TL;DR
Our grassroots youth group has organized and run a Meals on Wheels Program for Elders for the past two years. We planned a medicine gathering trip to Saskatchewan to pick Sage and Sweetgrass, as well as visited medicine men and a Sweat ceremony. Their latest project was a summer Kayak trip down Takla Lake which took 4 days to complete, camping along the way. Residential School survivors and knowledge holders came and spoke at the campfire at each camp spot, sharing their history and knowledge. A video was created to document this journey.
Details
Since February 2022, our CREation Community Grants 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 Meals on Wheels for Elders project, led by the Chil’keh Youth Group from the Takla Nation.
Q : Tell us about your group and project!
A : Our grassroots youth group has organized and run a Meals on Wheels Program for Elders for the past two years. We planned a medicine gathering trip to Saskatchewan to pick Sage and Sweetgrass, as well as visited medicine men and a Sweat ceremony. Their latest project was a summer Kayak trip down Takla Lake which took 4 days to complete, camping along the way. Residential School survivors and knowledge holders came and spoke at the campfire at each camp spot, sharing their history and knowledge. A video was created to document this journey.
Q : As the youth running the project, what impact do you hope it will have?
A : The main focus of the youth activities has been to bridge the relationship between generations of elders and youth. Creating environments where elders can pass on their knowledge is key. Other benefits of the projects include learning to manage budgets, problem-solving, project planning, and learning to work as a team.
The main focus of the youth activities has been to bridge the relationship between generations of elders and youth. Creating environments where elders can pass on their knowledge is key.
Tamatha French, Takla Nation Chil’keh Youth Group
Q : What is something you have learned?
Takla has a very skilled group of youth that are realizing their leadership potential running projects like these. It’s easy to identify future managers and leaders from a young age when given opportunities to develop their natural talents.
Tamatha French, Takla Nation Chil’keh Youth Group
Q : What is your favourite moment from running your project?
A : The SWEP (Summer Work Experience Program) Kayak Trip completes the journey from the North end of Takla lake to the South end in 4 days. It was an incredibly challenging trip, so it felt amazing to cross the finish line.
We are so proud of the heart-work our young relatives like Tamatha and the Takla Nation Chil’keh Youth Group are doing across Turtle Island and are so lucky to be able to support them in their work.
