TL;DR
Featuring Creation Grantees responses from Victoria Miron (respondent), Alexia Miron, Brianna Hamilton from Letters to the Land.
Details
To highlight the work Creation Grantees are doing in their communities, the Creation Community Grants Team sends out Q&A forms so they can share their experiences creating and carrying out their projects. Today we are featuring responses from Victoria (respondent), Alexia and Brianna from Letters to the Land.
Community: Ottawa Grant Type: Medium Project Funding March 2023
Q : Tell us about your group and project!
A : Letters to the Land is an always evolving community-based arts and connection project that aims to support Indigenous, Black and Racialized youth in connecting with the land. We aim to do this through a loving connection to Mother Earth grounded in love letters, community wellness and individual and community ceremony. When we meet it’s an opportunity to recharge and share space with other Land defenders, climate protectors and advocates in a safe and welcoming space. We also recognize that many of us may feel a sense of disconnect to our Ancestral homelands due to ongoing colonization, so we aim to find home and connection to our roots wherever we call home today.
“We also recognize that many of us may feel a sense of disconnect to our Ancestral homelands due to ongoing colonization, so we aim to find home and connection to our roots wherever we call home today.”
Q: As the youth running the project, what impact do you hope it will have?
A : As young people, we’re acutely aware of the worsening climate crisis and many of us work and advocate in the realm of climate advocacy and land defence. We have recognized that this takes a huge emotional toll, and we want to create space to love the land and remember the reasons we engage in this hard and emotional work. We hope that this project creates a space for those who are feeling a sense of loss, disconnect and despair from or about the land can reignite their love for Mother Earth and find good ways to connect with her and reground themselves in a community of love and support.
“We hope that this project creates a space for those who are feeling a sense of loss, disconnect and despair from or about the land can reignite their love for Mother Earth and find good ways to connect with her and reground themselves in a community of love and support.”
Q : What is something you have learned?
A : It’s HAAAARD for youth to put ourselves and our wellness first, getting people to gather for just wellness in a community space is a challenge because so many of us are often doing so much important work that the warm spaces fall to the wayside. We’ve learned though that even at our smaller turnouts, these spaces of warmth and community care are so needed because the world is hurting right now.
Q: What is one piece of advice you would share with other youth who want to run a project?
A : Do it!! No matter the hurdles in your way, no matter how difficult it seems, no matter how scared you are of messing up – do. the. thing!!! Guaranteed your idea is so wonderful and so needed that even if it’s a challenge it will be worth it. The sense of joy getting to see your vision and dream play out for your community is so empowering and makes this world a better place. At Letters to the Land, we’re really guided by the 7 Generations Teaching – everything you do today is going to impact those for seven generations after you, so you might as well fill the world with as much of your magic as you can. The Ancestors and Future Ancestors believe in you!
“The sense of joy getting to see your vision and dream play out for your community is so empowering and makes this world a better place.”
