Representing urban and rural Indigenous youth (4 photos)

Thursday afternoon at Sault College Enjimaawdjining, two murals created by participants of the Urban Indigenous Youth for Change (UIYFC) initiative were revealed to the public.

UIYFC works with youth aged 13 to 35 who are transitioning from rural areas to urban centres.

Since September, the organization has assisted 50 youth in developing peer networking opportunities including the UIYFC steering committee, and connecting youth with elders and mentors.

Presented by the NORDIK Institute and Social Entrepreneurship Evolution, the UIYFC mural project was hosted over eight days in October and involved 15 participants.

Facilitated by local Indigenous artist Thunder Nanni, two murals were created representing the urban and rural youth perspective.

“The art mural (project) gives a creative outlet to the voice of transitioning Indigenous youth moving between urban and rural areas,” said UIYFC Project Coordinator Lauren Doxtater.

Project participant Spencer Rice utilized the Haudenosaunee Six Nation creation story as the basis to create the mural representing the rural perspective.

Despite having some skill in drawing, Spencer said he has never really identified as being an artist.

“My biggest take away (from this project) was that my definition of what an artist is was a little rigid,” he said. “Through all of this and through people’s interpretation of the design that I did, I guess I am an artist.”

The two murals will be part of the UIYFC’s upcoming five-day digital storytelling workshop, a collaboration with the Weengushk Film Institute.

Hosted at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre Jan. 9 through 13, participants will create a 15-minute short while learning film production techniques, script writing, and film editing using state of the art equipment.

The workshop is free to attend, limited to 10 participants, and open to Indigenous youth aged 13 to 35.

For more information about this and all other Urban Indigenous Youth for Change initiatives, please call Rebecca Commanda at 705-949-2301 ext 4276 or visit the organization’s Facebook page.