Chelsea and Clayton will share reflections on their lives as parents and change makers, and discuss how parents can bring decolonial actions and practice into their communities, family life and climate work.
Chelsea Vowel is Métis from manitow-sâkahikan (Lac Ste. Anne) Alberta, residing in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton). Parent to six children, she has a BEd, LLB, and MA, and is a nêhiyawêwin (Cree) language instructor and assistant lecturer in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. Chelsea's work intersects language, gender, Métis self-determination, futurisms, and resurgence. She's author of Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada, co-host of the Indigenous feminist sci-fi podcast Métis in Space, and co-founded the Métis in Space Land Trust.
Clayton Thomas-Müller is a Dad and member of the Treaty #6 based Mathias Colomb Cree Nation also known as Pukatawagan located in Northern Manitoba, Canada. Based in Winnipeg, Clayton has campaigned across Canada, Alaska and the lower 48 states organizing in hundreds of First Nations, Alaska Native and Native American communities to support Indigenous Peoples to defend their territories against the encroachment of the fossil fuel industry. Clayton is an award winning film director, media producer, organizer, facilitator, public speaker and bestselling author on Indigenous rights and environmental & economic justice. His book, Life in the City of Dirty Water, was a national bestseller and a CBC Canada Reads finalist.
Michelle Cyca is a freelance journalist and contributing editor to Maclean's. Her features, essays and literary criticism can be found in The Walrus, Chatelaine, Canadian Business, Quill & Quire, IndigiNews, and The Tyee, and her essays on parenthood have been published in Romper. She participated in the Banff Centre's Literary Journalism Residency in 2022, and was the co-publisher of SAD Mag from 2013 until 2018. Michelle is a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 6 territory, and lives in Vancouver with her family.
More info:
This is an online moderated panel, with the opportunity to ask questions in advance to help us shape the discussion. A questionnaire to gather questions and input will be shared with those registered.
This event is FREE, but we encourage you to make a pay-what-you-can donation to an Indigenous-led organization or campaign. Here are some suggestions: Indigenous Climate Action, Raven Trust, Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders, or a local community or project near you.
We encourage you to attend live to support our panelists. We don’t mind kids or life happening in the background but please note: not all topics will be suitable for young kids.
For those who can't attend live, the recording will be sent to all registrants following the event, and you can still have the opportunity to send in a question, so please do sign up.