CREE WOMEN OF EEYOU ISTCHEE ASSOCIATION (CWEIA)
2019-2020 ANNUAL REPORT
Left to right back row: Tina Mark, Rita Masty, Pauline Lameboy, Stella M. Bearskin, LeeAnn Neeposh, Manon Richmond Left to right front row: Kaitlynn Hester Moses, Jane B, Kitchen, Maria Kawapit, Irene B House, Marjorie Mark, Marlene I. Kitchen Center on the floor: Wabiguin Bearskin
WOMEN OF EEYOU ISTCHEE ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 905, Chisasibi, QC. J0M 1E0 Tel: 819-282-6597 cweia.ca
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
This year was marked by many great achievements for the Cree Women of Eeyou Istchee Association. The obstacles created by the COVID-19 pandemic in the past months gave us an opportunity to be innovative in our work. By challenging us to grow professionally and personally, the new normal forced us to do better and be better. As the 4th elected President of this amazing and beautiful organization, I am proud of the way we adapted to a new way of working during a trying time. After many years of being a faithful and loyal member of CWEIA since its incorporation, my first year as President has been a humbling experience. The opportunity to be at the helm of this remarkable organization is a great honour. Our staff expanded from three to eight members this past year. This growth is an accomplishment that allows to spread our wings and fly toward new horizons while achieving the objectives set out in our Mission Statement and Action Plan. This is the vision we carry forward from previous staff and previous presidents. We were sad that Manon Richmond left the organization this year, but we recognize and celebrate her efforts, countless hours and
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dedication at CWEIA. Her work here continues to help us achieve our goals. She was an exemplary and dedicated worker, and it was hard to find someone to fill her shoes, especially since Manon’s contributions came from a place of love, compassion and humility. She truly cared for the organization, and she left us with a lasting legacy. Her spirit continues to inspire the way we work to complete our organization’s projects and daily tasks. We have accomplished a lot and we still have a long way to go. It gives me great pleasure to serve the women of the Cree Nation. My passion is to empower women, to provide a safe space to express themselves freely and openly, while helping them to trust themselves and be more independent. In my current position, the hardest part was conducting interviews during the hiring process. We could not take on all the wonderful ladies who applied for the new positions, and that made me extremely sad. But it also made me realize how many educated, powerful, amazing and talented women we have in the Cree Nation. My greatest fear is that we might not be able to cater to all Cree women as is my goal. We must strive to serve and help all women who reach out to us.
A women’s voice is very important and needs to be heard. We need to create spaces for them to freely express themselves. We all need to be able to openly communicate with each other, instead of talking about each other in a way that tears us down. We must instead build each other up. Everyone is now fighting a battle that we know too little about, so we need to practice more compassion and love. Leadership means you are a knowledge keeper, and that you share your knowledge. You build people up by including them and allowing them to have a voice, whether you like what they have to say or not. It is very important to listen to each other. Because everyone is a teacher, failures can teach us valuable lessons on what our next step is or what it should be. It pushes us to keep moving forward. I will be unapologetic about the passions that I hold dear to my heart regarding the realities that all women and girls face in a society that too often pushes them to fail. My passion is to keep fighting; to fight for our children, grandchildren and our communities. Women are the backbone of society. In all societies, however, we just don’t give women an opportunity or a safe place to voice their desires to effect change in areas of culture, language, economic development, health, justice or education.
one who leads her home with integrity, discipline, and more. All the virtues she is practicing are aimed at improving the life of her community and family by pushing them to be better, do better. She teaches her children and serves her community with high morals and standards, never settling for anything less than what we deserve. The Cree Women of Eeyou Istchee Association is in the early development stages of a project to help women in business. We are also preparing an action plan for a Domestic Family Violence program that will raise awareness and educate our people about this problem. We must all understand and agree on what our next steps should be to address this pressing issue. We want to help women, girls, and Elders navigate their way through the overly bureaucratic system we currently have in place. We need to decolonize the system and design a better one to fit the needs of the women and men it should serve and protect. Once a woman knows she is sacred, she will know she has the right to be Silent No More. It is our collective responsibility to disrupt the status quo and inspire this generation to be the innovators, change makers and leaders of tomorrow. When we realize and recognize our own inner strength and learn to support women, we are indirectly supporting children, homes and the wider community. We should remember that failure is not the end of the trail, it just means you need to get up and dust yourself off, because tomorrow is another new day.
This year we celebrated women and men who have made great efforts in the community at the 2nd Leadership Forum and 6th Eeyou Eenou Outstanding Women Gala Awards. It was an evening filled with laughter and tears that concluded with entertainment by David Hart.
ᔅᑖᓂᔅ ᒪᔅᑎ -ᐱᕐᔅᑲᓐ Stella Masty- Bearskin
We all need to be virtuous women in our homes, organizations and our communities. What does it mean to be a virtuous woman? The Bible in the Proverbs 31 describes a virtuous woman as the
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ᐄᔫᐤ ᐃᔅᒀᐤᒡ ᐋ ᓂᔅᑐᐎᒡ ᑳ ᒋᔅᑖᐱᔅᑎᒃ President of Cree Women of Eeyou Istchee
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
It is with great pleasure that we present this annual report and provide an update of what the Cree Women of Eeyou Istchee Association accomplished during 2019-2020 fiscal year. It has been a busy year for all of us here at CWEIA. During this period, CWEIA focused on organizational development: creating positions and developing job descriptions in preparation for the expansion of our team. CWEIA grew from three to eight staff members this year. This expansion was greatly needed in order to fulfill CWEIA’s mandates and to distribute the workload in a way that ensures quality delivery of our projects and programs. The new positions created are: Executive Director, Assistant Director, Wellness Coordinator, Business Development Coordinator, Events and Communications Coordinator, and Program Coordinator. We also created the Gookumnouch Advisory Paataaksuun (GAP) Coordinator position under a short-term work experience program. As a new team, we jumped into the planning of the leadership forum and gala. With only a couple of months to prepare, it was often a very busy and hectic period. It was a great challenge for everyone. The new team members were learning
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their new roles at the same time they were organizing this ambitious event. It was a steep learning curve for everyone. I’m thankful for and proud of all staff members, who dug in their heels and persevered through a trial by fire. It turned out to be a very beautiful and successful event. We also learned about each other’s strengths. I would like to give a shout-out to two awesome ladies: Manon Richmond and Linda L. Schecapio. Manon worked for CWEIA for six years as the Regional Coordinator. She decided to begin a new journey that focuses on her business and other new opportunities. She stayed with CWEIA until the end of March to ensure a smooth transition and orderly transfer of information to the new team. We still maintain contact with her, especially since her role in the development of CWEIA built a solid foundation for our future growth. Linda served as Regional Coordinator before she became CWEIA’s 3rd President in 2015, serving until 2019. During her presidency, Linda further developed the work of her predecessors, which culminated in a five-year strategic orientation plan. From there, she designed a framework to integrate and coordinate our orientations. She made sure that everything we do supports these orientations, and so much more.
On behalf of CWIEA, I honour and acknowledge the awesome work these ladies accomplished during their time with CWEIA. They truly brought our organization to another level. This was also the year CWEIA welcomed a newly elected President, Stella M. Bearskin, who was voted in at the 12th AGA. I am looking forward to learning from and collaborating with her as we build upon the work she has already begun. As a project-based entity, CWEIA relies on calls for proposals to obtain funds for project and program delivery. Developing proposals keeps us busy throughout the year. One of our goals is to increase our core funding, and this year we received great news in this regard. SACCAIS granted us core funding in the amount of $74,000 per year. This brings our total core funding to $327,000. We still have a way to go to secure additional core funding, but we are encouraged by and thankful for this new source of support.
everyone planning to attend an event, which was ready to proceed thanks to meticulous preparation. But for the safety of everyone, especially our Elders, we made the prudent decision to cancel the Gathering. Moving forward, COVID-19 will continue to affect the way we deliver projects and programs. As people who come from a resilient nation, however, I am confident that we can adapt and meet our project goals by using different methods. Technology and social media have helped us to maintain contact with our team, members, communities and our nation. Meequetch!
Toward the end of our fiscal year, the COVID-19 pandemic affected the implementation of some of our projects. We were forced to cancel the 4th Kuukumnuuwich Gathering, which was to be held in Nemaska in mid-March. This disappointed
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Tina Mark-Ottereyes Executive Director
MISSION “To inspire and value Eeyou-Eenou Iskweu through healing, culture and socioeconomic development.” ᐋ ᐃᔑ ᑐᑕᐦᒡ ᐄᔨᔨᐅᔅᐧᑳᐅᒡ ᐋᐦ ᒫᒨᐧᐄᒡ ᐄᔨᔨᐅᔅᒌᐦᒡ « ᐋ ᐧᐃᒋᐦᐋᒡ ᑭᔮ ᐋ ᐧᐃ ᒋᔅᒑᔨᐦᑖᑰᐦᐋᒡ ᐄᔨᔨᐤ/ᐄᓅ ᐄᔅᐧᑳᐤᐦ ᒥᓂᐧᐋᒋᐦᐃᑯᓯᐧᐃᓂᐦᒡ ᐃᔨᔨᐆᐋᐦᑐᐧᐃᓂᐦᒡ ᑭᔭ ᐊᐱᑎᓯᐧᐃᓈᐦᒡ ᐅᐦᒡ᙮
VISION “We are strong, united and resilient Eeyou-Eenou Iskwaauch as we embrace our nurturing roles towards sustaining harmonious families, communities and nation. “Minister for Women and Gender Equality.” ᓃᔥᑕᒥᐦᒡ ᐋ ᐃᔑ ᑲᓂᐧᐋᐱᐦᑕᑭᓄᐧᐃᒡ « ᓇᔥᒡ ᒋᓱᐦᒋᓰᓈᓅ, ᐋ ᒫᒨᑳᐳᐧᐃᔨᐦᒄ ᑭᔭ ᒋᔒᐱᔒᓈᓅ ᐋ ᐄᔨᔨᐤ/ᐄᓅ ᐄᔅᐧᑳᐧᐃᔨᐦᒄ ᐋ ᐧᐋᐆᒋᓂᒥᐦᒄ ᐊᓐ ᐋ ᐃᔑ ᑐᑎᒥᐦᒄ ᑖᓐ ᐊᓐ ᐋ ᐃᔑᓈᑰᐦᒡ ᒑ ᑐᑎᒨᐦᑯᐱᓈ ᐋ ᐱᒥᓈᐆᓲᔨᐦᒄ ᒑ ᒋ ᐃᑑᐦᑖᔨᐦᒄ ᐋᓂᑖᐦ ᐋ ᒦᔫᐱᓈᓄᐧᐃᒡ ᐋ ᐹᔨᑯᑖᐆᓯᓈᓄᐧᐃᒡ, ᐊᔅᑏᐦᑖᐧᐃᓈᐦᒡ ᑭᔭ ᒫᒃ ᐃᔨᔨᐦᒡ ᐋ ᐃᑎᔅᑳᓈᓯᔨᐦᒄ᙮
2019-2020 ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIVITIES CORPORATE MATTERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Board of Directors met on three occasions. Two meetings were held in person and one was by conference call. As well, one special board meeting also conducted by conference call. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The Executive Committee had four meetings. Three were in person and one was held by conference call. ANNUAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY CWIEA’s 12th Annual General Assembly was held at the Kinawit cultural site in Val-d’Or September 11-13, 2019.
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2019-2020 ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIVITIES FINANCIAL OVERVIEW REVENUE Core Funding – Operations Eeyou Eenou Limited Partnership SACCIAS
$ 219,107.00 $ 74,331.00
TOTAL
$ 293,438.00
Project Funding $ 48,659.00 $ 10,000.00 $ 692,216.00 4 years $ 15,000.00 $ 50,000.00 $ 43,000.00
Apatisiwin Skills Development Cree Board of Health and Social Services Secretariate Condition Feminine Secretariat aux Affaires Autochthones Secretariat a la Jeunesse – Quebec Indigenous Services Canada Women and Gender Equality Canada / Government of Canada
$ 178,091.00 2 years
TOTAL
$ 1,036,966.00
TOTAL REVENUES
$ 1,330,404.00
EXPENDITURES Operations – Core Funding Projects Funding
$ 313,545.00 $ 520,481.00
TOTAL EXPENDITURES
$ 834,026.00
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ORIENTATIONS DAB EEYOU
EMPOWERMENT
Gookumnouch Council
MMIWG
The Gookumnouch Advisory Council met in person on three occasions to plan the 4th Gookumnouch Gathering and to prepare the community school tour. The CWEIA Gookumnouch Council is often invited to participate in many other events on behalf of CWEIA or to do workshops.
Among the Cree communities, eight Local Women’s Associations (LWA) delivered events related to the Sister in Spirit Vigil October 4. The Sister in Spirit Vigil is to honour our missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. CWEIA provided red t-shirts to everyone participating in the walk. Red skirt material kits were also sent to each of the Local Women’s Associations to have skirt-making workshops so that women were able to wear these skirts on the walk. Activities consisted of vigils, community walks, a radio talk show and other awareness activities such as a feast, sharing circle and commemorating families impacted by MMIWG.
Fourth Gookumnouch Gathering The Gookuknouch Gathering was scheduled to be held in Nemaska March 12-15, 2020. All preparations were complete, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic the gathering was cancelled at the very last minute. We want to thank the Cree Nation of Nemaska and the Nemaska Local Women’s Association for all their hardwork preparing to host our event. CWEIA plans to hold this event within the next fiscal year at a location to be determined. Niishiiyuu Council of Elders (NCOE) Traditional Cultural Gathering CWEIA hosted day 2 of the NCOE Traditional Cultural Gathering in Wemindji August 26-27, 2019. The theme this year was “Saachihiiiwewin”. We started the day with an opening prayer and a welcome by Irene B. House, and an opening Shiishiikun song. Miss Eeyou Eenou Nation, Andrea McLeod, delivered a keynote address. A presentation on Elder Mistreatment and Care was followed by a talk about Dialogue and Feedback. In the afternoon we hosted traditional workshops heard an interview on Legend and Storytelling, and conducted a session on making Shiishiikun.
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Purple Scarf campaign – November 25, 2019 November is Women Abuse Prevention Month. On November 25, 2019, we encouraged women via our FACEBOOK page to wear purple scarves to show community support for abused women and their children. At the same time, we released a public notice to publicize the CWEIA’s approach to address domestic violence in Eeyou Istchee. Domestic Family Violence – Task Force A meeting was held in December to establish a Task Force on Domestic Family Violence. Representatives, were present from NCOE, Robin’s Nest, Cree Traditional Advisory Council, Niishiiyuu Department, Cree Health Board, Eeyou Eenou Police and Justice Department.
2nd Women in Leadership Forum and 6th Outstanding Recognition Awards Gala
The event featured motivational speakers, workshops, roundtable discussions and our sixth Outstanding Recognition Awards Gala. The women in leadership and attendees left the conference motivated and encouraged to continue embarking on their goals and aspirations.
More than 100 delegates from Eeyou Istchee participated in the second Women in Leadership Forum, held in Ottawa at the Brookstreet Hotel March 6-8, 2020. The first day was geared toward business development in partnership with the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Economic Development Commission. The second day focused on Women in Leadership. On the third day, we ensured that our Cree way of life was integrated into everything we do by incorporating traditional governance and teachings.
The 6th gala was a huge success. Among the 10 categories we recognized nine Eeyou/ Eenou Women and one Eeyou male for their contribution in different areas in Eeyou Istchee.
WINNERS AND CATEGORIES NAME OF AWARD WINNER
AWARD CATEGORY
Melanie Lameboy Community Member of Chisasibi
Ambassador Award
Joseph Fireman Community Member of Chisasibi
Men’s Wellness Award
Linda Masty Whapmagoostui Community Member
Volunteer Award
Annie Nayassit Elder of Waswanipi
Women in Arts and Culture
Patricia George Business Owner Whapmagoostui
Women in Business
Theresa Georgekish Retired teacher, Wemindj
Women in Cree Language
Doris Rupert Pachano Cree Language Teacher, Chisasibi
Women in Education
Mervina Cheezo RN, Awash Dept., Miyupiimatiisium Dept. CHBSSJB, Chisasibi
Women in Health promotion and Fitness
Daisy House Deputy Chief, Cree Nation of Chisasibi
Women in Politics
Christina Biron Assistant Executive Director of CHBSSJB
Women in Public Service
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ADVOCACY
Maamuu Awash
MEEN – Miss Eeyou Eenou Nation
As a partner and member of the planning committee for Maamuu Upichnauusuutaau, CWEIA attended and participated in the Parenting Conference and conducted a traditional fashion show.
Since being crowned Miss Eeyou/Eenou Nation back in March, Andrea McLeod has travelled to almost every Eeyou/Eenou community to speak about her weight-loss journey and education. “It’s been a great adventure and experience so far,” Andrea told us. A highlight for her in 2019 was being the first MEEN to speak in Whapmagoostui, which Andrea called an amazing trip. She also spoke at the regional career fair in Mistissini, her first time in the community. She says she never imagined she would have such a mental and spiritual transformation during this experience. She has learned from and been inspired by many of our Eeyou people. “Being part of CWEIA is very uplifting and positive,” Andrea says, she has experienced personal growth by learning more about education, culture and the Cree language. And, above all, by simply coming together and sharing positivity with Eeyou women.
Cree Nation Youth Council 5th Inspire Hope Conference 2020
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Home Away from Home CWEIA supports the “Home Away from Home” project in collaboration with the Niishiiyuu Miyupiimatiisium department of the Cree Health Board and the Val-d’Or Friendship Centre. This project supports women who must leave home to give birth in Val-d’Or. It’s a time to eat traditional food and enjoy workshops taught by Cree Elders about birthing, babies and parenting. Marlene I. Kitchen from the Gookumnouch Council attended their last event November 12, 2019, in Val-d’Or on behalf of CWEIA.
Young Women’s Leadership Conference
Aspiring Health Living Campaign
CWEIA was invited to the Young Women’s Leadership Conference. CWEIA Vice-President Rita Masty, facilitated a workshop while CWEIA President Stella M. Bearskin and her daughter Wabiguin Bearskin delivered empowerment speeches to all the young women present.
CWEIA conducted a Placemats Campaign to promote healthy living. Four placemats were designed to highlight information on CWEIA’s mission and vision, such as being kind to one another, and to include statistics on domestic violence and information on helplines. The placemats were handed out at the 12th AGA and sent to all communities to be distributed to local restaurants. The campaign was very successful. People enjoyed reading the information on the placemats and there were requests for more. This campaign will continue in the next fiscal year.
Wabiguin Bearskin Young Women’s Conference
Speakers – Leadership Forum 2020
Leadership Forum Workshops
Award winners top row left to right Rachel Kawapit accepted the award on behalf of Patricia George; Pauline Lameboyaccepted the award on behalf of Daisy House; Clayton Visitor accepted the award for Joseph Fireman; Melanie Lameboy; Mervina Cheezo. Bottom row left to right Elizabeth Chiskamish accepted for Doris Rupert Pachano; Theresa Georgekish; Annie Nayassit; Christina Biron; Linda Masty
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Three of the positions were filled in November 2019. The Program Coordinator at the time was promoted to Executive Director and a new Program Coordinator was hired in November 2019. The Regional Coordinator was asked to oversee the transition and integration of new staff. This took place from November to February, starting with a staff orientation, training and exchange of information. A business development coordinator was also hired unofficially in November, and she became full-time in January 2020. A GAP Coordinator was hired as well under a six-month program to work with the Gookumnouch Paatakusuun Council. In total, we gained six new staff members over the past year. Reflecting these changes, a final organizational structure was developed. A Financial Coordinator was not hired, and it was decided that the position would be changed to an Events and Communications Coordinator, which will be filled in the upcoming year.
Organizational Development This year CWEIA submitted 17 proposals. Of them, nine were approved, decisions on six are pending while only one was rejected. For another proposal, no funds were distributed this year. Human Resources CWEIA went through a process of expanding its operational team. New positions were created, including: Executive Director, Assistant Director, Wellness Coordinator and Financial Coordinator.
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From the left Josephine Sheshamush, Program Coordinator; Rita S. Masty, Wellness Coordinator; Tina Mark-Ottereyes, Executive Director; Teresa Mark, Assistant Director.
As part of Capacity Building and to assure continuity for CWEIA, a tool will be developed to monitor all agreements. This will ensure implementation, submission of reports, and that budgets are met. An orientation kit was developed and approved for the Board of Directors, with a more concise version to be written and approved. Communications is being worked on as well, in order to find ways to better communicate and provide information to all stakeholders, including members and the general public. Finally, an advocacy plan was developed at a session with CWEIA staff and our Local Women’s Association Presidents. We have a draft plan to be approved and implemented.
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Picture of CWEIA staff at the CNYC Capacity Building Conference, in the picture on the left, is Josephine Sheshamush, Program Coordinator and on the right, Rita S. Masty, Wellness Coordinator who did a workshop on self-care.
CWEIA REPRESENTATION AT OTHER EVENTS September 4–6, 2019
UQAM Colloque Montreal
September 11, 2019
SCF First Nation Women’s Table (President sits on the Board)
October 7–11, 2019
Women Leadership Summit
October 22-24, 2019
Cree Nation Government Capacity Building Conference
November 12-13, 2019
Waswanipi Local Business Conference
November 22-24, 2019
Quebec Native Women’s – Annual General Assembly (President is a board member)
January 17-18, 2019
CNYC - Capacity Building – Inspire Hope
February 5-8, 2019
Northern Lights Conference
February 26-27, 2020
Cree School Board – AGA – Ouje-Bougoumou
February 27, 2020
Secretariat Condition Feminine – Gender Equality Forum – Montreal
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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President Stella M. Bearskin
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Vice-President Rachel Kawapit Secretary/Treasurer Carmen Faries Eleder Representative Irene B. House Youth Representative Kaitlyn Hester-Moses
LOCAL WOMEN ASSOCIATION PRESIDENTS Whapmagoostui Rita Masty Chisasibi Pauline Lameboy Wemindji Carmen Faries Eastmain Sheila Mark-Stewart
GOUKUMNOUCH COUNCIL Executive Elder Irene B. House Coastal Elder Representative Maria Kawapit Coastal Elder Representative Marjorie Mark Inland Elder Representative Marlene I. Kitchen Inland Elder Representative Jane B. Kitchen
Waskaganish Emily Blackned Hester Nemaska LeeAnn Neeposh Mistissini Amy Linton Ouje-Bougoumou Sarah Cooper Waswanip Rhonda Oblin-Cooper Washaw-Sibi Louise Trapper
STAFF Executive Director Tina Mark-Ottereyes Assistant Director Teresa Mark Program Coordinator Josephine Sheshamush
Senneterre Elizabeth Mianscum
Business Development Coordiantor Julie-Ann Cooper
Chibougamau VACANT
Wellness Coordiantor Rita S. Masty
Val-d’Or VACANT
Bookkeeper Rachel Martin-Hunter 14
OUR FUNDERS Eeyou Eenou Limited Partnership Apatiisiiwin Skills Development Cree Nation Youth Council Cree Board of Health and Social Services James Bay Women and Gender Equality Canada / Government of Canada - Honour and Resilience – MMIWG – Capacity Building Minister of Indigenous Services – Family Violence Prevention Secretariat a l’action Communautaire Autonome et aux Initiatives Sociales Secretariat a la Jeunesse Secretariate a la Condition Feminine – Domestic Family Violence Prevention – Domestic Family Violence Prevention – Gender Equalitymestic Family Violence Prevention
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR FUNDERS
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