Setting up the engagement
Once a reply has been received, plan the engagement with consideration for the Indigenous modern treaty holder’s needs, aspirations, and input, as well as their schedules and cultural calendar. Talk to the Indigenous modern treaty holder about a reasonable timeline for engagement and provide a range of possible dates.
If the engagement is an event, ask about meeting preferences (online or in person) and be aware of all the protocols. Be in contact with the Indigenous modern treaty holder beforehand to coordinate and identify whom to invite and how.
Confirm meetings beforehand and send out a reminder. Send documents such as the agenda and any materials ahead of time. Discuss who will take notes and who will do the follow-up or next steps.
You will need to be adaptable to events in the life of the community (e.g. an unforeseen event). Also keep in mind planning with all reasonable attempts to remove barriers to participation.
As mentioned earlier, Indigenous modern treaty holders can receive hundreds of engagement requests every year and are already dealing with many internal demands each day.
Engagement workload can thus be a significant burden for Indigenous modern treaty holders who are already under-resourced organizations and governments. Therefore, this must be well coordinated and hopefully resourced from your side to ensure proper and meaningful engagement.
