Books on Reconciliation for Little Free Libraries
The Project
The Greater Victoria Placemaking Network would like to deliver at least one copy of the Truth and Reconciliation: Calls to Action booklet to every little free library in the Greater Victoria Area, as a small way to help with reconciliation.
There are currently 483 little free libraries (LFLs) in the region, with more being installed every day. So we are raising funds to purchase at least 500 copies of Calls to Action. These will then be distributed throughout the LFL network by GVPN volunteers.
Our fundraising goal is $4,000.
Any funds raised above the goal will go towards purchasing additional copies of the booklet, allowing us to deliver an even greater number of these important books to LFLs.
Timeline
The plan is to raise funds in June and early July 2021. We will place an order for booklets when we reach the fundraising goal, or by the end of July, and Greater Victoria Placemaking Network volunteers will start distributing booklets as soon as they arrive.
Background
When it comes to reconciliation, we all have a role to play. An important step is understanding what reconciliation is, and what actions can be taken to help with the process.
The Calls to Action booklet, published by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, it contains the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC’s) 10 principles of Reconciliation, the 94 calls to action, and the 46 articles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
These documents are all instruments of Reconciliation, and should be read and considered together.
The first principle of Reconciliation confirms that UNDRIP is the framework for Reconciliation for all sectors of Canadian society. The other nine principles serve as guides to assist in repairing the damaged relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
Understanding these principles and actions is important as we move forward with reconciliation.
The Greater Victoria Placemaking Network (GVPN) is committed to reconciliation and wants to do what we can to help. Placemaking helps build and foster community, and we need communities that are knowledgeable about, and committed to reconciliation.
For the past several years, the GVPN has helped map, stock, and build LFLs around the region through the Pocket Places Project . Little free libraries are those little book boxes that can be found around town that operate on the principle of ‘give a book - take a book.’ But LFLs are so much more than little book boxes, they are hubs for spreading information and building community .
Over the years, in addition to topping up LFLs with books, GVPN volunteers have also distributed other educational bookmarks, zines, sidewalk chalk, and other materials to LFLs. We wanted to involve Victoria’s growing LFL network in the reconciliation process.
