Today we were visited by Lorelei Parker, known by her ancestral name as Blue Thunder Spirit Woman. She is a Metis Canadian Cultural Mediator, a Rotary Peace Fellow, a Positive Peace Activator and a Governor General's Canadian Leadership Program alumna. Lorelei has worked across the globe but her current role is the Team Lead for the City of Calgary's Indigenous Relations Office working to advance the city's commitments to Truth and Reconciliation. She is also a consultant Mediators Beyond Borders International, Canadian Equality Consulting and Ottawa Dialogue, cultivating projects that focus on global indigenous matters, anti-racism and human rights.

In addition to obtaining an MBA with a leadership specialty, Lorelei has served as Mrs. Unity World Elite, Mrs. World Elite Canada and Mrs. Canada Globe - platforms that have provided a voice to advance female leadership in peacebuilding efforts and global action research. 

Lorelei sums up her impressive resume and accomplishments by noting “Rotary made me do it!” Lorelei wove an history of her families roots in the Canadian fur trade and early Metis culture into her journey, noting how she had benefitted from her experiences early on as a Rotary Peace Fellow. She describes peacebuilding as astakisowin (belonging)) and conflict transformation. We often view peacebuilding as a having a military aspect but the process is about increasing connectors and decreasing dividers. This concept can be scaled up or down from nations to individual people and applied to our everyday lives.

“What is peacebuilding – it’s the things you do everyday”

Peacebuilding is everyone, every single day. It includes all the small acts of kindness and connectivity that contribute to the growth and development of peaceful communities. 

Lorelei related her experiences of the the community Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc (Kamloops) residential school, sharing that it is important to sit in the Truth as part of Truth and Reconciliation and at the same time to move forward with hope. Shortly after having a closed mourning period after the finding of the remains of the 215 children in 2021, the Nation re-opened the leases on the soccer fields so that people could come back to be part of the space. Coming back to the space in her family means her children are the first generation in her immediate family to be connected to their Indigenous identities from birth - due to the long lasting impacts and experiences of the residential school program and assimilation policies her family have experienced directly. 

“They have grown up proud of who they are, they are learning to speak our language and participate in our ceremonies and cultural traditions. It is amazing to see this shift generationally.”

Lorelei went on to credit Rotary for knowledge, training and giving her a foundation to turn words into action. From my perspective, the point Lorelei made about peacebuilding being something inside of us that we can do everyday really resonated with me as we navigate a society that feels polarized and increasingly angry or at the very least dissatisfied right now. Small acts of kindness, kindness and consideration combined with civility and grace builds connectivity between us and peace within and around each of us.

Thank you Lorelei for sharing your knowledge, experiences and perspective with us today!