Art of Reconciliation

Debbie Douez is a professional art therapist and artist located in Lək̓ʷəŋən territory (Esquimalt) and is one of the founders of the Art of Reconciliation project. Debbie has been on her own deep learning journey since first learning about residential school history in 2012 while creating a short film up in Fort Nelson. The shock of learning about such an important part of our shared history so late in life had a significant impact on her career. Since making that short film Debbie has focused her career almost entirely on decolonizing and reconciliation efforts, from helping to create the Reconciliation reporting beat at The Discourse, an online news media organization, to working with the Musqueam Nation to help retell an important aspect of their history through the exhibition Cesnam, at the Museum of Vancouver, to working directly with Indigenous clients at the Victoria Native Friendship Centre as an Art Therapist. Today Debbie is focused on helping to facilitate the learning journey of young adults and her community through her work on the Art of Reconciliation project.

Tanya Clarmont is Teme-Augama Anishnabai on her father’s side and her community is Bear Island Reserve in Ontario, a water access only community. She is also French Canadian from the Ottawa Valley on her mother’s side. She acknowledges and embraces both sides of her culture and has made efforts to learn both the Anishnabai and French languages. Tanya moved to BC to further her education while also continuing her career with the Friendship Centre Movement, which dates back to 2001. She currently works for the Victoria Native Friendship Centre as the Director of Management Services. She has also held positions at the BC provincial and national level of the Friendship Centre Movement. In her consulting roles, Tanya works with the Called to Action Collaborative to deliver customized learning tools and programs related to cultural safety, reconciliation, the TRC Calls to Action, UNDRIP and Indigenous financial literacy.