Start an Indigenous Guardian Program

Who are your friends and allies?

Your Indigenous Guardian program will likely meet more success if you know who your friends and allies are. Once identified, try to build relationships with them, and explore opportunities for collaboration and working together. Ask yourself:

  • Who can help support your program?
  • Who can you collaborate with to achieve your objectives?
  • Who is doing similar work?
  • Who might be interested in working with you?

It can be helpful to sketch out a map to explore the connections between your guardian program and entities, organizations or individuals both within and outside your community.  See the illustration below for some ideas about potential connections.

Use the Worksheet "Mapping Friends and Allies" to go through an exercise to identify and illustrate the range and strength of connections and opportunities available. It may also help prevent having an approach that is too narrow, isolated or silo'ed for your guardian work.

Cultivating strong relationships with neighbouring Nations, regional management bodies, potential funders, research institutions, academics, or non-profit organizations may also help develop a wider network of program champions that can be leveraged when support is needed.

Use the Worksheet "Mapping Friends and Allies" to go through an exercise to identify and illustrate the range and strength of connections and opportunities available. It may also help prevent having an approach that is too narrow, isolated or silo'ed for your guardian work. Cultivating strong relationships with neighbouring Nations, regional management bodies, potential funders, research institutions, academics, or non-profit organizations may also help develop a wider network of program champions that can be leveraged when support is needed.

“From the very beginning, map out and identify what people, programs, organizations, or potential partners can help you to build an effective program and reach your goals. It's all about relationships.”

Claire Hutton, TNC Canada 
Quote

“From the very beginning, map out and identify what people, programs, organizations, or potential partners can help..."

Worksheet

Mapping your Friends and Allies

Building a strong network of friends and allies will help your Indigenous Guardian program be sustainable and more effective over the long term. Use this worksheet to think through connections both within and outside your community and how they can support and help strengthen your guardian work.

Worksheet

Mapping your Friends and Allies