Skip to content

Great hope for the future

Dawn Lamothe from North Bay Indian Friendship Centre speaks on Urban Aboriginal Strategy. “There is great hope for the future.” These words were spoken Tuesday by Nipissing University president, Mike DeGagné.

Dawn Lamothe from North Bay Indian Friendship Centre speaks on Urban Aboriginal Strategy. 

“There is great hope for the future.” These words were spoken Tuesday by Nipissing University president, Mike DeGagné. He was the first keynote speaker at a 2-day working conference called Walking Together, Sharing Together being held at the Best Western.

The conference is designed to keep the momentum going on North Bay’s Urban Aboriginal Strategy after a comprehensive study called Walk the Red Road was launched by The North Bay Indian Friendship Centre.

DeGagné spoke to hundreds of attendees about what worked and what didn't work for urban aboriginal communities when he was in charge of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation.

“It was a huge national project that supported counselling and cultural healing for residential school survivors. It lasted for seventeen years, just ending last fall.”

“We had a fund to invest in the aboriginal community so we learned a lot about how communities develop programs and develop strategies.”

DeGagné’s thoughts for strategies included self evaluations. "Start early to collect information about what you're doing and what impacts it has.”

The audience heard further sage advice from DeGagné. "We learned that in supporting people who are your clients, they are expecting you to change your processes as much as you are expecting them to change theirs."

Participants who work in and with Urban Aboriginal communities and beyond were invited to attend. Community stories were shared through a panel of experts examining urban aboriginal strategies. Key note speakers filled the afternoon with inspiration.

Wednesday, day two of the conference, will have people attending workshops. Member of Dokis First Nation and facilitator of the workshop Cultural Safety – Making the Shift, Doug Dokis explains people will be working from a manual he developed.

“We will work on historical information and aboriginal awareness, while bringing together different sectors of professionals such as child services, industry and business. We’ll discuss how to engage and work with aboriginal communities.”

After his speech DeGagné beamed, "This is a very well-organized, trusting, relationship-building community for aboriginal services. Good things are going to happen."

 


KA Smith

About the Author: KA Smith

Kelly Anne Smith was born in North Bay but wasn’t a resident until she was thirty. Ms.Smith attended Broadcast Journalism at Canadore College and earned a History degree at Nipissing University.
Read more

Reader Feedback