National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
SUPPLEMENT TO THE FREE PRESS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2022
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PHOTO BY DARCY FINLEY
Creating connections BETWEEN INDIGENOUS AND NEWCOMER YOUTH
enous youth co-facilitator. “A safe space means being able to walk into a room and be accepted for who you are, knowing you’re welcome and you’re em- braced and there’s a spot in the circle for ev- eryone to come and sit.” The drop-in includes access to an indoor gym, books, board and video games, com- puters and WiFi, a dedicated quiet area for homework and study, a kitchen and a pool table. For programming, they are producing a youth-friendly version of the Indigenous Orientation Tool Kit, which introduces Indig- enous history and culture to newcomers. “The workshops are a way to introduce dif- ferent Indigenous cultures to people that are not familiar, as well as to Indigenous youth that may have lost that connection to their culture and were not brought up in the tradi- tional way,” she says. She points out that Indigenous youth are often living out experiences that are shaped
by generational trauma, something that is be- coming more visible to others. “Because of all the momentum in social jus- tice movements regarding Indigenous rights, it’s important that we educate kids on what they’re seeing on social media and why this person is so frustrated and so angry about treaties or land rights,” she says. “So the drop-in centre can serve as kind of a beacon for these questions with somebody to talk to you about it.” The drop-in will also be a real support for northern youth. “I think it’ll benefit all Indigenous kids but especially those kids coming from northern communities,” she says. “When they move down here for high school, a lot of the time they’re feeling very isolated and it’s a huge culture shock for them to come to the city.” That culture shock is often shared by new- comer youth. “For newcomer youth, the safe space gives them a chance to connect with their local
community and meet friends their age in a place they can come to and not be over- whelmed by the society or the school — they can get help with those things,” says Rouwae- da Husein, the immigrant youth co-facilitator. Husein is excited for the potential bridge- building the drop-in can offer. “For me, the hopeful outcome is that they will be able to bring in their own personal perspectives, their own personal views and experiences of things — especially when we’re talking about newcomers who come from war-torn communities or countries — they can bring that and I’m sure they’ll have a lot to connect with Indigenous youth,” says Husein. Walid Al Khattab’s own experience at a centre as a young newcomer gives him a more personal stake in making the centre a reality. “It helped me so much that I really wanted to give back to the community,” says Al Khat- tab, drop-in centre co-ordinator.
By Wendy King Y oung people need a sense of safety and acceptance to help them flourish and grow. And, sometimes, that safe space is not so easy to come by. Altered Minds Inc. (alteredminds.ca) is addressing that need with the AMI Youth Drop-in Centre for Indigenous and New- comer Youth at 406 Edmonton St. (Central Park), which is welcoming teens age 14 to 19 years. For now, the centre is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m. The goal for the future is to keep the drop- in centre open for youth all weekdays and weekends, but more donations will be need- ed to make this vision a reality. “We’re in the downtown area and there are a lot of Indigenous youth as well as new- comer youth, so having a safe space for them to come and connect with each other is super important,” says Jenna Valiquette, the Indig-
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HONOURING THE NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
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