Issue #8 January 19 2010
CCP News Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Comprehensive Community Planning “Working Together For A Better Community”
What’s Inside: - New Grant! - 4 pages of photos - Guest Writer Charles Willie
Gilakasla
January ‘10
Wow how did 2009 go by so quickly? It feels like we just started the CCP, and yet here we are, a year and a half later! I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped out in the past couple of years, by coming out to the meetings, cooking, cleaning up, helping me set up, provding your ideas and support, delivering newsletters, and especially all of the new staff who are working your butts off to make our CCP awesome! I also want to send out special thanks to Jeet and Johanna from UBC who have volunteered so much of their time and energy to help out with our CCP... you guys are so amazing and giving, you don’t know how much of a difference your help has made. Although we’ll see you again in January, best of luck in your future endeavors ladies! I hope everyone had a great holiday season surrounded by love and happiness, and we’re sending our love and support out to those who have been through a rough time lately. Take care! From the CCP Crew: Silena, Jessie, Johanna, Jeet, Tasha, Donna, Christy & Cathy!
Contents
• • •
CCP Update Recreation Update Charles Willie
• New Grant • Photo Album • CCP: What’s Ahead
Recreation Project Update (by Silena) Hey everybody, Check out the upcoming activities for an idea of some of the things that will be happening for recreation development. There will be other activities too, so check out my facebook status for the latest, or text me. If you have any other ideas about things to do, please give me a call at Health and Family Service (949-8131) in the mornings or the CCP office (902-2306) or you can e-mail me at silenag@ gwanakplan.org.
Upcoming Activities Monday & Thursday the hall is booked for community members: 3-4:30pm Age 5-8 4:30-6pm Age 9-13 6-8pm for teens, if the hall is available Free Drop-In Swim Jan. 22 (Friday) 7-8:30 pm Indoor Soccer @ Ft. Rupert Wednesday, 6-10pm Walking Club with elders (in the hall) day/time TBA North Island Floor Hockey Tournament date TBA (Feb/March)
Guest Writer: Charles Willie
The Gwasala and the ‘Nakwaxda’xw are strong people culturally. I have heard stories of the historical relationship between the Nakwxdaxw and the Ts’awataineuk (where I come from). This relationship still exists today in various forms. I am very fortunate and privileged to be able to have a good relationship with the Gwasala-Nakwaxdaxw how they exist today. I have worked with your children (our children) in the Education System and continue to do so at a different level. I am glad to take part in community cultural events and see people from the community. I have recently combined my resources with my nephew Mike Willie (who works at your Band school) of all the songs of the Gwasala-Nakwaxdaxw people and varying families. I have made copies available to Betty Walkus for the culture program at the school, Mike as cultural preservation worker, students at the Young Adult Program and will make a copy to be stored at the Band Office. The songs are from various dances of the Ts’eka (Red Cedar) and Dtluwalaxa (Peace Dance) series. There are more songs out there and I am in the process of locating them and will make them available to the same people. I look forward to a continued relationship with the community at a working level but more importantly at a personal level and pass this relationship down to our children for future generations. With much love and respect,
Charles Willie
New Grant: Culture Classes
Some of you might remember that we applied for some funding in the summer to do culture ‘classes with the elders. The funding is offered by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors program. We wanted to use the funding to get some rowboats and stuff for gathering seafood, materials for button blankets and drums, build a community smokehouse, and pay a small honoraria to elders that teach the classes. Well, guess what!? We got the grant! More details will be coming soon, and hopefully we can have a community meeting in January to talk about how the program will work. Hopefully classes can run twice a week for the whole year, open to all community members! This project is meant to encourage volunteering, so if you have a skill that you want to volunteer to teach (like gathering cedar bark, or skinning deer, etc.) this could be a good opportunity to pass those skills on to the community.
Photo Album Nov. 18 CCP Meeting
CCP Research Assistant Training
Halloween Party (organized by Silena)
Recreation Activities (organized by Silena)
Johanna’s Bridal Shower & CCP Christmas Party
CCP staff organized a surprise bridal shower for Johanna, to thank her for all the hard work she’s done. Many GN staff came too!
We danced the night away in the Elders’ Centre at the CCP Christmas Party and Potluck Dinner! Thanks to everyone who cooked there was lots of food, even a birthday cake for Kianna! Lots of fun had by all...
Archival Photos 1. Men fishing in Wyclees Lagoon 2. Chief Willie Seaweed in Ba’as (Blunden Harbour) 3. Do you have a story about this photo? Let us know!
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4. Group of people in Wyclees Lagoon including Chief Paddy’s grandfather, Happy Boon.
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Important Points to Remember The CCP is NOT part of the Treaty. Our funding comes from a grant we received from the First Nations Infrastructure Fund (INAC). The CCP is NOT connected to the Special Claim we received, although since many people have worked on the CCP it can be a helfpul tool to help make decisions about Special Claim funds. The Treaty and the Special Claim ARE aspects of our community, though, and it is important for the CCP to touch on both topics. The CCP IS community-driven and reflects the voice of the community. YOU, the community, are the ones who decide what goes in the CCP and how it gets used. If you feel like the CCP doesn’t reflect the community, let CCP staff know and we can improve it! If you have any questions about the CCP, want to see minutes from any of the meetings, etc. call 902-2306 to talk to Jessie, or stop by the office :)
What’s Ahead in the CCP Upcoming activities: - Finishing the photography project by giving cameras to elders & youth, developing the pics, and sharing the pics with the community (we already did this with children, you might remember the posters they made from the June 23 CCP dinner) - Finishing Jeet & Johanna’s projects (these are the projects that the research assistants are working on) - Getting the culture classes going - Getting feedback from all of you about the CCP, and writing the second draft (then finishing it, and then CELEBRATING!)
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e have a draft Comprehensive Community Plan, which some of you might have seen either at a CCP meeting in the fall, or when the Research Assistants brought them to the homes of some community members.
We will keep bringing the draft CCPs house-to-house and to meetings to give you a chance to ask any questions you might have or share your feedback with the Research Assistants. Because the CCP is just a draft right now, we can change anything we want to make the CCP the best it can be. Please read it over, make notes of your thoughts about it, and share those thoughts with CCP staff.
N E W S
Free Youth Leadership Workshop! Come meet new friends, expand your leadership skills, get creative with new media and culture, eat healthy food and have a great time! Youth 13-25 and adults interested in supporting youth are encouraged to attend both days. Hope to see you there!
Friday: Program 1-4pm (Dinner at 4:30-5:30pm) Saturday: (Lunch 1-2pm) Program 2-6pm
Jan 22 + 23 at the Port Hardy Civic Centre BC RURAL SUMMIT IN MARCH!!! Registration is now open for the 6th BC Rural Communities Summit, to be held March 16-18, 2010, in Port Hardy, BC. This biennial event is hosted in 2010 by the District of Port Hardy, in partnership with the BC Rural Network. Registration is open to anyone interested in the issues facing rural communities in BC. Full registration information is available at
www.bcruralsummit.ca
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Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Comprehensive Community Planning (250) 902-2306 ccp@gwanak.info Jessie Hemphill, Coordinator jessieh@gwanakplan.org Silena George, CCP Assistant silenag@gwanakplan.org