6 Degrees Vancouver

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Are You Home?

Presented in partnership with vancity, SFU public square, and SFU international.

6 Degrees Vancouver will explore citizenship and inclusion in a world that demands answers now.

Monday, April 24, 2017
8am–5pm

SFU Goldcorp Centre
for the Arts



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The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson, John Ralston Saul, Angela Sterritt, Ivan E Coyote, Max FineDay, Mohammed Alsaleh, Rima Berns-McGown, Natalie Chapdelaine, Nelofer Pazira, Sirish Rao, Nadine Caron, David Arnot

The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson
26th Governor General of Canada, author of Belonging, Co-Chair, Institute for Canadian Citizenship
John Ralston Saul
Essayist and novelist, author of The Collapse of Globalism, Co-Chair, Institute for Canadian Citizenship
Angela Sterritt
Award-winning journalist, writer, and artist
Ivan E Coyote
Renowned writer, performer, and advocate
Max FineDay
Co-Executive Director, Canadian Roots Exchange
Mohammed Alsaleh
Refugee Resettlement Counsellor, Immigrant Services Society of BC
Rima Berns-McGown
Strategic thinker, change-maker, writer, respected and award-winning researcher
Natalie Chapdelaine
Innoweave Manager, Québec and Francophone Communities, The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation
Nelofer Pazira
Award-winning journalist, filmmaker, and human rights activist
Sirish Rao
Festival producer, writer, and cultural curator
Nadine Caron
First female First Nations general surgeon, mother
David Arnot
Chief Commissioner of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, former Treaty Commissioner for the Province of Saskatchewan

About 6 Degrees

6 Degrees Vancouver

For refugees, immigrants, Indigenous peoples and settlers, notions of home are complex. In Canada—and particularly in unceded Coast Salish territory—questions of home, belonging, and who is welcoming whom are constantly scrutinized. Who is “home” in Canada and who is not? How do we reconcile home with place of origin? Are you home?

Canada, which some say is still becoming a country, may indeed find itself the last defender of pluralism, liberalism, and even globalization with its principles of equality and inclusion. But are these the luxuries of prosperity and geography and if so, how do we firmly fix them into our national identity? Never before have our ideals and self-conceptions been so closely examined nationally and internationally. 6 Degrees Vancouver explores the roles, responsibilities and the potential of Canada in 2017 to see whether we have our own house in order and if not, how we can shore up our foundations.

6 Degrees
Citizen Space

6 Degrees Citizen Space, the global platform on citizenship and inclusion in the 21st century, is an initiative of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, co-founded and co-chaired by The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson, 26th Governor General of Canada, and John Ralston Saul, one of Canada's leading intellectuals. 6 Degrees involves the brightest minds and the boldest methods. It brings thinkers, doers, business executives, artists, politicians, and civil society leaders together in order to get them talking about what is really happening in the world. The annual 3-day Citizen Space will take place in Toronto, Canada, on September 25-27.

For information about 6 Degrees please visit 6degreesto.com

Visit 6degreesto.com

Program

8–9am

Registration

9–9:15am

Welcome

9:15–10:45am

360: Feeling at Home

Home suggests more than a physical space. It evokes belonging, shelter, acceptance, and sanctuary. But what makes any human feel “at home”? Canada houses first peoples and settlers, but is residency a guarantor of belonging? How do we embrace and respect different understandings of space and territory, and profound ties to other places and cultures, as we continue to co-create our forever unfinished nation? What are the cultural connectors that enable people to feel they belong in this vast place? Who is “home” and who is not?

10:45–11:15am

Break

11:15am–12:30pm

Open Exchanges

12:30–2pm

Lunch

2–3:30pm

360: Being at home

Inclusion is deeper and harder to achieve than diversity. Are Canadian institutions drivers of an inclusive society, or are they establishments promoting pre-formulated values and agendas? How have structures and systems shaped the Canadian model? Have our policies served everyone fairly?

The popular narrative frames Canada as a sanctuary of equality. Is this the case? Has it ever been? How do we collectively recognize and address our shortcomings, while strengthening the structures necessary to nurture genuine inclusion?

3:30–4pm

Break

4–5:15pm

Open Forum

5:30pm

Reception

SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts

Fei & Milton Wong
Experimental Theatre

149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver

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Join the Conversation

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Contact Us

6 Degrees:
Alain Pescador

SFU:
Janet Webber

For media inquiries contact:

6 Degrees Vancouver is an initiative of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and is presented in partnership with Vancity, SFU Public Square, and SFU International.

Institute for Canadian Citizenship Vancity
SFU Public Square SFU International