By Bryan Eneas

Youth taking charge with community pow wow planning

Apr 28, 2018 | 8:00 AM

Prince Albert will play host to a semi-annual pow wow, and youth are taking charge in the coordination and planning of the gathering, called the Heart of Our Youth Pow Wow.

On April 23, members of the PA Youth Outreach team attended city hall to discuss the coming pow wow, planned for May 25 at Kinsmen park, and to ask council to attend the event to show their support.

The committee outlined the objectives of the pow wow to council.  

“We have three main goals for this pow wow; that’s to show that the youth are strong, we can be leaders and role models in the community,” Rene French, a member of the committee said. “To educate the community on the history and the meaning of the pow wow ceremony [and] to provide a venue for our youth drummers and dancers.”

Curtis Bird, a student from Won Ska, said youth from around the area were asked to design a logo for the contest. The pow wow committee is also travelling around schools in the city to educate students about the various dances and traditions around pow wow. Teachers were also provided with packages to help in their classrooms.

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In order to make the gathering reality, the committee acquired a venue in the Kinsmen Park and obtained funding through a grant from the Saskatchewan Association for Youth and Community Wellbeing.

“Thank you to the city of P.A. for giving us the use of Kinsmen Park for the day,” Bird said. “We chose this location as it’s the heart of the city and a neutral gathering place.”

Liz Settee, the Elder for Won Ska Cultural School, and a long-standing member of the pow wow committee said as there are no more Community School Coordinator positions to help plan the event, she felt it was important to step up for the youth.

“They have classes in school, they have drumming in school, pow wow dancing… they practise those things, where do they showcase them?” she asked.

In response, Mayor Greg Dionne said he was shocked to learn the Community School Coordinator program ended. He offered his congratulations to Settee and the youth for organizing the event in the coordinators absence while committing to attend the gathering.

Councillor Dennis Ogrodnick explained the Community School Coordinator position was axed due to provincial education funding cuts.

Editor’s Note: This story was modified at 8:45 a.m. on Monday, April 30, 2018 to correct an error. A previous version of this story included an incorrect spelling of Rene French’s first name.

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas