For more than a century, Canadian law has taken apart the Indigenous family, which has fuelled the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the prison system. Indigenous youth made up 46% of admissions to correctional services in 2016-17, while making up only 8% of the youth population. In Manitoba, Indigenous youth represented more than 80% of all youth admissions in 2018; in Saskatchewan, 92% of boys in correctional services were Indigenous, as were 98% of girls. The Assembly of First Nations says that a First Nation youth is now more likely to end up in jail than to graduate high school. We cannot be OK with this.
In an effort to help, I am running this beautiful camp during winter break. As David A. Robertson said in our amazing interview with him (which you can watch here), our kids can help with reconciliation by learning as much as they can so that when they are in leadership positions, they will have the knowledge that is required to make better decisions, to create better systems, and to treat everybody equitably so that we can live in a healthier society.
The learning we will do through this camp will be led by my friend Samantha Beynon, from Sisters Hlgiikw. We will learn about these heavy topics, but we will also learn about Indigenous beauty, joy and brilliance. We will share laughter and friendship. We will make beautiful art with my friend Nancy from Practice Making Art. We will make creative snacks to eat while we learn. And we will undertake social justice actions together. The kids will feel seen, heard, respected and loved. And parents can join in too! Bring your coffee and learn more with your kids, in this safe, supportive, inspiring online circle we will create together.
For more info, check out our Facebook event page here.
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