Chrystal Tabobandung

Chrystal Tabobandung RAISE Indigenous Cultural Awareness & Competency Training Website: https://www.raise-indigenous-cultural-training.com/

Chrystal Tabobandung is confronting history head-on. As the founder of the award-winning Indigenous business, RAISE (Indigenous Cultural Awareness & Competency Training), she is creating vital spaces for dialogue, education, and understanding, driven by a powerful blend of academic knowledge and profound lived experience. A proud Anishnabekwe of the Ojibway tribe from Wasauksing First Nation, Chrystal’s path has been one of dedicated learning and advocacy. She graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in First Nations Studies and holds an Associate Arts Degree in Indigenous Government Studies from the Institute of Indigenous Government. This formal education, combined with her personal journey and volunteer work in First Nations communities, has empowered her to be a thoughtful and effective advocate for her people. The inspiration for RAISE came after she graduated from university and had an overwhelming realization: most people were only encountering Indigenous history and culture at a post-secondary level, if at all. As she connected with various businesses and organizations, she saw a significant and growing need for authentic cultural awareness training. "Organizations are becoming aware that they are on Indigenous territory," she notes, "and feel that it is imperative to educate their workers about the land they occupy." RAISE was born from this need, offering workshops designed to help companies and individuals increase their knowledge, enhance self-awareness, and strengthen the skills of those working with Indigenous peoples.

Chrystal is clear that her training is unique. "What you'll get in my workshops is my personal lived experience of how colonialism and genocide affected me, my people, and my community," she explains. "As an Indigenous woman (Anishnabe kwe of the Ojibway tribe), I am greatly impacted by all of the issues that I am sharing with you." Her workshops courageously delve into the historical effects of colonization, focusing on critical topics like Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans, and Two-Spirit individuals (MMIWGT2S), assimilation, and decolonization. Chrystal knows she is dealing with uncomfortable topics, but she firmly believes it is a truth that both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people must confront together. Chrystal Tabobandung's work with RAISE is a powerful act of truth-telling. She understands that Indigenous peoples have lived in the shadows for far too long. With courage and conviction, she is stepping into the light, ensuring that this generation and the next have the strength to do the same. “It’s now time that we tell our story from our perspective,” she asserts, “so that it gives the next generation that same ability, strength, and courage to do the same.” Of the Canadian Centre for Aboriginal Entrepreneurship CCAE Indigenous Business and Entrepreneurship Skills Training BEST Program, Chrystal says “CCAE’s instructor Zechariah is a highly astute business and marketing consultant; the vast knowledge he has and brings to the table is a benefit to anyone looking for a public speaker, business and/or marketing consultant. I would absolutely recommend Zechariah.”