Emily Singer became involved with Reconciliation Canada shortly after moving to Vancouver. After completing her Bachelor’s degree, Singer was looking for an opportunity where she could make a real, substantive difference. She stumbled upon a volunteer posting for a Social Media Coordinator with Reconciliation Canada, and although she admits she did not know a lot about Indigenous issues in Canada, she submitted an application and has been volunteering for Reconciliation for the last three years.
Over the last three years, Singer helped Reconciliation Canada grow from a small organization with less than 100 Twitter followers to a nationally significant charity. During this time, she credits the Walk for Reconciliation in Vancouver and the TRC Closing Events as defining moments in her reconciliation journey.
“When I saw the crowds of people crossing the viaducts in Vancouver in the rain it was hard to believe that a few months earlier I’d been at a meeting in a crowded coffee shop worrying about how to get people out on the day,” she reflects. “I absolutely could not believe the number of people who came out on that day.”
Singer will be taking a break from volunteering with Reconciliation Canada as she finishes her Masters degree, but this does not mean that she will be taking a break from reconciliation.
“Reconciliation is a lens that you apply to your life, it is a way of looking at things and I think once you start looking at the world through your reconciliation lens you can’t stop. I will still be promoting reconciliation on a smaller scale in my life through understanding, education and the way I interact with the world.”
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