Eight years after he attended the Dreamcatchers Aboriginal Youth Conference, Michael Ciboci was busy finishing some Chinese takeout to help fundraise for a new crop of youth to head to this yearSA国际影视传媒檚 event.
Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
SA国际影视传媒淣ow ISA国际影视传媒檓 in the position where ISA国际影视传媒檓 able to fundraise with the youth to bring them and they can experience the conference,SA国际影视传媒� said Ciboci, youth program coordinator at Ingamo Hall. SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 a good experience to go down, interact with each other and make lifelong friends.SA国际影视传媒�
He said it felt like a big deal at the time and created a strong communal spirit.
The conference, hosted at MacEwan University in Edmonton, centres on a theme of self-empowerment, with the slogan SA国际影视传媒淒ream, Learn, Achieve.SA国际影视传媒�
The idea behind the name is how dreamcatchers accept the good and ward off the bad in the lives of youth.
Ciboci said there are workshops, keynote speakers and a lot of opportunities for youth to engage in activities that will benefit their future.
SA国际影视传媒淭he majority of them wanted to do SA国际影视传媒榳ords with an elder,SA国际影视传媒� where they go into the workshop with an elder and learn traditional values of smudge and how to make a drum,SA国际影视传媒� said Ciboci.
Ingamo Hall is sponsoring five youth and two chaperones to go down, but the cost isnSA国际影视传媒檛 free. The overall bill will be around $16,000.
To pay that off, Ciboci and the youth have been busy fundraising, making pizzas, running merchandise bingos and more.
Savannah Elias-Beaulieu, one of the youth taking part, said sheSA国际影视传媒檚 been helping with 50/50s, ticket draws, bake sales and take-out food events.
SA国际影视传媒淚 am excited to be going to Dreamcatchers, as itSA国际影视传媒檚 my first time going,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚 am looking forward to learning new things and meeting new people from all over Canada.SA国际影视传媒�
SheSA国际影视传媒檚 heard a lot of good things about Dreamcatchers and is eager to try new things.
The conference is held Oct. 27 and 28 in Edmonton, but the youth are spending a few extra days down there to enjoy the trip.
Elias-Beaulieu thanked Ingamo Hall for giving the youth this opportunity.
