TL;DR

The Words in Motion program provides spaces for youth between 18-29 to reconnect to their traditional languages in an online virtual format. Young language speakers can facilitate an introduction in their Indigenous language to youth peers, creating leadership skills, community building and interaction, and developing their capacity for peer mentorship.

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Words in Motion

The Words in Motion program provides spaces for Indigenous youth (ages 18-29) to reconnect to their traditional languages in an online virtual format. Young language speakers have the opportunity to learn how to introduce themselves in their Indigenous language to youth peers, creating leadership skills, community building and interaction, and developing their capacity for peer mentorship.

Language revitalization nurtures innate, deep Indigenous ways of knowing, embedded in the language itself. It leads us towards wellness and healthier, culturally connected communities. Learners draw associations in the language to their worldviews and land-based teachings from their environment. Participants come out of these workshops with the ability to introduce themselves in an Indigenous language, say where they are from, where they currently live and where their parents come from. Youth may also learn simple words and phrases.

Embodying a teaching: “In Motion”

“In motion” reflects a shared belief system across many Indigenous nations around the idea of flux and our interconnectedness to all things. Our storytelling, legends and practices connect us to seasonal teachings, grounding us in the philosophy of reciprocity, sustainability, and caretaking. These stories guide our principles and invite us to be more connected to our innate sense of timing and morality through our earth-based calendar systems.

We tend to all that surrounds us, with care, love, and understanding. We learn to see each other and all living things as having a story — one that is deeper and connects to a web of ancestral histories and future paths.

Our in-motion programs aim to reflect these teachings by showing us a way forward through generative and inspiring workshops and (seasonal) storytelling that reminds us of who we are.

 

 

 

For More Information

Photo of Brooke Rice

Brooke Rice

Culture & Wellness Coordinator

Closed

Relevant Programs and Initiatives

  • Open

    This initiative is aimed at non-Indigenous settlers of colour and engages participants in concrete discussions related to a variety of themes such as connecting to homelands, the nuanced experiences and responsibilities of settlers of colour, and the history of colonization and anti-Blackness in Canada.

  • The Black and Indigenous Solidarity (BIS) Program facilitates spaces between Black, Indigenous, and Afro-Indigenous youth for identifying necessities, roadblocks, and opportunities for solidarity. The program explores the history, oppression, and pathways to liberation of Black and Indigenous communities. Applications for the BIS program are currently closed. Stay tuned for program updates as our Black History Month panel will take place at 6pm on Thursday, February 15th. Please see the link below to register.

  • Closed

    The Words in Motion program provides spaces for youth between 18-29 to reconnect to their traditional languages in an online virtual format. Young language speakers can facilitate an introduction in their Indigenous language to youth peers, creating leadership skills, community building and interaction, and developing their capacity for peer mentorship.