Elders and Youth Gathering
“Voices from the Past, for Tomorrow”
GATHERING WILL TAKE PLACE September 21, 22, 23, 2010
at Chippewa Park, Thunder Bay ON
Information Page
Event Poster
Registration Form (Free to Register)
*All information will be kept private and confidential.
Registration is necessary so that we have enough food for everyone and statistics are needed to for our reporting after the Gathering is over.
Please fill in as much information as possible. Thank you.*
Have you decided to attend? Great! Now, check out HOTELS that are close to the event's location!
HIGHLIGHTS WILL INCLUDE:
• Grand Chief Stan Beardy and Grand Chief Patrick Madahbee will be among distinguished guests
• Event being televised on K-Net and broadcast on Wawatay Radio!
• FREE catered lunch and dinner on all 3 days for all registered participants
• Tradeshow style displays to look at in the pavilion (Anyone can book a table, No cost to do so)
NEED TO KNOW:
• Grey Wolf’s Fall ceremonies will follow this event, September 24, 25 and 26, 2010. (It is also FREE and everyone is welcome!)
• Participants are encouraged to bring tobacco and a chair or blanket/cushion as the gathering will be in a traditional teaching lodge.
• Accomodations and travel are NOT being covered
More About This Gathering:
Guidance through legends will be shared by Aboriginal Elders from across the north and local non-Aboriginal Elders alike - with youth listening. This monumental gathering will: foster partnerships between the Aboriginal and the non-Aboriginal community; encourage inclusiveness for the good of tomorrow; and finally, provide inspiration for our future.
It is vital that before all our Elders leave us, to spend time with them and receive the teachings from the past, in order to prepare us for the future. Traditionally, storytelling was conducted during the winter months and we are organizing this Elders and Youth Gathering for February 2010.
“In Aboriginal culture, the responsibility of keeping cultural traditions alive has been placed on the shoulders of the Elders.”
Sourced from: http://www.abheritage.ca/eldersvoices/index.html
In order to prepare for this huge endeavour, partnerships would need to be strengthened between: Nishnawbe Aski Nation; Grand Council Treaty #3; Anishinabek Nation; and finally, the community of Thunder Bay. Already two organizations have stepped forward with in-kind contributions towards this historic event: Dennis Franklin Cromarty (DFC) High School and the Métis Nation of Ontario.
Along with a huge opportunity for the youth to be exposed to the Elders, this will also provide the community of Thunder Bay with an opportunity for direction regarding project developments such as: Waabi-ma'iingan Traditional Teaching Lodge; Lake Superior Place; Prince Arthur’s Landing; and, the First Nations Regional Community Plan. This direction could subsequently be viewed and respected as credible direction and be approved by the political leadership of the region including aboriginal and non-aboriginal. This will not only promote a deeper respect between youth and Elders in Thunder Bay and the larger region of Northern Ontario but will also offer some guidance to the City’s developing ‘Thunder Bay Plan for Action’ which is an anti-racism and anti-discrimination tool. Thunder Bay needs to continue to ‘guide’ the rest of the province regarding inclusiveness.
Please contact us if you would like to help contribute to the gathering! We still need funding! Email Cindy Crowe at crowe@tbaytel.net
Volunteer Positions Available:
- Working Registration Table (2)
- Drivers/Runners (4)
- Working Concession Booth (2)
- Kitchen Helper (2)
- Cooking Helper (2)
- Servers (4)
- Security/Walk Around (4)
- Firekeeper (Includes Overnight) (2)
- Waabi-ma'iingan Teaching Lodge's Display Booth (2)
- Lodge Contruction (A Few Days Before the Event)
(We'll need as many People as We Can Get for This!)
If any of these positions appeals to you - Please call or email Cynthia. Also, if you'd like to reserve a spot to set up a table/booth email Cynthia at cynthiacoons@shaw.ca Cell: (807)627-2385.