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What exactly is racism and what affect does it have on us all? Those were questions up for discussion at the Youth for a Better Tomorrow youth conference held in Yorkton May 3 to 5.

Young people from around the area gathered together at the conference to listen, and to discuss a number of serious issues facing them today, including racism.

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Despite their historical importance in shaping our province and country, and their current significance to legal, governmental and social change, most Saskatchewan people know very little about the topic of treaties. A new initiative of the Office of the Treaty Commissioner (OTC) will seek to remedy that by providing the province's teachers with all the resources they need to teach treaty issues in the classroom.

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In the wake of the North Battleford water crisis a year ago, one reserve in the northwest of the province has taken significant steps to improve its water quality.

After finding two ground water wells to meet the demands of its growing population, Little Pine First Nation added a new filtering procedure this past winter. Half of the reserve's 160 homes are now connected to the water hook-up while the other half have about 750 litres of water per person delivered each week.

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The Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (SIFC) is celebrating its 24th annual powwow on Thursday, June 20 and Friday, June 21 at the SIFC building site on the University of Regina campus.

What started off as a small gathering in a University of Regina cafeteria has grown to be one of the largest powwows in Saskatchewan. Last year the SIFC powwow attracted more than 800 dancers, 30 drum groups and 5,000 spectators.

However, this year there are going to be a few changes.

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June 21 marks the seventh anniversary of Canada's National Aboriginal Day.

The work toward having a day dedicated to recognizing Canada's Aboriginal people began in 1982, when the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) started a campaign to have the summer solstice recognized as National Aboriginal Solidarity Day. However, it wasn't until 14 years later that Governor General Romeo LaBlanc officially declared June 21 as National Aboriginal Day.

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The world will be coming to Canada this summer, as visitors from across North America and around the world gather to learn, compete and celebrate during a variety of events being held across the country.

Aboriginal Catholic youth from across the country will be joining with thousands of other young Canadians as they welcome the world to Toronto for a celebration of Catholic faith.

From July 22 to 28, the city will play host to World Youth Day 2002, with more than 350,000 registered participants from 150-plus countries expected to take part.

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Some call him the master of the Metis fiddle. Some call him a legend. But whatever you call him, 59-year-old John Arcand has polished his fiddle skills to an exemplary degree.

Arcand's father taught him to play the fiddle when he was six. And six years later he was playing for the Red River Jiggers, square dancers, and dance troupes.

Arcand has also written more than 250 original tunes that are played across Canada and the United States. He is an active promoter of fiddle music, especially of the Red River tradition.

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On May 15, the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (SIFC) was presented with another donation for their Home Campus Building project, bringing the college one step closer to its vision.

Steve Smith, vice-president of Weyerhaeuser's Saskatchewan division, presented SIFC president Eber Hampton with a cheque for $500,000. The money will go a long way towards the construction of the new SIFC building.

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Delegates from as far away as Ontario and South America came to the Echo Valley Conference Centre in early May for a major gathering on Aboriginal literacy.

The event, which saw as many as 200 attend workshops and seminar, was designed to lay a new foundation for Aboriginal education, said one of the conference's co-chairs, Lisa Wilson.