July 8th, 2020
BIMAADZWIN, INC PO Box 192 – 511 Highway 17 Serpent River, ON P0P 1B0
COVID Newsletter Changes So much in the world has changed since the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in February of this year – but at the same time, not all that much has changed. We’re all still trying to keep ourselves and our families safe and healthy, we want to connect with our friends and our neighbours, and we want to work to build better a better community for those around us – it’s just that we we’ve been forced to go about all of this in a very different way. The coronavirus outbreak was unexpected – things were changing rapidly – and there was so much information being shared that it was almost overwhelming. It was hard to know what information was trustworthy – and sometimes, governments didn’t respond as fast as we would have expected them to. At the same time, we noticed that there was not yet a resource that compiled information, stories, and strategies from First Nation communities in response to the pandemic – and we thought this was one small role that we could play. Bimaadzwin is proud to have compiled fifteen weekly newsletters that contained important updates and recommendations from public health officials, stories from First Nation communities, online an at-home activities for families, strategies for coping with mental health during the pandemic, and a whole list of other resources. However, we could not have done this alone – we are incredibly thankful to the countless organizations, online groups, local news outlets, and public health agencies for the important information and links – and to you – for reading along with us every single week. We’ve compiled the fifteen weekly newsletters here – much of the information is still relevant and helpful – just do take a look at the date, as some information may no longer be accurate. Issue No.15 - Settling in for the Summer Issue No.14 - Taking Stock on Canada's Response Issue No.13 - Keeping Tabs On The Pandemic Issue No.12 - Staying the Course (Summer) Issue No.11 - Enjoying Summer While Keeping Safe
Issue No.10 - Decision Making for the Future Issue No.9 - Looking Towards the Future Issue No.8 - Stories from Turtle Island Issue No.7 - Bring in Spring Issue No.6 - Finding Positivity During COVID-19 Issue No.5 - Staying Safe At Home Issue No.4 - Staying the Course Issue No.3 - Mental Health Issue No.2 - Community Mental Wellness Issue No.1 - COVID-19 Information for First Nations As we enter the summer months – and some normalcy starts coming back to our lives – please remember that the virus is still with us, and that we all have to continue doing our part to protect ourselves and those around us. It is still important that we stay home as much as possible, physically distance ourselves from others, and wear a mask while out in public. We will be slowing down the production of the newsletter for the time being – and will still produce one monthly to keep communities updated on the ongoing pandemic. Bimaadzwin continues to be available to assist Frist Nation governments with communications, health policy, and research relating to the COVID-19 outbreak – and we welcome you to reach out to our team with any issue or idea we might be able to help with! We’ll be back the first week of August with the next newsletter – until then – stay safe everyone,
Gerrit Wesselink Senior Policy Advisor, Bimaadzwin Inc.