Naotkamegwanning Youth develop their own Climate Strategy
The Territorial Planning Unit of Grand Council Treaty #3 launched a Youth Climate Strategy Development Team project late 2019 and youth from Naotkamegwanning joined. While the project was due to be complete April 2020; COVID restrictions had halted meetings between the youth to discuss and learn about Climate Change in their community and around the world. The youth had committed to meeting virtually via zoom and completed their Climate Strategy for their community despite the on-going pandemic.
The youth had decided on basing their strategy around four main areas of focus: Education and Awareness, Spirituality, Health of Community, and Infrastructure. The youth from Naotkamegwanning had decided together that sharing their experience and what they had learned from the project with their community was of utmost importance.
“We the youth will create ways to have our community and people focus on bringing workshops, meeting on Adaptation, not only for flooding but also wildfires, ice storms, heavy snow falls and power outages” – Naotkamegwanning Youth Climate Strategy Development Team.
“It’s fantastic to see the Youth from Naotkamegwanning taking leadership on the climate strategy and working with the knowledge of our elders. These opportunities are important to continuing all the work Treaty #3 is doing to protect Mother Earth and our Territory” – Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh
Since the Teaching Our Keepers mandate is to preserve traditional knowledge the youth in the community met with Elders from their community to learn about traditional practices, medicines, and past ways of living. Throughout this experience the youth have learned of how much their climate has changed today versus what it was when the Elders were their age. Meeting with the Knowledge Keepers had helped create a vision for the youth regarding their overall strategy.
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For more information please contact:
Daniel Morriseau, Political Advisor – (807) 464-2647 or by email daniel.morriseau@treaty3.ca
Geneva Kejick, Climate Specialist – geneva.kejick@treaty3.ca
PDF – January 27, 2021 – Naotkamegwanning Youth develop their own Climate Strategy