Still We Rise: A Successful & Fulfulling Youth Gathering
written by Zetta Anderson
This March, nearly 100 youth from 14 different schools across Alberta gathered for three days at the beautiful Gull Lake Centre near Lacombe. With how smoothly the event went, it was evident that there were teachers, education assistants, Ever Active staff, principals, parents, bus drivers and others behind the scenes that combined the power of paperwork, communication and dedication to allow it all to happen.
This project was generously funded by Indigenous Services Canada.
On the first day of our event, participants had the opportunity to experience Coming of Age Circles in our fireside chat with uncles, aunties chat, and diversity and the trees sessions. Coming of age circles are composed of elders, adults, and youth, that create a living bridge and connection that spans across generations. Within coming of age circles, Elders and knowledge keepers pass down resilience, strength, and allows youth to connect with our Elders as keepers of our sacred fires, which helps create a support system.
We thank Corky Jonasson and Johnathon Red Gun for opening our space with kind words and good prayers, and connecting with these young people in the coming-of-age circles.=
During the evening, the sounds of voices rumbled gently across the camp. New friendships formed, and smiles warmed the space between people – adults and youth alike. Outside, you could find a campfire crackling with twinkling lights above, and snow floating down just like the inside of a snowglobe after you shake it. Indoors, you could find high-energy karaoke fiends, the naturally gifted volleyball players, and the pool sharks.
Day 2
Michelle Okere, Métis-Cree Executive Director of the Indigenous Prosperity Foundation, led a session on financial literacy using their Indigenous-centred board game called Money Smarts.
Kai Williamson and Leith Monaghan of Ever Active led the organization’s very own Inclusive Leadership Certification, where students had the opportunity to earn a high school credit.
Carla McGruer of Spirit North led an awesome cross-country skiing session.
Our keynote speaker, Hailey Hamelin Wilson from Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, was the first-ever Indigenous Canadian woman to hold the title of Miss Earth Canada. As a university student, powwow dancer, pageant queen and environmental advocate for Indigenous culture and climate change, she inspired the youth in attendance to chase their dreams.
To close out another successful day, everyone participated in a reflection activity, where they were asked to create tiles that represented the experiences and learnings they gained throughout the event.
Day 3
Jianna Quickstad, Ife, and Addison of Lloydminster Area Drug Strategy led An Influential Generation: a Conversation About Vaping, with interactive elements and youth-forward perspectives.
Sarah Williams of the Empowered Self Defence Centre led a self-defence workshop.
Joanna Campiou, a Woodlands and Plains Cree practicing nurse from Edmonton and the Lesser Slave Lake areas, led an impactful and informational concussion awareness session from an Indigenous perspective.
The youth who attended this event were impressive in the way they showed up, spoke up, collaborated, played, moved, laughed, and showed an openness to new experiences. The conference impacted students, which was captured in their responses on how the Still We Rise event helped them.
To see all the amazing moments we captured check out the full album here
And that’s a wrap. We hope to see you next year!