OTC in Fond du Lac
- Published - 22/02/2020
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- Posted By - OTC
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For a week in February a team from the Office of the Treaty Commissioner, including some of the OTC youth spent a week in Fond du Lac.
On arrival the team was warmly greeted by Fond du Lac Denesuline First Nation Chief Louie Mercredi to Treaty 8 territory.
He says the arrival of Treaty Commissioner Mary Culbertson was the first time a Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan had arrived in the community.
We saw the youth grow from the experiences, from driving on an ice road, to eating caribou, shopping at the local grocery store, working with other community youth, and attending blanket exercises.
“I believe they left with so much more than can ever be taught in a classroom, the cultural and traditional exchange is priceless,” said Angie Merasty, Youth in Service project coordinator.
The Kairos blanket exercise was well attended by people in the community including RCMP and health workers from the Athabasca Health Authority and was very powerful, she said.
Meals prepared by our new friend Janelle at Hailey's Lodge. On some nights there were debriefing meetings with the youth on others there was music, and then on the hunt for the Northern Lights!!
The OTC youth on the trip come from Sandy Bay, Prince Albert, Red Pheasant and Saskatoon, who are here from Nigeria and India.
The OTC Youth have been filming all week, interviewing other youth, taking beautiful photos of the community, the ice road and Elders. This work will be shared as part of our ongoing youth reconciliation programs.