Indigenous Focus

INDIGENOUS FOCUS
We acknowledge that the clubs of District 7010 are situated on land that has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples from the beginning.  Rotary District 7010 has been occupied for centuries by the Anishinabek Nation (representing 39 First Nations communities) and Nishnawbe Aski Nation (representing 49 First Nations communities).  These lands and territories are covered by various Treaties. We pay tribute to the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, as we work to understand their ways and build a partnership that will benefit us all.
 
The goal of our District’s Indigenous Focus program is to identify projects and initiatives that Rotary, Rotaract and Interact clubs can participate in, together with Indigenous peoples, and others, towards improving Indigenous communities’ health and wellbeing.
 
We are allies of Rotary HIP (Honouring Indigenous Peoples) which is an organization that encourages and supports relationship building between Rotary clubs and Indigenous communities, while also facilitating education and awareness activities. 
Adventures in Understanding

Adventure in Understanding - is a voyage of individual growth and self-awareness as participants learn and teach, speak and listen, serve and be served. It is a voyage of discovery that will light a spark of awareness that will burn as a strong force in the minds and hearts of these youth as they mature into the leaders of to-morrow. It is a six day, five night, 100 km co-ed canoe-based experience for First Nation & non-native youth from 16-18 years of age.

This program was developed by the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha in co-operation with Curve Lake First Nation, Camp Kawartha, and the Canadian Canoe Museum to provide an opportunity for First Nation and non-native youth to share experiences as they learn and travel up the Trent Severn Waterway.

2024 REGISTRATION NOW OPEN I  Application forms and Documentation
Resource Contact - Don Watkins, Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha.
Misko-Aki Indigenous Museum
Misko-Aki (means Red Earth) is an Indigenous Museum that is being established on the site of the Discovery Centre/Steam Ship Museum in Gravenhurst. It has the backing of the Gravenhurst Rotary Club and HIP = Honouring Indigenous People, a Canadian wide Rotary organization that has now expanded to the USA and Australia and we hope to get a global grant as a result. Tim Johnston, a Mohawk from Six Nations in Brantford is the lead on this. He also designed the Indigenous museum for the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.  This Indigenous museum will educate both Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people about the past, present and future of the local Indigenous people of Ontario. It will get our Rotary brand at the site and also on the Internet for the world to do a virtual tour of the museum. Scotiabank has given $500,000 to make this a reality. We are hoping that our District can raise $50,000 from our clubs and District 7070 (Toronto plus) will do the same. Last year, our clubs raised $100,000 for Water First. Please make a donation to District Treasurer - district7010treasurer@gmail.com and mark it for the Misko-Aki project. Please contact Deborah Emory, deborahemery84@gmail.com  to be a speaker at your club to tell you more about this project.
District 7010 Indigenous Project - Water First
 
This project involves assisting the non-profit organization Water First with their fourth program - a new collaboration with Mamaweswen, The North Shore Tribal Council (NSTC), including seven member First Nations in Northern Ontario, to deliver a Drinking Water Internship Program with a group of young Indigenous adults. Press Release
 
  • Water First is the only charitable organization in Canada focused on addressing Indigenous communities’ water challenges through education, training, and collaboration.
  • Together with First Nation communities, Water First is working to solve the issue that water treatment plants have no ongoing training in water management once the treatment plant built.
  • Water First works with tribal councils by funding a career training program for young adults in water management. The program is a 15-month program, where those selected are paid and trained and at the end graduates of the program will receive their Operator in Training (OIT) and Water Quality Analyst (WQA) certifications meaning they are Provincially certified in water management.
  • In 15 months, the internship program provides over 2,000 hours of training in the classroom, at local water treatment facilities, and out on the land. And then use their knowledge, skills and credentials to support their communities, providing safe and clean drinking water for future generations.
  • Each program supports 12 – 18 students
  • Cost is approx. $50,000 per intern for 15-month program
  • Funding - 1/3 by First Nations
  • Water First, will assist in the intern selection process and manage the 15-month training program.
Programs to date:
  • #1 Pilot - Manitoulin Island – 7 First Nation communities
  • #2 Kenora (Bimose) - 11 First Nation communities
  • #3 Georgian Bay - 8 First Nation communities – started in May 2021
  • #4 North Shore Tribal Council - 7 member First Nation communities (west of Sudbury along Hwy 17 to Blind River) - starts in 2022
For additional information and to arrange for a presentation to your club contact - Past District Governor Steve Meadley , Rotary Club of Bracebridge.
Hunter Edison from Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation in Northwestern Ontario, a recent graduate of the Drinking Water Internship Program, shares the genuine impact that his skills training has had on being able to support his community. 
Hummingbird Story – Create Change One Drop At A Time
Fire is raging in the forest. All the people and animals who can escape have done so and are watching as flames engulf their homes. A hummingbird is flying to the river, catching up a drop of water in its beak, flying back over the fire, releasing the drop, then flying back to the river, and so on. Both animals and people ask the hummingbird, what it’s doing—they explain that such a small amount of water can’t possibly extinguish the flames. The hummingbird answers that if all creatures and people could add just one more drop of water, then there would be a torrential rain that could put out the fire, and that torrent would be created one drop at a time.
*Turtle Island is a name for the Earth or for North America, used by some Indigenous Peoples in the United States and First Nations people and by some Indigenous rights activists. The name is based on a common North American Indigenous creation story.