Nbisiing Indigenous
Cultural Competency Training

Nbisiing can support your Indigenous awareness or Truth and Reconciliation training goals for your corporate team. This training is certain to improve your relationships and project work with First Nations, Métis, Inuit and urban-based Indigenous communities. Contact us today to discuss your corporate training needs!

Call (416) 770-8567 or email: info@bobgoulais.com
Set up a virtual meeting to discuss your training needs.

Please Note: Currently, we don’t offer individual training opportunities. We offer only corporate training for teams.

The Nbisiing Indigenous Cultural Competency Training course is unique. There is no other training like it in Canada.
Learning is guided by Indigenous wisdom and decades of professional Indigenous Relations experience.

This Indigenous cultural competency course is designed to build personal and organizational cultural competency and introduce concepts of cultural safety in working with First Nations, Métis and Inuit.  This immersive and interactive course provides learners with a lived-experience perspective on Indigenous culture, nationhood, the history of Indigenous peoples. We provide an appropriate emphasis on Truth including the history and legacy of colonialism, the Indian Act, Residential Schools, the 60s Scoop, and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

For those seeking specific training on Indigenous Relations, this Indigenous cultural competency course will cover relationship building, Aboriginal and Treaty Rights, the Duty to Consult, and wise practices for Indigenous engagement, and provide learners with unmatched expertise in Indigenous relations experience.

Finally, this course will also offer a Pathway to Reconciliation, focussed on the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Nbisiing also provides invaluable and unique insight into the importance of Indigenous ways of knowing and being, protocols, ceremony, spirituality, and Indigenous traditional knowledge.

From the Facilitator

Course Description

4-hour, Virtual Instructor-led Course

$1,925up to 50 participants
  • Offered through Zoom, Webex, MS Teams, or Google Meet.

Full-Day, In-person Course

$2,88750up to 30 participants
  • Offered using Indigenous protocols, in a local, Indigenous space where possible.

Questions and Answers

Who should consider taking this training?

Nbisiing Consulting has offered the Indigenous cultural competency course to:

  • Governments and Public Sector organizations
  • Land Owners and Real Estate developers
  • Natural Resource developers
  • Planners, architects, builders
  • Existing project teams
  • Public engagement firms
  • Colleges, Universities, and Trade Schools
  • Hospitals, health centres, long-term care homes
  • Companies wanting to develop relationships with Indigenous peoples
  • Media organizations
  • Not-for-profit companies
  • Any organizations working towards Truth and Reconciliation
What makes the Nbisiing training unique?

Culturally-based – The Nbisiing Indigenous Cultural Competency Training is offered, first and foremost, using Indigenous values and ways of knowing and being. Essentially, it is entirely culturally-based, and immerses the learner in Indigneous values, perspectives and concepts. However, we also use cutting edge technology, multi-media tools, and modern learning methods.

Authenticity – This course is offered by a First Nations teacher, with a lifetime of lived experience, and decades of professional Indigenous relations experience. The course includes Indigenous wisdom, and offered with the support of Indigenous elders.

Safe and Non-Judgemental – The training offers respect to all levels of learners, and offered without judgement or shame.

What is Cultural Competency?

Culturally Proficient Inquiry: A Lens for Identifying and Examining Education Gaps defines cultural competency as the capacity to interact compassionately, sensitively and effectively with people of different cultures.

Given that this training is, most often, part of workplace learning, Nbisiing also works to develop professional competencies in working with Indigenous peoples. In other words, we work to provide participants with the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviours that contribute to individual and organizational improvement in the area of Indigenous Relations.

How much experience does Nbisiing have?

This Indigenous Cultural Competency Training has been offered to over 8,000 learners who have been delighted with their learning and how it has impacted both their professional and personal lives.

Bob Goulais has been providing Indigenous Awareness training for over 20 years, to private sector, public sector and to First Nations, Métis and Inuit audiences. We don’t like to name drop but would be happy to provide references.

What is meant by an “immersive experience”?

From the very opening of the training, you will be a part of Indigenous ceremony, in the presence of the sacred bundle, handling sacred items, and making use of traditional Anishinaabe protocols. This type of learning goes beyond reaching your mind  – it is designed to reach your spirit.

Course topics include:

  • Traditional Opening
  • Offering meaningful Land Acknowledgements
  • Terminology
  • Time Immemorial
  • Indigenous Nationhood
  • Culture Clash
  • Treaties and Treaty Making
  • The Indian Act
  • Residential Schools
  • 60s Scoop
  • Missing and Murder Indigenous Women and Girls
  • Being Trauma Informed
  • A Pathway to Reconciliation
  • Truth and Reconciliation
  • TRC’s Calls to Action
  • UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
  • Culture, strength and resiliency
  • Indigenous cultural frameworks
  • Traditional Indigenous values
  • Contemporary History, 1950-present
  • Working with Indigenous peoples
  • Engaging rights-holders and local Indigenous communities
  • The Duty to Consult
  • Effective Community Engagement
  • Cultural Safety
  • Bias and Contemporary Stereotypes
  • Allyship
  • Two Row Wampum and 8th Fire Teaching
  • Closing Words and Advice

For More Information on Training:

Call (416) 770-8567 or email: info@bobgoulais.com
Set up a virtual meeting to discuss your training needs.

Please Note: Currently, we don’t offer individual training opportunities. We offer only corporate training for teams.

Feedback from Nbisiing Cultural Competency Training:

“This was the most exceptional training experience of all the public service courses I have taken.”

“This was a fantastic training. A huge thank you to the facilitators for dealing with a very painful and sensitive topic in an enlightening and positive way, even making us laugh at times with Bob’s engaging style!  Well done. I will definitely be recommending this course to others.”

“This course was amazing, loved the circle method of training as it made everyone actually pay attention. The real life experiences presented was very real and a great way to learn. The facilitators were wonderful as they spoke about lived experiences and true knowledge they knew and not something so textbook.”

“This is the best course I have taken in my 19 years with the City. This course should be mandatory to all public service employees. Can’t wait for more. The facilitators are amazing people and great facilitators.”

“Invaluable experience!  Expansive knowledge and understanding of course content. The perfect balance between hands on experiences and detailed information. Listening, sharing and participation was welcome and encouraged. Sharing felt natural and not forced or coerced.”

— Various Training Participants