The QCIR Team
Mission Statement
The QCIR is committed to the promotion of Reconciliation in all facets of life in what is now known as Canada, with specific attention to the legal and business spaces.
General Mandate
The Queen’s Conference on Indigenous Reconciliation is a student-run conference planned and executed with community partners and other thought-leaders in the Reconciliation space.
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Community partners and thought-leaders will be chosen and partnered with based on their work in the field, with care taken to include Indigenous voices at all stages.
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The QCIR executive will be chosen from the Queen’s University student body.
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The focus of each conference will be Reconciliation in business and law, but this will include Reconciliation in other facets of daily life as well, including but not limited to education, politics, and social life.
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The Conference executive will actively seek out partnerships with on-campus Indigenous organizations in event planning, conference planning, and on-campus advocacy.
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QCIR executive members will maintain a level of integrity which reflects the integrity of the QCIR and its affiliates.
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Remaining in good financial standing.
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QCIR members will be responsible for:
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Their individual mandates outlined later in this document.
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Maintaining correspondence with the Queen’s University faculty, student body, and community partners through their QCIR emails.
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Writing a transition report for the successor of their mandate.
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The Executive Committee
The executive committee will be selected by the Co-Chairs after a spring recruit. The remaining positions will be filled by a fall recruit, at the beginning of the fall semester.
Co-Chairs
Co-Chairs are responsible for the general health and oversight of the executive committee and for ensuring that the club remains in good standing. The position includes many responsibilities, including:
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Acting as the official spokesperson of the QCIR
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Selecting incoming team members from the applicant pool.
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Managing the team workflow and assisting with tasks where necessary, delegating tasks, and overseeing the general planning of the Conference.
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Ensuring that all events, correspondence, and general Conference image is inclusive, just, and promotes a professional image for the Conference.
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Working in tandem with the VP External for relations with community partners and other on-campus organizations.
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Facilitating the transition between the succeeding team.
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Working in tandem with the VP Internal for the facilitation of all administrative and logistical tasks.
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Ensuring that all materials and core planning are prepared to begin more intensive planning in the fall semester of the mandate.
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Stepping in to fill any vacancies until a recruit may be held for the position.
VP Internal
The VP Internal is responsible for the internal organization and logistics coordination for the conference, overseeing the tech and logistics team, venue contracts, and other vendor communications. Specifically, the VP Internal is responsible for:
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Keeping the team organized
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Scheduling meetings
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Recording and sharing meeting minutes
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Drafting email communications and filling out forms
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Overseeing the tech and logistics coordinators
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The main point of contact for speakers and vendors regarding event space and any travel booking
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Ensuring that accessibility is at the heart of all of the logistics of the conference
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Creating a transition report for the following year
VP External
The VP External is responsible for the external organization and coordination for the conference, overseeing the speakers team and sponsor relationships. Specifically, the VP Internal is responsible for:
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Making sure that the QCIR is connecting effectively with other on-campus organizations, students, and off-campus organizations
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Creating new partnership and maintaining relationships with old partners
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Overseeing the speakers team
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Ensuring that the speakers team maintains a reasonable timeline and open line of communication with our confirmed speakers.
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Assisting in planning annual events and the general structure of the conference
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Ensuring that accessibility is at the heart of all of the content of the conference
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Creating a transition report for the following year
VP Finance
The VP Finance is responsible for the financial health of the conference, including:
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Annual transition of the bank account to the new team, and new financial team lead (will require a bank appointment with Queens letterhead).
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Ensure we have a bank account where sponsorship payment can be made easily
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Create and monitor the budget
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Work closely with the sponsorship team to bring in money and determine financial needs
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Track and manage the bank account
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Complete reimbursement forms when reimbursing team members
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Manage speaker payments
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Manage the finance email and ensure all communications are timely and up to date
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Ensure the conference is financially accessible to all those who wish to participate.
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Create a transition report for the following year.
Sponsorship Coordinators
Sponsorship Coordinators are responsible for contacting, finding new, and following through with individuals and organizations interested in supporting the conference through both financial and non-financial means. This includes:
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Creating/editing the sponsorship package
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Attract and communicate with potential sponsors, and liaise with past sponsors to gauge interest in sponsoring the conference for another year
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Meeting with sponsors as needed
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Managing the sponsorship email and ensuring all communications are up to date
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Lead and organize networking events with sponsors
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Ensure the sponsorship name and logos are being collected and shared with the appropriate teams
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Ensuring that all sponsors are engaged in active Reconciliation efforts, and that sponsor values are aligned with that of the conference
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Create a transition report for the following year.
Speakers Coordinators
Speakers Coordinators ensure that the conference is ready to run with a sufficient number of speakers for each event. Their role includes:
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Researching, finding, contacting, and corresponding with potential speakers, workshop facilitators, and panelists for events and the conference
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Once speakers are confirmed, coordinating with other teams to ensure speaker information is shared with the team (i.e., Tech & Logs & Marketing)
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Drafting email communications with speakers
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Ensuring that speakers are in good standing in academic and entrepreneurial spaces
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Focusing on amplifying the voices of Indigenous Peoples as a priority of the conference
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Create the transition report for the following year.
Marketing Coordinators
Marketing and Communications Coordinators are responsible for the digital presence and promotion of the QCIR. Their role includes and is not limited to:
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Planning at the beginning of the year, alongside the Co-Chairs, the marketing and communications strategy for the year.
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Management of the social media accounts of the QCIR.
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Caption, program, and all other formal external communications drafting.
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Graphics creation.
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Brand management.
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Ensuring that the marketing content released by the QCIR is accessible, inclusive, and just.
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Liaising with community partners and on-campus organizations to foster marketing partnerships.
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Attending executive committee meetings at least once a month, or as determined at the beginning of the mandate by the Co-Chairs and VP Internal.
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Creating an annual transition report for the incoming team.
Delegate Coordinator
The Delegate Coordinator is responsible for the accessibility of our conference and the delegate experience. Their role includes and is not limited to:
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Working with the marketing and design coordinator to ensure that our content is drawing attendees to the conference
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Making sure that information about our conference is being shared as widely and effectively as possible
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Responding to and planning for attendee accessibility requirements
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Mediating online and in person attendance to make sure that both options are equally valuable
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Ensuring venues and food options are as accessible as possible
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Organizing and executing attendee panel and workshop selection, and organizing delegate packages and materials
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Creating, with the Tech and Logistics team, Speakers team, and Core Planning team, an ‘emergency plan’ for both true emergencies and less-pressing eventualities, like power outages and speakers failing to appear.
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Ensuring our conference and the space which it occupies is inclusive, accessible, and just in the content it presents, the topics it discusses, and the format that it takes on.
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Preparation of an annual transition report for the benefit of the incoming team.
Tech Coordinators
Tech and Logistics Coordinators are responsible for the day-to-day running of the conference, and the accessibility of the conference. This includes:
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Scheduling Zoom meetings and creating links
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Regulating technology at events, ensuring technology at event is running smoothly, ensuring audio and video is functioning properly
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Coordinating and scheduling speakers with the communications team and coordinating availabilities
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Setting up hotels and accommodations for speakers, when an in-person event is possible
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Updating website as needed
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Ensuring that the conference is as accessible as possible, including online and in person spaces.
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Creating an annual transition report for the incoming team.
Gallery Coordinators
Gallery Coordinators are responsible for the planning and running of the QCIR’s annual gallery night. This responsibility is for a one-night event that opens the conference, including the tasks of:
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Working with the Co-Chairs to determine the gallery focus and format.
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Working with the Marketing and Communications Coordinators to plan a recruitment campaign for creators, and/or sourcing creators from their own networks.
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Ensuring that a majority of creators are Indigenous-identifying.
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Centering the discussion and facilitating dialogue around the colonialism of art, and particularly the violent history associated with Indigenous art in so-called Canada.
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Working with the VP of Finance and Tech and Logistics for the financial and logistical planning of the event.
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Ensuring that the gallery is inclusive, accessible*, and just in the content it presents, the topics it discusses, the creators it accesses, and the format it takes on.
General Volunteers
General Volunteers are sought on an as-needed basis, and recruit will take place at the discretion of the Co-Chairs and VP Internal. Because of this as-needed basis, General Volunteers tasks may also change year to year, but will generally include:
1. Assisting with set up and tear down of events
2. Note taking, accessibility assistance, and any other day-of tasks which may be required
3. Light food service for buffet meals
4. Assistance with the promotion of the conference to the student body
5. Selection and editing of Published Voices creative works and papers for the annual publication
General volunteers must be in good standing in their community, and may be asked to leave the conference if their actions or language are harmful to the conference reputation or to the community which the conference partakes in.
Lodging an Equity Complaint.
Equity and justice are at the heart of the QCIR. We have an official system for dealing with equity complaints which you can find in the PDF version of our Constitution, at the top of this page. We urge you to bring any issues which you may have with an executive member to the attention of any team member, and our Co-Chairs and VP Internal will investigate and address the issue in partnership with you. If the complaint is about a person in one of these roles, a neutral third party will be brought into the discussion.
To make an equity complaint, contact a team member who you know, or email either co.chair@queensreconciliation.com, or vp.internal@queensreconciliation.com.