TL;DR
Détails
Since February 2020, our CREation team has been sending out Q&A forms to CREation Grantees to capture their experiences creating and carrying out their projects. Today, we are featuring responses from the Association d'ascendance autochtone White Owl project, led by youth leader Sarina Perchak from Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and Guelph, Ontario communities.
Question : Tell us about your group and project.
UN: White Owl Native Ancestry Association (WONAA) is an Indigenous community agency that first began in 1975. We endeavour to enhance the lives of Indigenous People in the Waterloo, Wellington, and Dufferin Regions of southern Ontario through culturally appropriate counselling supports, youth and family programming, and Land-based education. With the help of CRE for multiple consecutive funding periods, WONAA has been able to fund continued youth programming endeavours all year-round. We began with the Garden Internship Project as our first funding package with CRE which was used to provide more educational and reflective experiences for Indigenous youth working with us at four garden locations around our region. We were very pleased with this pilot program, thus, sought after more funding to continue similar programming among all the seasons, including this summer. We have been able to facilitate Land-based workshops (hide-tanning, maple syrup making, etc.), food processing (preservation and nixtamalization), art-based reflection (poetry and photography), and intergenerational learning (Elders and Knowledge Keepers sharing).
Question : En tant que jeunes à la tête du projet, quel impact espérez-vous qu’il aura ?
UN: I hope that our continued presence as a youth-focused programming organization will create a place of solidified cultural safety and belonging for the Indigenous youth of the region, and all others that come through. I hope for youth to be able to build community and learn from one another, and be the next leaders of the coming generation.
“I hope for youth to be able to build community and learn from one another, and be the next leaders of the coming generation.”
Question : Qu’avez-vous appris ?
UN: I have learned that you don’t need to do a lot to facilitate learning for Indigenous youth that are already longing for connection. The community will come when you create a space for it. You don’t need to overkill programming and try to do a lot of things. Rather, just focus on the larger goal of making community.
Question : Quel est votre moment préféré dans la réalisation de votre projet ?
UN: Mon moment préféré a été les éléments de poésie et de photographie de notre programmation. Voir l'art créé par les jeunes qui reflète leur identité, leur guérison, leur terre et leur réconciliation a été vraiment révélateur et m'a rempli de fierté.
“I have learned that you don’t need to do a lot to facilitate learning for Indigenous youth that are already longing for the connection. The community will come when you create a space for it.”
“We’ve Been Here” Online Art Exhibit in partnership with JAYU, White Owl Native Ancestry and Wisahkotewinowak.
Nous sommes si fier du travail de cœur que nos jeunes parents comme Sarina accomplissent à travers l'Île de la Tortue et sont Tellement chanceux pour pouvoir les accompagner dans leur travail.
