HIP continues to be engaged with Rotary clubs, First Nations communities and organizations in Rotary District 7070. HIP is working with Rotary clubs in developing Land Acknowledgements, club speakers, HIP Talks, promoting local Indigenous exhibits in Mississauga and Cobourg and was involved in the Rotary Club of Toronto Eglinton fundraiser in fall 2021.
Some highlights:
- Y2Y (Youth-to-Youth) Initiatives
- Two engagements co-ordinated between District 7070 and the Williams Treaty First Nations communities in 2022
- Virtual teaching on nibi (water) with students on April 28th hosted with a panel of local Elders and Knowledge Keepers
- Camp Kawartha in-person event on October 7-9, 2022 with 25 Indigenous and 25 non-Indigenous youth. Youth will learn about treaties, Indigenous heritage and culinary experiences with Knowledge Keepers in the Williams Treaty Territories. HIP encourages youth to apply today! Details and application are found on http://www.rotaryhip.com.
- Misko Aki: Convergence of Cultures Digital Exhibition
- a Muskoka innovation of virtual and in-person exhibitions of native history and culture located at Gravenhurst Wharf. The Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, and Métis people have inhabited and traversed the Muskoka region (and most of District 7070) for millennia. Community leaders and award winning artistic director Tim Johnson lead this project. The Centre will be lead Indigenous museology and provide the Muskoka region with a profound expression of reconciliation in action. The innovative approach, contrasting the indigenous and settler histories, is being transformed into a digital presentation to promote reconciliation by offering these historical teachings to a broader audience. HIP is organizing a District 7070 Tuesday Talk, on May 10, to promote the Misko Aki project.
- Literacy
- Dolly Parton Imagination Library Program is being renewed. The program will continue in the Scarborough and downtown Toronto area. District 7070 HIP working group will partner with local Indigenous schools and Elders.
- Welcome Boxes
- Welcome Boxes will be sent to fly-in First Nations students living with host families and attending Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School (DFC) in Thunder Bay in Sept. 2022. The boxes are filled with school supplies, clothing and personal products. Other supply shipments will be sent to remote communities in 2022.