WOW we are so thankful for the AMAZING team and community that make VIDEA so special!! As 2021 comes to a close, we want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible work our team has done over the last year with our very own VIDEA Wrapped!
But first, we want to say a huge thank you to YOU, our donors, newsletter readers, and friends. Your support, in all its many forms, means the world to us.
Thank you for being an important part of the VIDEA community
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The last year has been full of personal, professional, and organizational challenges. There have been many extremely difficult moments, but we have faced these moments together. During a time when we couldn’t connect in person, VIDEA created virtual spaces that made us feel connected. The nature of our virtual work helped to push us out of our comfort zones as we shared, facilitated, and workshopped. We have seen growth within the team, and youth program participants, as many push themselves and become comfortable being uncomfortable.
We have continued to deliver our programming virtually and, in some very special moments, in person! We have found innovative ways to make virtual programming and internships more meaningful and impactful than we ever thought possible. None of this is possible without the help of donors and supporters who demonstrate their commitment to our feminist, anti-racist, decolonial, human rights-based work.
✨Thank you for your support✨
We are proud to share some of our work from the last year. We hope that you will consider donating to support VIDEA as we continue this work.
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Once again, Storytelling was a highlight of our year and a community favourite. These weekly events fills all of our hearts, as this amazingly diverse, passionate, and talented community comes together to share stories, poems, songs, affirmations, and so much more.
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This year, we began opening the Zoom room an hour early for a pre-Storytelling creative hour! Folks come together to work on beading, painting, writing, drawing, and any other creative project they are working on.
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We are so grateful to Lili for creating this loving and supportive space. This year, Lili was joined by many different guest hosts for Special Edition Global Community Storytelling event, which have been a time for learning and solidarity. We have commemorated International Women's Day, African Climate Week, International Development Week, Indigenous Peoples Day, and more. We have had calls with over 100 friends of VIDEA, as well as cozy groups of 30. Participants have joined from 3 continents and represent over 15 years of VIDEA programming.
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Working Together As One is a three-year youth- and community-led climate project, working with four communities to identify strengths and risks in addressing the climate crisis. Youth work with their communities to develop climate action plans based on Indigenous knowledge and feminist principles.
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They are currently focused on team- and capacity-building to understand climate risks in each of the four communities, and globally. They are also focused on developing communications that take a strength-based approach to understanding both climate issues and possible community-driven solutions.
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In October, the Climate Team met up for VIDEA’s first in-person training since the beginning of the pandemic. Big thank you to the T’Sou-ke Nation, Chief Gordon Planes, Elder Shirley Alphonse, and our two incredible T'Sou-ke Coordinators Kassidy and Terrance for welcoming us to the territory and inspiring us to take climate action in our own communities to protect the land and waters for future generations.
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This year’s theme was Global Connection🌍 highlighting our connection to technology, our connection to the earth, and, most importantly, our connection to each other. We love a bit of healthy competition, so we split into five teams and took part in fun, creative, and thought-provoking challenges that drew attention to global issues and stimulated meaningful conversations.
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We feel so proud of the work we have done in the last year and the GSC is no exception. The funds raised will support the work that our incredible, caring, kick-ass team does to support youth and communities, globally.
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This wouldn't be possible without you, our amazing donors, supporters, and friends! We are so grateful for the incredible VIDEA community. 💚
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If you weren't able to donate during the GSC but want to support our work, you can do so now through our CanadaHelps page!
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One year without international internships was enough! In 2021, VIDEA launched our first-ever Online Indigenous Youth Internship. Two cohorts of interns spent three months learning, growing and exploring alongside partner organizations, Women for Change (Zambia) and Environmental Women for Action in Development (EWAD - Uganda). The whole team worked hard to provide interns with opportunities for growth and learning, from home.
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Interns explored SO many important topics and issues with a number of fabulous guest speakers! Interns gathered on Zoom for lessons on global development, local languages, cross-cutting issues, public engagement, and so much more. They spent time together - creating raps and poems, sharing stories, and getting to know each other. They met regularly with Elder Shirley Alphonse and learned from Executive Directors of our partner organizations, Margaret Tuhumwire (EWAD) and Lumba Siyanga (WfC).
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VIDEA’s amazing internship team facilitated 41 internships, virtually! This was an intimidating task – we wanted to make this experience as valuable and engaging as an overseas internship. And WOW – everyone rose to the occasion! We celebrated the end of the program with a Youth Conference!
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To close out their internships, both cohorts of Indigenous youth interns worked hard to plan an online international Youth Conference for participants joining virtually from Zambia, Uganda, Ghana and Turtle Island. Interns used their virtual internship experience to plan a truly powerful youth conference! They reached out to their networks and communities to find speakers, Elders, workshop facilitators and participants – and WOW, they found some AWESOME people!!
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We were joined by social media influencers, artistis, musicians and speakers from across Turtle Island, Zambia and Uganda who told stories of strength, leadership, empowering yourself and others, finding your passion, perseverance and resilience, and so much more. They shared knowledge about children’s rights and child labour, sexual and reproductive health rights, visioning your future, and social media as an agent for change. Annnnd we got to watch incredible dancing and live music from B'Flow, Notorious Cree, and Tony Toosick.
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We are so proud of everyone involved in the planning and delivery of this International Youth Conference and excited to learn just how powerful virtual events such as this can be. And thank you to all of the participants who made this event so special. It was a HUGE success because of all of you!! Thank you to Global Affairs Canada for making this event, and IAYI internships, possible.
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Our community has grown and so has our social media presence! We have continued to use our social media platforms to advocate for the issues that we work on, share our work, and connect with all of you. We have increased the frequency of our posting, making sure that posts include substantive analysis, and including the voices of many members of the VIDEA team and community.
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Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
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Canada Service Corp Project
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Twenty-five young people in of our two Canada Service Corps cohorts based in the Nelson area have been gathering with Elders, Indigenous educators, knowledge keepers, youth mentors and Indigenous community members to learn about Truth and Reconciliation. These young people are working on pieces of art, which they will bring together to create a mural that will go up on the outside of one of the local Nelson area schools. On November 26th, the group held a one-day nature retreat at Cottonwood Lake where they harvested materials to make their own art supplies/pigment. They gathered around a fire to share food, land-based learning, and guided conversations.
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From the Heart: Living Truth and Right Relations
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From the Heart is a youth-led community exploration of reconciliation through performance-based art. The group of 36 youth come from five rural communities in the Kootenay region of interior British Columbia. Through their work they are engaging with community, including fellow youth, Elders, educators, mentors, artists and librarians - gather to learn about Reconciliation, land-based learning, and Indigenous ways of knowing and being. The have been working hard in the last couple of months preparing to share their art and journeys in the final project showcase through the local Nelson theatre’s Indigenous Culture Celebration in March 2022.
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Voice of our Sisters is a project made of 15 Indigenous youth who identify as women and non-binary from the Edmonton area, Alberta, who have been meeting weekly and building strong relationships through guided conversations, art projects and workshops. They are gearing up for their final multimedia presentation and ribbon skirt exhibit at Edmonton’s Skirts Afire Festival on International Women’s Day in March.
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Wellness Wednesdays is an Indigenous-led weekly workshop, where Indigenous youth gather to share conversation, healing, learning, growth, and laughter over a meal. Wellness workshops are guided by guest facilitators who support healing through activities grounded in Indigenous feminism. The group is currently working on a collaborative final art-focused documentary that will showcase their journey and new understandings on Indigenous wellness, decolonization, and reconciliation.
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While there have been many beautiful moments in the last year, it has been another extremely challenging one, globally. Particularly for the people and communities who face barriers to health care, mental health care, education, food, employment, and connection. From the devastating effects of the climate crisis, to unequal vaccine rollout – these crises do not impact us equally.
We continue to work hard to address these challenges and provide comprehensive support to people and communities. Your donations help us achieve this.
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Our community has made us stronger this year and we are so grateful for every member of the VIDEA family.
We are wishing you all a Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year 💚
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