May Recap and What's Up in June: Stickers, Workshops, and Challenges
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We have had such a creative, fun and community-oriented May!! We will be carrying this energy into June, but not before sharing what the VIDEA team has been up to this past month!
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Indigenous Language Sticker Project
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Wellness Wednesday is an Indigneous-led initiative that supports healing, connection, and community to those that identify as Indigenous within the VIDEA community.
The Sticker Project was completely conceptualized, organized, and led by the Wellness Wednesday youth participants. The sticker to the right is by Rosie and includes a Mohawk word that means Peace, Civics, Health, Strength, and Ethics.
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The project revolves around Indigenous language revitalization and taking up space as Indigenous youth. Participants focused on learning strength-based words together; they played language bingo to brainstorm words and had language teachers come in to share their knowledge.
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After designing the stickers, they were sent out to each participant to put up in public spaces, signifying that Indigenous languages and Indigenous people are ever-present in urban spaces. The sticker above and to the right is by Behdahbuhn, ogichidaa kwe, and means warrior women. (Videos to come soon!)
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T'Sou-ke Climate Justice Team Training
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Working Together As One, VIDEA's Climate Justice Team, spent the past week participating in their second round of training!🌿🍄🌊 They found cohesion, collaboration, and community in land-based learning.
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“It was amazing to spend time together in real life and to learn how to create inclusive spaces with our team’s Elder Advisors. We also talked about the challenges that we face in doing community work and how we can better support each other to work towards community-based solutions.”
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Kwikws, a Community Climate Justice Coordinator for the team, shares her experience:
“For our second team training session, we got to return to T'Sou-ke Nation for our team building exercises. Together we got to sit with our Elder advisors, our friend Chief Gordy took us out on a ten person canoe where he taught us more about the local heritage and some of the issues they face in their area. And we were gifted the space to connect as a team”
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"Now, after completion, we have a stronger foundation and we’ve furthered our dreams for our collective communities. Teamwork makes the dream work and this team is so full of good intentions, you'll see them all in organic time.”
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Keep up with Working Together As One on Instagram and Twitter!
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This project is funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
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Decolonization Workshop at the Spur Change Conference
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VIDEA attended and led a workshop at the Spur Change 2022 National Conference: Peace Beyond the Absence of War. Decolonization is important for everyone and everything! Knowing the colonial roots and legacy of the International Development sector, decolonization is more important than ever in our work. The workshop broke down the importance, meaning, and practice of decolonization as individuals and as organizations.
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Participants had the opportunity to reflect and discuss difficult but important questions in a safe space where open conversation and sharing was encouraged. Our workshop also guided participants to look at the actions they can take in their own decolonization journeys, actions that will stretch and challenge us. Actions that should unsettle us all.
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Led by a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders at VIDEA, the workshop was interactive, engaging, and thought-provoking. Participants came with an open mind and a readiness to have their perspectives changed. Thank you Spur Change and the Inter-Council Network for having us!
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Check out our Learning Resources, including our Decolonization Toolkit!
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Kate Spoke at UNESCO's Conference
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Last week, Katelynne Herchak, VIDEA's Manager of Indigenous Governance and Decolonial Practices and Policy, attended and spoke at UNESCO’s World Higher Education Conference 2022.
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Kate along with many Indigenous academics from Turtle Island spoke on Indigenous Perspectives in Higher Education. You're a star, Kate⭐️
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If May seemed busy, just wait for next month. June is both Indigenous History Month and Pride Month!
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Our Decolonization Team has some fun, creative, thought-provoking challenges for you this month! Follow along on our social media as we take you through the 31 Days of Decolonization Challenge!!
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Here's a little sneak peek of what you'll be seeing on our social media for the month of June! Follow along and don't miss a post! Artwork by Lindsey Tipewan.
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We also have some exciting news! Planning for our annual fundraiser, the Global Solidarity Challenge, is ramping up. The GSC Planning Committee is meeting weekly and we will be revealing the theme for this year's fundraiser soon! Stay tuned!
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We want to give a BIG thank you to all our incredible team members who have been working so hard! Whether you see them in our photos and events or if they stay behind the scenes, we could not be doing what we do without each and every one of them. And thank YOU as always, for supporting all the diverse programming we do!
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