We had the pleasure of having Amy Smith, originally from Calmar, Alberta speak to us this week. Amy has been living in Australia since 2018 and is a Senior RAP Officer for Reconciliation Australia. (RAP is an acronym for Reconciliation Action Plan). Reconciliation Australia was established in 2001 and is the lead body on reconciliation in the nation. They are an independent not-for-profit organization which promotes and facilitates reconciliation by building relationships, respect and trust between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Amy's history with Rotary goes back to her high school days in Calmar, where her school principal got her involved with Interact which Amy claims changed her trajectory in life. Amy was the first president of the Interact club in Calmar and during her final year of her bachelor of arts degree, she was president of the University of Alberta Rotaract club. After graduation, she joined the Rotoract Club of Edmonton.
Amy talked about the importance of reconciliation work in advancing Indigenous rights and the areas where Canada and Australia can learn from each other’s experiences with ongoing settler-colonialism. Amy commented on how similar the two countries are in terms of issues surrounding the Indigenous peoples in both Canada and Australia.
Being a Métis woman living abroad has only grown her passion for ensuring Indigenous voices are represented in foreign affairs and that our cultures and histories are shared and portrayed accurately. Of the two years she spent studying at the University of Queensland, the Rotary Global Scholarship recipient says, “it was exactly everything I could have wanted from the experience. Amy graduated in December 2019, with a Master’s of development practice with a specialization in the social and cultural aspects of development. Thank you for your willingness to attend our meeting this week Amy, it was a pleasure to have you! Best wishes to you and continued successes in all your future endeavors Amy!