Witnessing the impacts of tawâw on public administration and policy in the City of New Westminster; Indigenous Ways of Knowing are dismantling silos and transforming service delivery and policy in a Canadian Municipality
Date
2025
Authors
Tailfeathers, Jessica
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Abstract
An Indigenous-aligned program, tawâw, created by Indigenous Relations Advisor, Christina Coolidge, is held weekly at New Westminster’s City Hall and invites City Staff from various departments to share soup and Bannock with their Elder-in-residence, Elder William. tawâw is an in-person only program that provides a non-hierarchical, safe space that fosters relationship-building, storytelling, and communal eating amongst colleagues. tawâw created opportunities for policy and service delivery impacts on the City of New Westminster, by using Indigenous approaches to learning and relationship-building, resulting in a positive workplace community and culture that increased employee engagement. The research employs a qualitative approach using a two-eyed seeing methodology, integrating Indigenous and Western methodologies to understand the policy and relationship impacts of the program within a colonial system. Grounded theory and case study methodologies were used to explore the impacts on municipal employees and policies. Data collection included journaling, observational notetaking, table-top discussions, and semi-structured interviews, involving 74 unique participants. The findings reveal a conceptual framework of three nested circles — The Self, The Community, and The Greater Community — each influenced by Christina Coolidge and Elder William. The program impacts individual experiences, fosters a sense of community, and influences broader service delivery and policy. It was realized that tawâw is not just a program, but a community and a community of practice. To replicate the success of tawâw, organizations should consider hiring an Indigenous Relations Team, implementing cross-departmental Communities of Practice, holding weekly meetings with an Elder, supporting Indigenous employees with multi-year contracts, and organizing in-person communal gatherings for employees and partners to foster relationships, engage employees and improve service deliver.
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Keywords
tawâw+public administration+policy+Indigenous Ways of Knowing+silos+transforming+service delivery+Canadian municipality+relationship-building+storytelling+participatory action+communing+food+employee engagement+employee performance+healing+community of practice+community development+two-eye-seeing+in-person