Picture Play Gallery Calling all nations Reminder

Officials at the North Bay Indian Friendship Centre (NBIFC) are taking National Aboriginal Solidarity Day and using it as an opportunity to celebrate heritage and educate the public in an effort to stop discrimination.

Officials with the North Bay Indian Friendship Centre are the lead agency organizing a 3-day event June 19 to 21st at Memorial Gardens. The event will open with an Education Day at the NBIFC on Cassells Street and will feature cross-cultural break out workshops for area students, elders, and service providers. The two days following will see a two-day weekend pow-wow and vendor display at the Gardens on Chippewa Street.

NBIFC Executive Director Peter Ferris says he hopes the weekend will be an annual event that involves the whole North Bay area community and opens the doors for mutual understanding and offers an opportunity for the Aboriginal community to move forward.

"This is an opportunity for area residents to learn more about each other and how we can work together to make North Bay a prosperous and healthy community."

"This started by the North Bay Indian Friendship Centre applying for and receiving some funding from the Federation of Indian Friendship Centres. We applied for the funding because we wanted to create an opportunity to bring the aboriginal communities together,” he explains.

“And to bring the aboriginal and non aboriginal community together to promote greater understanding, more collaboration because the simple truth is that we all live and work in the same community and whatever barriers to cooperation and communication that might have existed at one time, we have to take those down.”

“If we are going to achieve anything of lasting value it is really going to be by working together. For aboriginal people we need to come from a place of strength confidence, so we see this event as an opportunity to celebrate culture and also strengthen relationships with the entire community,” he adds.

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The event is free and open to everyone. Plans also include a Friday night feast at the Friendship Centre, followed by a showcase of local musical talent and a Saturday morning pancake breakfast.

The planning committee hopes to attract 5,000 participants or more for the weekend celebration.