today! Our subscriber only community with bonus episodes designed specifically to help you live a good life, ad-free listening, and discounts on live shows Subscribe to episodes: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Google | YouTubeFollow Us: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTubeFollow Lee: Instagram | TwitterJoin our Email List: nosmallendeavor.com See Privacy Policy: Privacy Policy Amazon Affiliate Disclosure: Tokens Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linki… Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Mexico has started constructing giant tent shelters in border towns where people deported by the US can get food, temporary housing, medical care and free bus rides back to their hometowns. The program is called  "Mexico embraces you" — and although it's intended for Mexican deportees, the country's President Claudia Sheinbaum says her government will consider sheltering migrants from other nations, too. Also, Serbia's prime minister says he'll step down following weeks of protests against government corruption. And, a decade after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission stopped investigating crimes against humanity committed under apartheid, some South African families are suing the government for not taking up their cases as promised.Listen to today's Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices