It has been a couple of weeks since I returned from the COLD (Connecting on the Land in Denendeh) Forum Camp with Northern Youth Leadership (NYL). I was invited by Steph Woodworth (NYL Project Director) and Goliah Makletzoff-Cazon (NYL Project Coordinator) to be one of the many community mentors at this camp. From February 9 to16, I spent time with youth from all three territories at Camp Connections, creating and sharing stories together.
Youth living in the North have incredibly meaningful stories to share, and the climate crisis is urgently inspiring more spaces for healing and story-telling. At the COLD Forum, youth exchanged knowledge and stories from their communities and learned from mentors about diverse tools for story sharing. We were grounded with a fire-feeding ceremony and smudging with Michael Cazon, a group contract, and a full-day session with Supporting Wellbeing. In and out of story-telling workshops, the group was invited to engage in many activities, including:
- Beading
- Traditional Inuit games
- Dene Handgames
- Spoken word poetry
- Throat singing
- Watercolour art
- Photography and videography
- Personal narrative writing
- Graphic design
- Caribou antler art
- Movement and stretching
Over the week the group became so close, connecting over art, play, and laughter. The memories that were made were woven into every youth’s final story presentation at the end of camp.
To me, playing and laughing together is important work. As we live in a fast changing landscape, people in the North face many challenges to well-being: healing from the past, adapting in the present day, and planning for the future. Living together as a caring community, as we did at Camp Connections, feels like a balm for these challenges. While the participants’ stories were at the center, everybody helped make an abundant and caring environment for learning.
Moments in between programming, where we cared for one another, are what made the camp experience and represent to me what it means to be on the Land as a community. I was truly grateful for the opportunity to join the camp for the full week, as this allowed me to support the camp and learn from the youth. When it came time to lead my workshop on movement and grounding, I was guided by the relationships that were built and strengthened over the week. This reflects the principles of Family and Community Literacy, which recognizes that everyday moments foster lifelong learning.
There are often many barriers to creating a space like the COLD Forum, and my biggest takeaway from this camp is the importance of inviting and sharing our collective gifts with one another. I hope that anybody reading this blog feels inspired to learn more from the stories of Northern Youth Leadership, the many mentors who joined us and, most importantly, the youth who attended. You can read a summary of the camp, see photos, and tune in for updates here on the NYL website. I am so happy that I could take on a supportive role for the week at camp. Mahsi Cho to the COLD Forum youth, Steph, and Goliah for inviting me!
- Jordyn Riou, Project Specialist: Family and Community Literacy
