Nishnawbe Aski Nation reinstates NAN Youth Gathering

Nishnawbe Aski Nation reinstated the NAN Youth Gathering with a variety of traditional and cultural teachings from March 3-7 at the Best Western Plus Norwester in Thunder Bay.

“It’s been so long, it’s been too long, but we’re back and together,” says Stan Wesley, emcee for NAN Youth Gathering 2016. “We can tell stories again. We can laugh again and we can talk about how incredible we are.”

Wesley encouraged the youth to party hard, noting he has partied hard throughout his life.

“But you know I have never drank, I have never taken drugs, I have never smoked,” Wesley says. “What I mean about parties is I take full advantage of the time I spend with people.”

About 117 youth from across NAN territory participated in the jam-packed gathering, which featured three keynote speakers, a Girl Power Wolf Spirit questionnaire, Extra Curricular Strategy Discussions, a Drum Social, a Safetalk, a Youth Gala Dinner, a Movie and Games Night, a Sweat, three Sunrise Ceremonies, eight Breakout Sessions and a Discussion Roundtable.

The Breakout Sessions featured Painting with Shawn Hedican, Traditional Protocols and Teachings with the Fiddler family and Sacred Fire Teachings with Morris Naveau on March 4; Cultural Attachment and Youth Engagement with Cecil Sveinson, Traditional Parenting with Melissa Brown and LGBTQ/Two Spirit with Jeremy Dutcher on March 5; and First Nation Youth and Children Strategy with Bobby Narcisse and Education Experience of NAN with Dobi-Dawn Frenette on March 6.

“It’s great to see young people come together (and) socialize with people who don’t even know each other,” says Raven Friday, a Grade 11 Francine J. Wesley Secondary School student from Kashechewan. “They tend to open up with each other and it’s great to see that.”

Friday enjoyed learning from an Elder about the traditional medicines.

“Most of them are new to me,” Friday says. “I haven’t found my way as well with my traditions. It’s pretty good to see Elders come out for the youth.”

Friday plans to share the knowledge he learned with others in his home community.

Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler says it is important to support and empower youth across NAN territory.

“That is part of the youth conference here, for the youth to be able to advocate for themselves about what they want in their own communities, to give them that voice to be able to speak for themselves,” Fiddler says. “It’s all about giving our youth the tools and the capacity to be able to find their own voice in the challenges they find themselves in, whether it’s on a personal level or at the community level.”

Karla Kakegamic, an Oshkaatisak Youth Council member who is completing her final semester in Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education and Training Institute’s Aboriginal Financial and Economic Planning program, says the gathering was successful.

“A lot of the youth were interested in the cultural piece of this gathering,” Kakegamic says. “The youth didn’t grow up knowing their culture, so it sparks their interest whenever they see stuff like this happening, just so they can feel more connected and have a sense of identity.”

Kakegamic attended the Sacred Fire Teachings workshop, which was presented at the teepee by Morris Naveau.

“We were learning about the fire and the different teachings with the sacred fire,” Kakegamic says.

Clyde Brandon Moonias, another Oshkaatisak Youth Council member, says the theme of the gathering was developed through two youth focus group sessions held in Thunder Bay and Timmins.

“They wanted this gathering to be about culture, so we listened to their recommendations and their ideas,” Moonias says. “And we made it relevant with culture. We have the big drum here, we have a sacred fire teepee outside and there (was) a lot of learning for the youth who don’t know much about their culture.”