PREFORMERS, SCHEDULE, AND UPDATES!!!

Here are the updates on what's been goin on - who's gonna be there and all that jazz...

Friday, July 11th, 2008
Hip-Hop/Rock Concert 4-10pm:
SO FAR (ie. this is not everyone who's gonna be there)
Derek Miller on DJ
The Breaking Wind
The Blues Brigade
Mainline
Jace Martin
Happy Frejo
Last Nation
Julia Jamieson
Loathing in Paradise
Quanche
Infra Red
Wasun
Tasha/Wayne Anderson & others
Falyan Johnson

Saturday, July 12, 2008
Elders Vs. Youth Lacrosse Game 3pm
- To sign up and show the Elders what ya got, just contact us

Traditional Social 7:30pm
- Tyendinaga Mens Youth Singing Group will put on this Social for all the Youth and Elders

Sunday, July 13 2008
March for a Youth Centre 1pm
- Takin' a stand and raising our voices on the one resource that has been needed in this community for decades...

Community Healing Ceremony 4pm
- Traditional Ceremony to heal the community as one

Ongoing Discussions/ACTION:
- Leadership/Change
- The Great Law
- Violence
- Land Claims
- The Environment
- Healthy Living
- Traditional Roles
- Racism
- Pride
- Etc....

Art Tent
- For all those artists out there - we got u covered w/supplies - soap stone, paint, spray paint (for Graffiti art) - and a huge MURAL to paint by Youth for the Community

Elders Tent
- We got some really cool elders comin down to support the Youth - but if you know anyone who you think would be cool w/talkin to the Youth - contact us or just bring em along! This will be the place to listen and talk to some of the communities finest Leaders...

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SOOO... Basically anything you guys wanna do, we got u covered

BUT - if you know of any cool speakers, performers, Bands, Rap artists - or especially if u know anyone who could sponsor this Huge endeavor then CONTACT US!!!!

delegationofsnyouth@hotmail.com
519-754-5209

OR Facebook message us!!

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OUR MEETING IS TONIGHT @ 6pm at the Social Services Building - so don't be shy - come and take a stand and DO SOMETHING!

If you can't make it tonight then we will be meeting on Saturday @ 10am at the Six Nations Library - so make it if u can!!!

XOXO
see you all there!!

The Reality of our Future Generations - A call to action

As many of you know there is a massive political movement happening on Six Nations, the key line being “For our ‘future generations’”. In my opinion, this ideology and concept has almost lost its meaning in the crossfire of discussions being held. Don’t get me wrong I love that there is discussions going on, but I pose a serious statement: any land or financial compensation that is gotten will go to waste unless there is a social movement equal to that of the political one.

For example, take a look at our past:

A young boy is called into the principal’s office only to find that his sister is there, he is then forced to have sex with her while the principal watches and masturbates.

A young boy is placed in solitary confinement for attempting to escape.

A young boy dies and his body is buried, his parents are not notified.

These are all real events that occurred in residential schools; possibly a similar event occurred to a relative of yours. All of the children have one thing in common: they were prohibited to practice their ceremonies. They were punished for speaking the language. If the children did not experience sexual, emotional, or physical abuse first hand, then they witnessed it.

Now, these are our parents and grandparents. And therein lies the problem: would you be able to raise your children in a healthy productive manner if you were one of these students?

Our people are hurting weather you recognize it or not. The works of the government has affected you on an every day, social, and personal level. As a result, our community is broken, lost and directionless. It's not our fault. However, we are to blame if we allow this cycle to continue.

Although we are one of the most economically stable aboriginal communities in Canada, we are faced with a significant amount of other problems. Everybody who’s ever been out knows how intense drugs and specifically coke is raging throughout our community. We all hit the bottle more than we should. We all have trouble with how to cope. We all have been in or witnessed an extremely unhealthy partner relationship. We all have some degree of self esteem issues. We have all experienced sum form of discomfort and discontent with the education system. We all want to become more knowledgeable in our traditional ways.

This is the current reality of our future generations right now.

This is what we are fighting against.

And no matter how much money we get from these negotiations, it will mean nothing to our People, because to me, the answer to our healing lies in the Youth. This is where the tarnish of our spirit was created and this is were it needs to be cleaned. We need a place in which we can permit our children to grow as an individual so we are able to grow as a community. Once we begin to raise our children right we will prosper and begin to meet our full potential. It will take a lot of work but once the ball is rolling it'll get easier as it picks up speed.

So how do we do this? Well there is already an event that is taking place, which seeks to fulfill this void for the Youth – the Six Nations Youth Rally that is being planned for July 11-13 at Cheifswood Park. Here we are looking to finally start healing these wounds and build our community through the Youth. Hopefully, together we can inspire, involve and empower ourselves and all the other Youth in the Community. We can unify. Not only through discussions and ceremony, but through action.

So, you we really believe in the Future Generations, then I challenge you to come to the Six Nations Youth Rally to support, teach and most importantly listen to your future generation.

Whether you’re a Youth, Elder, Mohawk, Cayuga, Longhouse, Christian or whatever, let's all stand up together and put a face to the future generations our leaders speak so much of and finally DO SOMETHING!

I will see you all there.

Tahnee Wilson
Six Nations Youth
Delegation of Six Nations Youth

Update - Meeting June 4th

There was a quite a few new faces at the meeting this week. We were joined by a representative from New Directions and a few other awesome youth. It was a short meeting but we accomplished a couple of things:

- We are now, with the help of New Directions, reaching out to any and all Six-Nations based (and urban-native-based) organizations that can assist us in the organizing, implementation, funding or any other aspect of this event. So if you know of any organizations contact us or come to the meetings every Tuesday at 6pm at the Social Services Building in Ohsweken.

- We are also still searching for BIG names (bands, performers, artists, etc.) to come out and support the youth at this Youth Rally. -- SO if you know any, contact us or contact THEM and THEN contact us (it'll save us a lot of work...lol...)!!

- Dakota Brant also informed everyone that there will be a Spaghetti Fundraiser on FRIDAY JUNE 6TH FROM 6-8PM AT THE VETERANS HALL for the Spirit of the Youth UNITY RUN 2008. So come on out if you want some good food and lots of fun!

Again, the meeting was kept short as a lot of people couldn't make it this week and there were other meetings people had to attend, but we are going full-ahead at next week's meeting so JOIN US!!!