Sacred Water Circle c/o Green Communities Canada
Grantee
Youth Opportunities Fund
Award amount
$70,000
Award timeline
2016-2017 (12 months)
Opportunity
The Indigenous youth in the Nogojiwanong community in Peterborough needed a way to connect with leaders, teachers, and elders who could help them build their skills and meet their goals. Specifically, the young people wanted to learn about local Indigenous culture and environmental science.
Approach
Selected YOF Priority Outcome: Youth are engaged in their communities.
This project tapped into the desire of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Nogojiwanong region to support the youth in their community. It aimed to provide youth with opportunities to learn about water knowledge, gain employable skills, and build a useful network.
Community impact
- Four Indigenous youth participants and one Indigenous youth coordinator built positive relationships with leaders, mainly First Nations and environmentalists through 27 different training events, workshops, and fieldtrips.
- All the participants were offered employment, opportunities for public speaking engagements, and additional project opportunities
- Twenty-four volunteers contributed 120 volunteer hours to the project.
"As a result of the participants’ projects and networks, they have all been offered employment, opportunities for public speaking engagements, and additional project opportunities."
Youth Innovations Test grants allow grassroots groups to research, plan, or test new ideas to meet a specific goal that improves a community in Ontario.
The goal of Sacred Water Circle (SWC) and Green Communities Canada (GCC) was to better engage youth in their communities.
Specifically, SWC and GCC found that Indigenous youth in the Nogojiwanong community in Peterborough were eager to learn about Anishnabek culture and environmental science.
They also knew that the there were many people within the Indigenous and non-Indigenous community in the region who were willing to support youth in building skills and meeting their goals.
The question was: How to connect youth who wanted to learn and build their network with the many resources the community has to offer, including the community leaders, teachers, and elders willing to help youth?
With the help of a $70,000 Youth Innovations Test grant, SWC and GCC delivered 27 different training events, workshops, and fieldtrips that aimed at helping youth learn about water and gain employable skills in this sector.
Participants were able to network with leaders in water protection, including First Nations, environmentalists, and scientists, who could support them in developing a career and excelling in water-related fields.
As a result of the participants’ projects and networks, they have all been offered employment, opportunities for public speaking engagements, and additional project opportunities.
