Cultivating Cultural Consciousness
Price
pay what you can
Duration
tbd
About the Course
Cultivating Cultural Consciousness
Cultivating Cultural Consciousness invites settlers - particularly those of us racialized as white - to examine how we show up while living, settling, visiting, and moving through Indigenous lands, and what responsibility that requires of us.
This is not only about learning about cultures or communities beyond our own.
It is about understanding the histories of colonization - both within our own ancestral lineages and across Indigenous lands globally - and examining how we have been shaped within these systems, including learning from Indigenous voices, perspectives and teachings.
This work explores two interconnected processes:
Decolonization - the ongoing work of dismantling the colonial identities, behaviours, communities, and systems we have inherited and continue to uphold.
Indigenous resurgence - the ongoing reclamation of Indigenous lands, languages, practices, and ways of being, led by Indigenous peoples.
Participants engage with this work through:
history through an Indigenous lens
regenerative wellness as a pathway for dismantling and reconnection
embodied reconciliation - how this work lives in our bodies, relationships, and daily actions
This is not a one-time learning experience. It is an ongoing process of unlearning, responsibility, and transformation.
Rather than focusing on awareness alone, this work supports a shift out of consumption, appropriation, and extraction and into relationship - where Indigenous peoples, their lands, and their sovereignty are respected, and where our role is to do the internal and collective work required of us to dismantle ourselves, our communities, and the systems of domination we have inherited and continue to uphold.
Cultural consciousness, within this context, is not simply about understanding different cultures. It is about recognizing how we have been shaped by colonial systems, how power operates within cultural interactions, and how we take responsibility for engaging in ways that are accountable, relational, and grounded in respect.
Your Instructors
Carly + Collective (details to be announced)
About Carly
Carly is a 3rd-generation settler born on Indigenous lands now called Canada, with ancestral ties to Hungary, England, and Jewish heritage connected to the regions known today as Poland and Russia. Her deep curiosity drives her to continually seek the truth about her origins.
She spent her early years in British Columbia, on the unceded territories of the Katzie and Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nations, before moving to Ontario, where she lived on the lands of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Huron-Wendat peoples. Carly has also lived on the ancestral lands of the Tocobaga people in Florida, where the Seminole and Miccosukee peoples continue to uphold their presence and stewardship, and on the lands of the Kaqchikel Maya in Guatemala.
After moving over 40 times throughout her life, Carly has embraced a nomadic lifestyle, transforming her experience with housing instability into a path of adaptability and freedom. Along her journey, she remains deeply mindful of her role as a guest on the land and is committed to honoring and advocating for the rights of its original caretakers.
Carly is a passionate advocate for regenerative and embodied living, committed to inspiring others toward a harmonious and fulfilling life. With a deep love for adventure and authenticity, she thrives on exploring the unknown while staying true to her genuine self. Her core values — community, curiosity, diversity, harmony, health, integrity, love, service, and sovereignty — guide her approach to personal growth and collective well-being.
As a neurodivergent being, Carly embraces diverse ways of thinking and existing, adding depth and richness to her work. Guided by her Human Design as a Projector with Splenic Authority and a 5/1 Profile, her natural intuition and insight enable her to offer support and practical solutions when invited. She thrives on deep understanding, balancing leadership with mindful energy management. Her astrological Big Three — Sun in Aries, Moon in Aquarius, and Rising in Libra — reflect her direct and energetic nature, strong need for freedom and originality, and passion for justice and community.
Carly’s name, meaning "free woman" and "warrior" in old German, resonates with her purpose. "Free woman" symbolizes her commitment to empowering sovereignty, while "warrior" reflects her dedication to embodied activism.
She is dedicated to cultivating cyclical consciousness, demonstrating the power of embodied movement, and advocating for self-healing, reconciliation, and right relationships. Currently completing her Onajigawin Indigenous Services training, which aligns with the Anishinaabe concept of being prepared as a helper, Carly enriches her ability to inspire others from a decolonial perspective.
By embodying her values, Carly creates spaces where individuals can thrive in mutual support, embracing their inner authority, freedom, and connection to nature’s rhythms, with integrity and true reconciliation at the core.
About the Collective
The upcoming course will be shaped by a collective of diverse voices, with a strong emphasis on Indigenous perspectives.
This group will bring together knowledge keepers, cultural practitioners, and leaders from various backgrounds to share their insights on decolonization, regenerative living and Indigenous resurgence.
While the collective is still forming, its future members will embody a commitment to honoring their ancestral wisdom and supporting others on their journeys toward personal and collective healing.
Rooted in a deep respect for community, diversity, and sovereignty, the collective aims to create a space where participants can connect, learn, and grow together. This collaborative effort will reflect the collective’s shared values of integrity, harmony, and the power of authentic engagement, offering a rich, multidimensional learning experience.