How to create

a petition for
Indigenous
Rights Guide
By: Anna Jaison
 The 8 Steps to Create your Petition
Find your issue Find an issue that you connect with the most or the one that interests you

Establish your goal Figure out why you're doing this for or who you're doing this for

Research and gather information Learn about your issue more and understand why there needs to be a change

Audience Keep your audience in mind, who do you want to see this?

Write the message Keep it short and sweet, but be passionate and bold

Reach out to others Talk to others who also have a connection with the issue and want to make a change

Choose your platform Use 1 or more social media platforms to get the word out

Get your signatures Start collecting your signatures

 Find your
01 Issue
Issues
Find an issue that is happening in the
Indigenous community that concerns you, or
you connect with the most. For example,
putting an end to the boiling water advisory
or doing something about the high suicide
rates in the Indigenous community. Now
that have your issue, figure out who you
want to see it. It could be a certain member
of parliament or the indigenous affairs
minister. Whoever it is, remember that you
want your issue to be heard.
 02
Establish your
Goal
 Goals

Figure out why you're doing this for or who you're doing this for.
Ask your self these 3 questions.

1. What do I want to achieve?

- What is your end goal, that could be raising awareness to
mental health issue for Indigenous people.

2. Why should people care about this issue?

- Why should other people want to help this issue, what
makes your issue important and significant. Maybe your
issue is important because clean drinking water is a need
and everyone should be able to access it, even in the First
Nations community.

3. Who is your target?

- Who is the person or people that has the power to make a
change about your issue, find that person. For example, it
could be the Indigenous affairs minister.
 03
Research &
Learn
 Research
Before you write anything, you should research and gather
information about it. You should know where this is happening,
who this is happening to, and why this is happening. Make sure
you have investigated enough about your topic that you
become familiar with the knowledge about it. For example, if
you are writing about the unmarked graves, found at former
residential schools, break it down into 3 steps.
1. Who
- Who does the finding of unmarked graves affect?
➢ It affects survivors of residential schools and the families in the
Indigenous communities.

2. Where
- Where were the unmarked graves found?
➢ Around 54 unmarked graves were found in 2 former residential
schools in Saskatchewan.

3. When
- When did they find these unmarked graves?
➢ They found these unmarked graves on February 12, 2022.
 Find your
04 Audience
 Audience
Who do you want to see this? Who do you want to sign this? If you are talking
about Indigenous issues, you are most likely are going to want to talk to
people who are in the Indigenous community, people who care about the
issue, and Indigenous people who are affected Use the ideas that will convince
them the most. Keep in mind that while most people aren't experts on the
subject, they do care about it.by it. For example
 05
Start Writing
 Write the messages
When writing, keep this section brief and to the point. Begin with a two or three
sentence summary of the problem. Add up to three facts to back up your statement.
Have a powerful, clear message. A good message is captivating, short, consistent,
and has control over the issue's context. It serves as the foundation for all of your
online and offline conversations. If you are making a petition about ending
discrimination against First Nations people, here’s how it might look like.

Example
Indigenous discrimination in Canada has been an ongoing and pressing issue for years. Incarceration
rates of Indigenous peoples are at an all time high, as Indigenous men make up 25.2% of all federally
imprisoned males and indigenous women account for 36.1% of all federally imprisoned females.
Currently, more than a quarter of inmates in Canadian prisons are Aboriginal but only 5% of Canadians
are indigenous. There is a complete lack of funding for health services for Indigenous people in
comparison to the availability of these services provincially. Furthermore, there is a lack of services for
those with mental health issues, leaving people and children to suffer on their own. First nations people
have the highest rate of suicide in any Canadian province, yet the least provision of help. The
Government of Canada must step in, take control, and make the changes necessary. Funding must be
increased for health services, support must be provided for those with mental health issues, and the gap
must be closed in regards to employment income rates. We must act now.

Petiton By: Shayle Dalson

https://www.change.org/p/government-of-canada-stop-discrimination-against-indigenous-peoples-
in-canada
 06
Reach out
 Reach out to others
Talk to others who also have a
connection with the issue and want to
make a change. Why should people
care about your issue? This is where
you make your case, and stand out
from the crowd. What makes your
petition different than others.A
personal story is frequently quite
successful as well? If making a petition
about the government needing to
reconcile with survivors of Residential
schools, talk to someone who has is
personally connected.
Example
“Boys sometimes peed their bed, and the counsellor would make us form
two lines facing each other with our belt in our hands. And as each of the
person that was being punished for peeing the bed [passed], we would have
to whip them with our belt as they passed to the lines. I chose not to with my
friends, and as a result, I had to go through that line and get whipped myself.
And each time their punishment took place, I chose not to whip them, but to
get punished with them.I'd seen one of my friends with a chocolate bar, and I
asked him where he got it. And he said he got it from a male supervisor
called Mr. Plint. You know, so I went and asked him if I could have a chocolate
bar. And he said he hasn't got one, but if I go back while everybody's asleep,
he'd give me one. So I waited for everybody to fall asleep. And I went to him,
went to his office. And he showed me into his bedroom that was attached to
the office. That's where the sexual abuse stopped.” - Story by John Jones
(Residential school survivor)
 Choose
07 your
platfrom
 Platforms
Now that you are done making your petition. It’t time to get the
word out. Email your friends and family, and post it on social
media platforms. Make posters, websites, infographics and more.
The more you post about it, the more people will acknowledge it
and see it. Putting your petition allows people all over the globe.
Here are some examples of other people posting their petitions
about First Nation issues online.
 08
Start Collecting
 Signatures
This is your last and final step, all you need to do now is
collect signatures. You are not limited to only expanding
your petition online. There are other ways to collect
signatures offline, such as taking a hard copy of your
petition to work/school or going door-to-door in your
community. This has the extra benefit of reaching those
who may not use or have connection to the web. For
example, if your petition is about the boiling water
advisory, go to the people who are actually affected by it,
and people who want change to happen.
 Citations
Chang, Jonathan, and Meghna Chakrabarti. “Stories from Canada's Indigenous Residential School Survivors.” Stories From

Canada's Indigenous Residential School Survivors | On Point, WBUR, 28 July 2021,

https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2021/07/28/stories-from-survivors-of-canadas-indigenous-residential-schools.

Dalson , Shayle. “Sign the Petition.” Change.org, Change , 2021,

https://www.change.org/p/government-of-canada-stop-discrimination-against-indigenous-peoples-in-canada.

Mcsleen , Mark. “Tips on How to Run a Great Campaign.” 38 Degrees, 38 Degrees, 19 May 2021,

https://home.38degrees.org.uk/cby-tips/.

Zoc, Meziadin. “Indigenous People.” Topic · Indigenous People · Change.org, 2020,

https://www.change.org/t/indigenous-people.