Organizations partner for the future of Aboriginal youth

New provincial and federal funding for the Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association and the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights will allow the two organizations to enter into a partnership allowing them to sustain their work with Aboriginal youth, as well as build bridges between the Aboriginal community and other Albertans. 

In many ways, this new partnership is the logical extension of work the organizations have already undertaken. 

“For the past seven years, we have been supporting each other’s efforts around Common Ground and Circle Alberta, which were both initiatives working to bridge and build relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people at a municipal and provincial level,” said Tatiana Wugalter, programs coordinator for the John Humphrey Centre.

However, both organizations have also struggled due to lack of funding. 

“The new funding will allow us to deepen our collaborative work,” said Wugalter. “The funding will support youth programming at Friendship Centres bringing both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth together in a space where they will learn and collaborate on community issues but where they will also re-create a history of Albertans in Canada that is shared and based on reciprocity and inclusion.”

This partnership will allow both organizations to impact Indigenous youth across Alberta in positive ways. 

“Funding for youth has always been an issue and this partnership will support youth programming in friendship centre communities,” said Merle White, executive director for the Canadian Native Friendship Centre and President of ANCA.

 “From this partnership we wish to renew the spirit of friendship centres among young people. They are meant to be a space of common ground and support for all members of the community. We hope to see a renewal of energy among youth programming in the centres that contributes to building stronger community relationships,” said Wugalter.

JHC and ANFCA will also be working with other partners to promote youth dialogue and engagement on issues surrounding cultural diversity, social inclusion, and human rights through the Building Peace Project in November. Youth in Edmonton, Rocky Mountain House, and Fort McMurray, will take part in this six month dialogue, which will include visits with local Elders and community agencies to engage the youth in learning about the history of their community and developing an understanding of community relations.

Fort McMurray was chosen “based on conversations earlier this year as part of the JHC’s work with the Alberta Hate Crimes Committee,” said Wugalter. “The community was keen to bring the peace-builders program there. There are also relationships that desperately need to be built since it is such a diverse cultural centre.”

Youth from Rocky Mountain House wanted to try to replicate the retreat idea stemming from the Circle Alberta retreat, which brought together 80 community leaders (including youth) from across the province. And, in Edmonton, the Canadian Native Friendship Centre “is gaining deeper roots and we have seen a desire among non-Aboriginal youth to learn more about the local urban Aboriginal population and build stronger relations for change,” said Wugalter. “This is our home for both organizations and where we feel our work will always be central.”

White stresses the importance of engaging youth in dialogue. “Youth already having the right answers. We just have to ask the right questions.”

Photo caption:  Both Merle White, executive director for the Canadian Native Friendship Centre, and Joan Cowling, president of the John Humphrey Centre, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which marked the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s visit to Edmonton earlier this year.