The way in which we speak of “other”, we “other” people, and by othering people, we put them at a disadvantage to being equal to us. I am a first nations person coming from a poor background and a community that didn't have people going in to be a judge, or to be a lawyer, or to be a president and CEO of a college. That wasn't even heard of. What happened was people. People empower other people, not money, not services, not things. You can throw money at wonderful things until you think that you're doing a good job, but we continue to “other” people. That's what I think we need to address when I talk about how this is a “we” thing. This is our problem; it's not their problem or these people. We need to stop othering people and start using a language that is inclusive, that brings equity to our discussions and allows people to come in.
The reason that this strategy is exciting for me, and the reason I think it's going to be 100% achievable is that they went to the people first. They didn't have the academicians, they didn't have the social workers, the social services agencies, coming and saying, “This is the solution.” They went to the people. What better than to have a person say, “Do you know what? It's really hard for me to think about getting an education when I'm worrying about where the next meal is coming from. It's really hard for me to think about feeding my family when I want to know, am I going to have a roof over their heads?”
That is what I grew up with, and I am privileged now that the Creator gave me an opportunity to receive with one hand and to give with the other. I am very passionate about what is happening here. I'm very excited to be of service.