About ACFS:

As a charity, Amici Curiae Friendship Society 法庭之友 (AC) volunteers help British Columbians understand legal procedures and complete their paperwork, regardless of their means. For free. Members of AC recognize that their work is in service of the community; they are not experts in the lives of others, and must adopt cultural humility and trauma-informed practice when engaging with communities.

As an organization that serves clients throughout British Columbia, AC acknowledges the traditional territories of the many diverse Indigenous Peoples in the geographic areas we serve.

About the Project

AC continues to see the intergenerational impact of the injustices that Indigenous people continue to  experience. Since 2011, we have continued to receive referrals from the BC Human Rights Tribunal and the Community Legal Assistance Society Human Rights Clinic. In our recent consultations with both groups observed that there is a very high number of Indigenous claims and that there is an opportunity to collaborate to increase capacity.

Racial injustice is the source of many everyday legal issues that confront Indigenous persons. Based on our records, we think there are other legal areas where Indigenous persons need help in: tenancy, employment, family and civil matters, just to name a few.

The starting point has to be establishing trust. In this project, we hope to begin building trust by having conversations with the community.

We want to approach communities with the utmost humility. We want to learn about their current needs; and to reciprocate by sharing the information that we have gathered from the communities. AC wants to identify the various Indigenous communities around the province; and to begin exploratory discussions with a number of bands or nations, to see if their members have particular legal needs and if they want AC to assist in.

Position Description: 

Reporting to the Executive Director and our Indigenous Services Group managers, the Indigenous Community Engagement Coordinators will be hired for this project to conduct an environmental scan of Indigenous organizations, bands, and councils that serve Indigenous populations, including the Indian Day School Survivors Society, BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, and the BC First Nations Justice Council.

The community engagement coordinators will conduct research to identify Indigenous reserves, nations and community groups provincially to conduct a needs assessment of what their members need in terms of legal services. This needs assessment will illustrate the ongoing barriers including intergenerational harms members experience, and the services they need in order to achieve access to justice. Upon contact, Indigenous groups and organizations will be asked if they are interested in collaborating with AC on this project to better capture the legal needs of their members. Upon agreement, the coordinators will collaborate with the organizations to find out what, if any, law related gaps these organizations and their members might have. The community engagement coordinators will tactfully consider how to conduct respectful and appropriate engagements with each of these Indigenous groups that honours their time and shared experiences.

A significant portion of the coordinators’ work will involve matters of a confidential and sensitive nature. The coordinators  will be required to sign AC’s Service Letter.

Overview of Duties: 

The successful applicants will have the opportunity to

1) Conduct research to identify and collate a list of small community group organizations that serve racialized populations, starting with the Lower Mainland

2) Engage in outreach with Indigenous communities to build meaningful relationships. Community engagement may involve attending in-person networking events, supporting partner events, site visits, etc. 

3) Collaborate with these identified organizations to design and execute a needs assessment through varied types of community engagement opportunities 

4) Note the findings of these needs assessments in a final report that will be shared with AC's Executive Director to review. This report will determine AC's next course of action and will also be shared with the general public.

5) Attend and support AC events, programming, and strategic meetings. 

6) Other relevant duties. 

Education & Experience 

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline (eg: Indigenous Studies, Social Justice, History, Social Work, Humanities, Law, Education, Social Sciences, etc). Minimum of two years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience. 
• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own.
• Demonstrates a commitment to cultural humility and enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, anti-racism, and reconciliation.
• Candidates who identify as an Indigenous person are encouraged to apply and will be prioritized. 

Knowledge & Abilities:

• Familiarity with Indigenous history, contemporary issues, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, policies (UNDRIP, DRIPA) or a willingness to learn.
• Familiarity with Indigenous protocols of engagement, ways of knowing and knowledge sharing practices. 
• Proven experience in managing initiatives with diverse stakeholder groups in complex, sometimes ambiguous and decentralized organizations. 
• Proven experience in the development and delivery of equity, diversity and inclusion programming. 
• Demonstrated approach to community engagement with racialized communities using a trauma-informed lens.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a team, collaborating effectively with a variety of partners and across various project deliverables.
• Strong project management, prioritization and planning skills in the design and delivery of equity, diversity and inclusion programs. 
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with a demonstrated ability of disseminating complex information to audiences with mixed levels of understanding. 
• Ability to communicate sensitive information to, and collaborate with, a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• Proven experience in fostering relationships with stakeholders, community groups, and team members.
• Ability to connect and engage with marginalized communities based on credibility or gained from lived experiences.
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate workshops, meetings, and events with multidisciplinary staff to achieve effective outcomes. 
• Strong command of general software applications (MS Word, Outlook), and computer apps (Zoom, Teams, Sync, Slack).
• Flexibility to attend programs, events, and conferences scheduled outside of standard university hours of operations, including evenings and weekends.
• Some travel within the Lower Mainland may be required.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: legalformsbc.ca

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation: 

Equity, diversity, and using a trauma-sensitive approach are central to this project and Amici Curiae Friendship Society’s work. All applicants are encouraged to apply, but preference will be given to those applicants who identify as an Indigenous person as part of their application.

We would like to thank all external applicants for their interest but regret that only those shortlisted will be contacted.