2022 Indigenous
Youth and Community Futures Fund Project Descriptions

 

 

Anishinaabek Clans to Invoke our Nation

ACTION’s, Bill Giiweymiin Cooperative

$30,000

Project Description: Anishinaabek Clans to Invoke Our Nation will host Seasonal Cultural Camps focused on Team Building efforts that engage in a Food Sovereignty Initiative, Climate Change Planning and Monitoring, Traditional Skill Development to reclaim our Anishinabe Identity that builds a future towards using Renewable and Sustainable Energy Sources. Their Project will incorporate as a Non-Profit Organization to ensure they are Self Sustaining and mandated to continue to deliver their Culture and Harvesting Camps. This Project is driven by ACTION’s Youth Council Fire accountable to their Clans, Waters, Lands, Ancestors and Future Generations.

 

Wahkohtowin Development GP Inc.

Canoes, Community and Connections to the Land

$30,000

This nation building project will empower participants to work as a team, share teachings and learn about the diverse range of non-timber forest products and other values that exist within a forest landscape. This project seeks to foster cultural preservation through knowledge transfer by connecting First Nations youth and Elders together in this land-based traditional canoe building project. All participants will inevitably develop a relationship and connection to the land, water, air and animals as they learn to respectfully handle and harvest living materials from Mother Earth. Participants will learn about their ancestral history and learn to see everything that the forest has to offer.

 

Ratinenhayen:thos- Kenhte:ke Seed Sanctuary and Learning Centre

Seeds to Saplings

$30,000

Seed to Sapling is a Community Land Based pilot training program based at Kenhtè:ke Seed Sanctuary in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. The program will enable two Indigenous youth to learn, over the course of one growing season the basics of Rotinonhsyón:ni seed keeping. They will work directly on the land, in the gardens, with knowledge holders and elders within Tyendinaga and in their Rotinonhsyón:ni sister communities. The ultimate goal is to help reconnect their youth to land and seeds to empower them to work toward Food Sovereignty in Tyendinaga.

 

Endaayaan Awejaa

Connecting Youth to Culture

$30,000

The programming Endaayaan Awejaa plans to deliver has become more established and they have grown a clearer understanding of what their youth would like to participate in with Endaayaan Awejaa. The youth at Endaayaan Awejaa wishes to continue offering programming that relates to cultural teachings and traditional knowledge. On top of this, they want to offer workshops that are focused on the creation of art, music, traditional drum making, drumming and creating a garden that gives Indigenous youth a space to learn and grow their traditional medicines and food such as sage, fiddleheads, wild rice and more. They will also provide an “Auntie and Uncle” program to assist their youth with daily needs.

 

A’nowa:ra Owira Doulas

Ionkwaiehshon’ha:kie (We are continually laughing)

$28,500

Ionkwaiehshon’ha:kie (We are continually laughing) Project seeks to create a Kanien’ke:ha youtube channel that is geared towards children. With this easily accessible platform they hope to provide a language resource to children and their families. A channel created by youth for youth that supports Mohawk language

learners in Akwesasne and beyond, making language accessible for reserve and urban residing Mohawk families alike. Video premier events will allow them to engage directly with the target audience in Akwesasne, while also providing a space for families to access doula support and resources and have a nutritious snack from a local business.

 

Youth Voices

Stories from the Bush

$30,000

This project seeks to work with Anishinaabe (Algonquin & Ojibwe) communities across Ontario for youth to learn about culture, land, and language. They will host four seasonal community gatherings/workshops to learn

land-based skills and gather Stories from the Bush. Fernwood Publishing has shown interest in their proposed project. They plan to invite community members to author chapters discussing their relationships with

the land. They as the youth will facilitate the publishing process and edit this collection, whilst authoring their own stories throughout the project as well.

 

Manitou Youth Group Inc.

Giikendasowin Camp

$30,000

The Giikendasowin Camp (The Spirit of Knowledge Seeking) aspires to engage and inspire indigenous youth of Treaty #3 to get involved with nature and learn about Anishinaabe culture and traditions through a 2 week overnight summer camp with Anishinaabe educators and Elders. The Manitou Youth Group was created by Seth and Natasha during the summer of 2019 after their friend group realized that youth events/projects weren’t happening on their reserve as much as they used to. Since then Seth, Tashie, and other indigenous youth from Rainy River First Nations have held multiple meetings, events, and fundraisers to promote youth engagement within the reserve. Their main motivation is to create a healthy and fun environment for the youth to learn valuable life skills such as strong/healthy relationship building, cultural traditions/teachings, organizing etc.

 

Assembly of Seven Generations

A7G Land Based Summer Gatherings

$30,000

This summer Assembly of Seven Generations is hoping to continue the amazing work they did in summer 2021. Covid-19 pushed them outside and they started to gather outdoors more often which led to them learning to garden and harvest, tan hides, kayaking, canoeing, crafting with tufting and quills, cooking, camping and survival skills, etc. They would also like to offer ceremonies like sweats and sacred fires (when covid safe). This project would allow for them to continue learning these skills all summer and offer opportunities to many youth helpers and participants. Some of the activities they would like to do are: gardening and harvesting, hide tanning, land camp, canoeing and kayaking, fishing. They would also like to offer ceremonies like sweats and sacred fires (when covid safe). Assembly of Seven Generations would also like to offer youth opportunities to lead, plan and facilitate activities to build skills and capacity.

 

Revitalizing Our Sustenance

Revitalizing Our Sustenance Book and Videography Project

$30,000

ROSP is creating an educational documentary about environmental issues happening on Six Nations. The objective of the documentary is to investigate environmental issues such as illegal dumping on Six Nations. The finished mini documentary project will be 15 to 25 minutes in length and will be used to promote programming for ROSP, increase community awareness/participation where environmental issues are concerned, and in hopes to spread awareness and urgency of on the ground action combating environmental issues. Tech and video material bought for this project will also support pre-existing video projects ROSP has already started which focus on Indigenous recipes and prenatal/postnatal care. They are aware that a large section of their budget is made up of this tech and video equipment and they wanted to clarify that these items will be well used for more video projects in the future.

 

Nimkii Youth Collective

Gdakiiminaan Giganawendaamin- Caring For Our Land

$30,000

This project has two different initiatives. It will work to reestablish and rehabilitate the land at Nimkii Aazhibikoong which is a year-round, land-based language and culture camp. The camp is located on a site that was impacted by development. As a result, the land in and surrounding the culture camp lacks biodiversity and good soil. The project aims to give back to the land at the culture camp by bringing in soil, planting native wild flower seeds, other plants/medicines and fruit bearing trees that are local to the area. They would also like to purchase some wild rice seed in the fall of 2022 to reseed in the lake where Nimkii Aazhibikoong is located. The second aspect of the project is to help to the Nimkii Youth Collective with the gear they need to host seasonal cultural camps by purchasing two prospector tents and a tipi that will be used at their land-based events/activities.

 

The Indigenous Support Project

Indigenous Food Sovereignty- Community Healing Through Food & Culture

$24,000

For this program they hope to connect youth with their culture through the power of food. This 8 session adventure will teach about the uses of food and medicines that are Indigenous to their city, they will have medicine walks, harvesting days, cooking sessions, and many teachings about the land, waters, food and their peoples. This program will also have 2 overnight opportunities for youth to learn about the star teachings and how the stars showed us the season’s cycle affecting their food. Youth will also have an amazing opportunity to craft their own moccasins at this program, as they are taught they wore moccasins to harvest their foods because it brings them closer to the land. They would like to do this activity a week before their first big harvest at the end of June (the berry season) to give the full understanding of the teaching. Youth will also help to put up a tipi before the end of the summer to learn the importance of ceremony with the land you fed from.

 

Akinoomooshin Oshkiniijig Collective

Anishnaabemtooshin Pane

$30,000

This project will support oshkiniijig and to build upon their language acquisition goals to continue to strengthen our anishinaabemowin fluency through weekly saswaanan (language nests) and one to one mentorship with the anishinaabemjig through out the year. This group also plans to coordinate language activities in their home communities. The language and knowledge transmission will be a combination of virtual and in person learning

when it is safe to do so.

 

Turtle Talks

Annual Niimkii Ashubiikoon Youth

$12,500

NAYG Youth Gathering is a youth led Culturally based Environmental Gathering in the Traditional Territories of the Anishinaabe Treaty no.7 Missisagui Provincial Park North Of Elliot Lake AKA Thunder Mountain. This gathering will be a 5 day Cultural Camp. Anishinabek Youth will Participate in land based Types of Activities such as introduction to Treaty Belt, Wampaum with accredited knowledge keeper, Medicinal plant and Mushroom Identification, exploration into the traditional lands, GPS tracking and exploration of local mining, fishing and camping grounds, visiting historical sites such as pictographs and other places of spiritual significance, survival skills training such as using flint, ribbon shirt and skirt making, water testing and water exploration, drum making, clay play and etc.

 

Aunties on the Road: Indigenous Full Spectrum Doula Collective

Reclaiming Our Bodies: Culture-Based Teachings Connected to Sexual and Reproductive Health

$30,000

This project aims to offer monthly culture based virtual and in person workshops to Indigenous youth living on Algonquin Territory on topics relating to sexual and reproductive health over a 12 month period. Workshops will be led by Indigenous doulas within the Aunties on the Road: Indigenous Full Spectrum Doula Collective as well as elders, traditional knowledge holders and other professionals. Workshop topics will be guided by interests and needs among youth within the community and may include topics such as placenta teachings, family and fertility planning for two-spirit and queer families, baby moccasin workshop, etc.

 

Sheshegwaning First Nation

Land First Initiative

$30,000

Sheshegwaning First Nation youth realize that now is the time for change and what better way to do that than getting right down into the roots of their culture and who they are, literally. The youth have a goal of creating a Land Based learning Initiative available for all community members regardless of age. Throughout the year, they will reintegrate key activities to bring them back to knowledge of who they are as a Nation, as a community, and as a people. This year they will be starting with this foundation with hopes to grow and add more teachings

and activities for the next few years. Their community needs this because with culture comes identity, purpose, and belonging. It’s important that they reclaim and revitalize their ways of life.

 

Metis and Me

Metis & Me

$14,500

Louis Riel said, “My people will sleep for one hundred years, but when they awake, it will be the artists who give them their spirit back.” This 14-week program is designed to connect creative Metis youth with their community and cultural ancestry by asking themselves the question, what does it mean to be Metis? The storytellers will write and perform their piece for a podcast while the visual artists will design thumbnails for the podcast.

 

Bawaating Child Welfare Warriors

Bawaating Child Welfare Warriors

$30,000

Bawaating Child Welfare Warriors(BCWW) will work with 10 Indigenous Youth, ages 16-17, aging out of group homes to combat structural racism, homelessness and poverty. They will prepare them for adult living by assisting them to achieve proper Identification, fill in and submit Housing Applications, and open Bank Accounts before they age out of care. Most Indigenous Youth come displaced from their communities with no Identification, that is needed to access a bank account, and to access social services, healthcare, educational and other opportunities. Being transient without ID leaves Indigenous Youths in care extremely isolated and without choice in their own self determination. BCWW are a small partnership of women with lived experiences that have a window to help youth that they interact with succeed. They hope to someday grow this idea that they want to test now.

 

Centre for First Nations Governance

Inherent Rights Storytelling: Youth and Elders Gathering

$30,000

The Inherent Rights Youth Initiative is working to accelerate nation rebuilding by investing in young people and providing opportunities to develop their leadership capabilities. Through the use of storytelling, this initiative will bring youth on a journey of holistic identity exploration and enable youth to ground their understanding of the inherent right to self-government in their language, art, history, and the land. This work is about advancing good governance, language, culture and effective leadership. It is about reclaiming what is inherently theirs, bringing together Youth and Elders, and developing a new generation of inherent rights leaders.

 

Missabay Community School

Mishkeegogmang Amikoosag Community Garden(s)

$30,000

Missabay Community School is looking to build a series of community gardens within each community of the Mishkeegogamang Ojibway Nation. Each garden will be cared for and harvested by community members in an effort to introduce a stable, healthy food source to the community for all families to access. The would also like to see the reintroduction of cultural food staples (such as the three sisters) as well as the cultivation of local herbs and medicinal plants. These gardens offer the chance to increase diet diversity, promote healthy living and reintroduce cultural education on a level that encourages community participation and fosters the transgenerational transition of knowledge.

 

Webequie Youth Projects

The Heart of Webequie Nature Park

$30,000

This Youth Led Group will encourage the Youth of Webequie to come and shape the Nature Park into what beauty it will become after it’s finished. The project will help all their Spirits to reconnect with Nature from where they all originated from. This project can be seen as a healing & Wellbeing project. They wish to see young children gain leadership and to have a caring heart for the Beauty of Nature within the heart of the Community. The Youth will lead this project and prove to the elders that we can do more for their community than just sit around and play games. This Nature Park Project will be Viewed as The Heart of Webequie, and a TraditionalGround of Prayer Ribbons and Flowers. Their community will be more open to the youth once this beauty of a project is completed!They are grateful for this chance of grant. ᑭᒋᒦᐤᑫᒡ !!

 

Michif Stitch

I’ll go, you follow

$20,500

The “I’ll go, you follow” project is both a workshop series and a language nest. Inspired by the vibrant material culture of the Métis and the urgency to learn Michif, the workshops will provide materials and instruction over the course of several weeks to make a Métis capote jacket. Participants will learn to follow a pattern, cut fabric, and hand sew. Classes will offer worksheets and language lessons to encourage conversation and relationship building.

 

Youth Odena

Aabiji Gijitoon (Keep Trying)

$30,000

Youth Odena: Aabiji Gijitoon (Keep Trying) aims to create safe space in Bawaating for Indigenous Mothers, 2 Spirit and Non-Binary Parents, youths in care, and Traditional Grandmothers to create community support, promote mental and spiritual wellbeing, and learn valuable skills. Together, their group will run 2 Leather Mitten Making Workshops, 1 Art Making Workshop, and 2 Administrative Skills Workshops, as well as host Ceremony for Spirit Name, Colours, Clan and Traditional Adoption.

 

Kenora Chiefs Advisory

Land-based Learning and Culture Camps

$30,000

The desired outcome of this project is to build relationships within and across Treaty 3 and strengthen each nation and community by empowering youth to learn about and be immersed in their lands, languages, rights, laws, and cultures. This will be completed through day camps in communities where traditional activities will take place. The camps will be led by members of the Youth Council with support from Ogimaawabiitong Senior staff and the Elders Council. This will ensure opportunities for sharing, mentoring, and heightening community awareness of the youth council, and provide opportunities to engage in cultural activities.

 

Dwadewayęhstaˀ Gayogo̲ ho:nǫˀ

Gaǫdadeihǫnyę:nih (She is sharing her knowledge with them)

$30,000

Gaǫdadeihǫnyę:nih engages youth to learn the Cayuga language under the tutelage of a proficient, second-language learner, also a youth. This Mentor-Apprentice style of learning will connect the group for 25 hours per week for 30 weeks speaking only Cayuga. By creating well-versed second language speakers, the life of the Cayuga language is enriched and upheld for generations to come.

 

Unearthing

A Way Back Home

$30,000

You can not be lost if you know where you came from. Learning how to build something that was essential to their ancestor’s survival is empowering work. Building a birchbark canoe together has the potential to instill a strong sense of direction and connection to the land, our community, and themselves. Together they will create something invaluable, using materials they have collected themselves, in their own backyard, using traditional knowledge and their own skills. This is “a way back home”.