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Youth choir members raise their voices

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The lights in the theatre dimmed, the audience hushed and spotlights lit the aisles as the Dwae Na Ga Das First Nations Youth Choir entered the theatre.

Winding their way down the aisles whispering "Dwae Na Ga Das"-Raising Our Voices in the Cayuga language-in the ears of the audience, the choir made its debut at the Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts on Saturday, Feb. 18.

John P. Kelly bursary awarded

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Bonnie Guarisco of Wauzhushk Onigum First Nation was chosen as this year's recipient of the John P. Kelly educational bursary.

Guarisco, who is enrolled in the Social Work Masters program at the University of Toronto, will receive $500 to help her cover the costs of her schooling for the 2005-2006 academic year.

The bursary will be awarded annually to one or more Treaty #3 students enrolled in a university masters program, with the recipients selected based on financial need and academic achievement.

Jamieson to receive Trent honor

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Roberta Jamieson will be adding another achievement to her resume in June when she receives an honorary degree from Trent University.

Jamieson was the first Aboriginal women in Canada to earn a law degree, the first woman appointed as Ontario's ombudsman, the first Aboriginal commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario and the first non-parliamentarian to be appointed to a House of Commons committee. She was the first woman to become chief of Six Nations of the Grand River and, in 1994, was appointed to the Order of Canada.

Conference to focus on teaching language to youth

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Kwii-anishinaabemtooway na gdi-binoojiinmag nongo?-Will you speak the language to your children today?-is the theme of the 12th annual Anishinaabemowin Teg Language Conference, taking place March 30 to April 2. Through the conference, to be held at the Kewadin Casino and Convention Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., participants will learn and share ideas about how to retain the Ojibwe, Odawa and Pottawanimee languages before they are completely gone.

Youth reach out to youth through campaign

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The Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Decade for Youth Council has launched a suicide prevention campaign urging troubled youth to ask for help in dealing with the problems they encounter in their lives.

Through the We Care Yellow Balloon campaign, the council will be working with NAN's Decade for Youth and Development department to get the message out. The Decade for Youth Council and Decade for Youth and Development program were created in 2002 as a way to try to deal with the suicide crisis within NAN communities.

[ footprints ] Dennis Franklin Cromarty

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The betterment of his community - inspired, might have been lawyer

Dennis Franklin Cromarty was born on Dec. 2, 1947 in Pickle Crow , Ont. a now non-existent mining town where his father, Isaac, worked in the gold mines. Both his parents were from the north. His father was from Big Trout Lake, his mother, Eila was born in York Factory but grew up in Big Trout. The couple had nine children. Dennis was the second youngest.

New mortgage option available through CMHC

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The Nak'askli Band in B.C. has become the first community to take advantage of a new Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) pilot project designed to help address the shortage of available housing on reserves across the country.

In November 2005, Nak'askli Chief Leonard Thomas announced the band had signed an agreement to take part in the On-Reserve Homeownership Loan Insurance pilot project. The project is designed to give people living on reserve an opportunity to access insured mortgage financing to buy, build or renovate a home.