MACA Newsletter Feb Mar 2007 FINAL for WEB.Indd
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Sharing their love Inspiring Aboriginal What’s happening of the North...33 Youth...Six NWT youth at MACA...Deadlines, WHAT’S INSIDE: youth are headed to will attend the National conferences and events Whitehorse to act as Aboriginal Achievement coming up in the next few Youth Ambassadors at Awards in Edmonton this months. the 2007 Canada Winter March. Read more on...Page 4 Games. Read more on...Page 3 Read more on...Page 2 MACA newsletter February 2007 The Canada Winter Games are a national multi-sport event that includes athletes, coaches and cultural performers from all provinces and territories. The Games not only promote athletic excellence, but also allow participants to experience and celebrate the diversity of life in Canada. Hosting the Canada Winter Games gives the host region an opportunity to showcase itself to the rest of the country, as the area is in the national spotlight during the event. The 2007 Games are the fi rst to be held north of the 60th parallel. The Northwest Territories and Nunavut have joined with host Yukon to share our northern culture with the rest of Canada through the Pan-North Program. As part of the Pan-North Program, athletes from all three territories are participating in a special Dene and Inuit Games competition that is being featured as part of the national television and media coverage of the Games. For most people outside the north, this will be the fi rst time they’ve seen traditional games. The Pan-North partnership also organized a Torch Relay tour that encompassed the entire north. Three Canada Games torches, one for each territory, have spent the last year visiting northern communities, travelling by raft, dogsled, ski, foot, and air. The last stop for the torch in the Northwest Territories was February 15, 2007 in Fort Simpson for the opening ceremonies of the NWT Games. The torch then continued on to its fi nal destination in Whitehorse. Team NWT is represented at the Games in cross country skiing, biathlon, gymnastics, hockey, fi gure skating, badminton, speed skating, snowboarding, squash, silhouette shooting and curling. A cultural contingent features crafts, art, music, dance, storytelling and theatre from NWT artists. To keep track of how Team NWT is doing at the Canada Winter Games, check out www.2007canadagames.com MACA wishes Team NWT the best of luck at the 2007 Canada Winter Games! 1 Youth Ambassadors Program Thirty-three lucky teens are attending the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon as NWT Youth Ambassadors. The Canada Winter Games Youth Ambassador Program provides these young people with a unique opportunity to build leadership skills through volunteer assignments at the Games, and represent the NWT when the thousands of expected visitors descend on Whitehorse, February 23 to March 10, 2007. The NWT Youth Ambassadors were chosen from all regions in the NWT, and were selected through an open application process that considered their interests, experience and what they hoped to achieve through the volunteer assignment. An orientation session for the Youth Ambassadors was held February 1 to 3, 2007, in Yellowknife. Through NWT Tourism, Youth Ambassadors learned about promoting the NWT and about customer service. The group also learned all about the Games, and what is expected of Youth Ambassadors. The Ambassadors enjoyed a lunch meeting hosted by Minister Michael McLeod and Deputy Minister Debbie DeLancey. In addition to the Youth Ambassador orientation, the group took part in a youth forum, where they discussed the top five issues or challenges facing young people today, and creative ways to deal with these issues. Four youth, selected by their peers, then made a presentation to the Minister and the Deputy Minister on the top five challenges and recommended solutions. The event wrapped up with an open question and answer session with Minister McLeod. NWT Winter Games For those athletes too young to compete in the 2007 Canada Many youth who traveled to Fort Simpson were from Winter Games, the NWT held a competition closer to home smaller communities, and were able to participate in a designed to introduce them to multi-sport events. major multi-sport event, an opportunity they may not have had otherwise. The 2007 NWT Winter Games were held February 15 to 18, 2007 in Fort Simpson. Aimed at youth aged 10 to 14, The majority of NWT communities sent athletes to Fort the NWT Games focused on developing skills, building Simpson, where youth competed in seven different sports, friendships, and celebrating an active, healthy lifestyle. including badminton, basketball, broomball, cross country Young athletes were exposed to different activities including skiing, Dene Games, snowboarding and speedskating. sports, traditional games and cultural events, and were given information on healthy living, including good nutrition The NWT Games were co-sponsored by MACA, the and the negative impacts of smoking. Government of Canada, and the Sport North Federation, with assistance from the Department of Health and Social The NWT Games Program was created to promote interest Services. The NWT Games also received support from the Do you have in physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices, increase Aboriginal Sport Circle of the Western Arctic, the Mackenzie self-esteem in NWT youth, and provide a forum for NWT Recreation Association, and the Beaufort Delta Sahtu something you would like to youth. Recreation Association. see included in the MACA newsletter? We are always looking for content submissions. Please forward your ideas to: 2 [email protected] National Aboriginal Achievement Awards Youth from across the NWT will be packing their best attire for a gala event in Edmonton, Alberta this March. STAFF Six NWT youth will accompany Minister Michael McLeod to the 2007 National Aboriginal Achievement Awards at the Northern Alberta Ju- bilee Auditorium on March 16, 2007. Through this experience, youth CORNER will be exposed to some of the best and brightest Canadian Aboriginal Role Models and receive encouragement to adapt some of the things they learn into their own lives. Photos of our active The National Aboriginal Achievement Awards was established to build MACA staff over the self-esteem and pride for the Aboriginal community and to provide past few months. role models for Aboriginal Youth. The Awards serve to celebrate the achievements of individuals who have the discipline, drive and de- termination to set high standards and accomplish their goals, and to encourage Aboriginal youth to set goals and work hard to achieve their dreams. The youth who will attend the 2007 National Aboriginal Achievement Awards are Ronald Bull, South Slave Region; Morgan Pierrot, North Slave Region; Shayla Snowshoe, Inuvik Region; Janine Dillon, Sahtu; and Tanya Snowshoe, Beaufort Delta. Sabrina Broadhead, Community Development Coordinator in Hay River, has been busy lending a hand as Team Manager for the NWT’s female hockey team for the 2007 Get Winter Active Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon. Hot on the heels of the very successful 2006 Get Active Community Challenge, comes another contest to keep our kids off the couch this winter! The 2007 Get Winter Active Campaign, launched on January 8, 2007, features an activity card that kids complete each time they partake in one hour of physical activity. The activity can be anything that gets them moving, from snowshoeing and skating to basketball and bad- minton. Once a child fills up their scorecard, they mail it in to receive a Get Winter Active crazy carpet. This enters them into a draw for Yellowknife $1000 in recreation or sport equipment, $500 for the child, and $500 Director of the Sport, Recreation and Youth Ian Legaree, for a recreation facility or organization of their choice. Division, was honoured by the Rotary ClubRotary of Club. for outstanding Here,volunteer Ian receiveswork in the the community Paul Harris as Award a non-Rotarian. President, Yellowknife Get Winter Active wraps up March 31, 2007. For more information or from John Carter, a scorecard, visit www.getactivenwt.ca Do you have something you would like to see included in the MACA newsletter? On January 22, 2007, NWT Fire Marshal Bernie Van We are always looking for content submissions. Tighem presented bravery awards to four volunteer fire fighters in Fort Smith in recognition of their courage in Please forward your ideas to: saving the life of a woman in October 2006. - [email protected][email protected] 3 Contact us at: For more info: MACA Newsletter Contact the Regional Superintendant in your Municipal and Community Affairs region to learn more about MACA’s programs Government of the Northwest Territories and services. Suite 600, 5201-50th Avenue Yellowknife, NT X1A 3S9 email: brandice_pereira@[email protected] www.maca.gov.nt.ca Upcoming Deadlines and Events Strengthening Communities – From Policy to Practice April 11-13, 2007, Explorer Hotel, Yellowknife Building on the momentum of the November 2006 conference, the April conference provides a venue Arcticfor the final discussion and approval of the Northwest Territories Integrated Community Sustainability Plan template. This conference will assist communities in preparing for formal implementation of the New Deal for NWTWinter Community Governments, specific to the roles and responsibilities of communities, councils and staff. Please contact your MACA Regional Superintendent for more information. To register please contact: SharonGames Morrison, School of Community Government, MACA (ph) (867) 920-6167, register on-line at: www.maca.gov.nt.ca Trials 2007 Outstanding Volunteer Awards The time has come once again to recognize the NWT’s Outstanding Volunteers. Awards are presented in the categories of Youth Volunteer,Story Elder Volunteer, Outstanding Group as well as Outstanding Volunteer. The deadline for nominations is March 1, 2007. Brochures containing nomination forms are available in all community offices or from any MACA office.