We help amplify Indigenous experiences by featuring stories of members of local Nations and urban Indigenous people in our print and digital magazine. We are committed to the principles of a trauma-informed approach to journalism and work closely with Indigenous community members to ensure the published content is appropriately representative and accurate, while serving goals such as spreading awareness, contributing to decolonization, and celebrating language, culture, and enterprise. 

Featured Articles:

In addition to our magazine, each week, we share relevant news stories on various topics. “Curated News on Indigenous Stories and Education” is distributed monthly to our newsletter subscribers and social media followers. Learn more at heremagazine.ca/read/curated-news

• Audio, photo and video documentation of The Reconciliation Dialogues. The Victoria Reconciliation Dialogues is a series of conversations that enables the community to participate in reconciliation on Lekwungen Territory, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia organised by the City Family and City of Victoria City Staff. Indigenous-led and informed by the City Family—members of Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, along with urban Indigenous guests to the territory. The Dialogues provide opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to engage in meaningful exchange and explore ideas on how to raise awareness and educate settlers and visitors about local Indigenous culture, history, and modern realities.
• Photo and video documentation and promotion of local events, including the annual IYAKT Festival, the Indigenous Pop-Up Shop, and many more.
• A video story and call to action of Indian day school survivor Xʷəlipəlwət (Angel Sampson). Watch below.

In late May 2021, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation announced the discovery of what were believed to be 215 unmarked graves on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. The children, some thought to be as young as three, had been taken from their families and never returned—another searing reminder of the violence and erasure at the heart of Canada’s residential school system.

The news was devastating for Indigenous communities across Turtle Island and heartbreakingly, it was only the beginning. In the months that followed, more unmarked graves would be located at former school sites, bringing long-held truths into the national consciousness in ways that could no longer be ignored.

When the Here Magazine team was finalizing our 2022 special print issue, we wanted to honour the children who never made it home and the families who carry that grief. We chose a simple gesture: a solid orange, blank back cover page. It was our way of standing in solidarity and holding space for grief, for reflection, and for accountability.

That fall, we were invited to participate in the second annual South Island Powwow in Victoria, B.C., held “to recognize Survivors and their families in the spirit of reconciliation.” We brought over 300 copies of that special issue to share with the community and what happened next was unexpected and beautiful. Throughout the day, hundreds of people, young and old, Indigenous and settler, stopped by our booth to connect, reflect, and contribute to a spontaneous public art project we called the Canvas of Love. Together, they filled many back orange pages with drawings, messages, and acts of remembrance; a reminder that healing begins when we make space for truth, and that art and storytelling, even in their simplest forms, can bring us together to witness, to feel, and to remember.

We share important dates to commemorate and celebrate Indigenous history and culture through social media. This is to encourage education and engagement among the wider community

The REP Here in Canada team respectfully acknowledges that our work takes place on the unceded traditional lands of the Lekwungen peoples of the Songhees, Xwsepsum, and W̱SÁNEĆ Nations. We express gratitude for their ongoing stewardship of these lands, air, and waterways and hold deep respect for the language, traditions, and cultural practices of all Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island.

We acknowledge the ravages and brutal inter-generational legacy of day schools, the Sixties Scoop, and the residential school system and are humbled by the resilience we are able to witness in First Nations, Métis, and Inuit survivors and their families. We accept unconditionally the findings of the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and support all recommendations and Calls For Justice.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action give our organization the guidance and opportunity to bring newcomer and Indigenous communities together to share cultural experiences and histories to deepen one another’s understanding of past and present injustices, as well as to exchange traditional knowledge and important cultural practices.

In our continued effort to Indigenize our work and to meaningfully contribute to decolonization, we are committed to helping amplify Indigenous experiences and stories as we continue our own journey of learning and unlearning.