6 th Annual National Youth Reconciliation Conference INFORMATION PACKAGE. February 22-24, 2018 Sudbury, Ontario

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1 6 th Annual National Youth Reconciliation Conference INFORMATION PACKAGE February 22-24, 2018 Sudbury, Ontario

2 Table of Contents Table of Contents... 1 What is the National Youth Conference?... 1 Conference Programming... 1 Call for Presenters!... 2 Registration Information... 3 Financial Support & Bursaries... 3 Participation & Policy for Minors (youth under 18 years of age)... 4 Payment Options... 4 Registration Process... 5 Important Dates... 5 Accommodations & Travel... 5 Sponsorship... 6 Tentative Conference Agenda... 6 Contact Us Today!... 7 Official Conference Partners... 7 What is the National Youth Conference? Canadian Roots Exchange s (CRE) National Youth Reconciliation Conference aims to further our organizational mandate of facilitating dialogue between Indigenous and non- Indigenous youth and bridging the gap between youth from diverse communities across Canada. At the conference, participants gain tools to challenge divisive stereotypes, explore the significance of Treaties in Canada and become part of a national network of youth that promotes respect and understanding between all peoples living in Canada. Since 2013, CRE has hosted five annual national conferences. Building on these successes, in 2018, we anticipate approximately 220 youth participants, 30 youth facilitators, and over 20 volunteers. For three days, a diversity of Indigenous and non-indigenous youth will come together to learn from each other, and become more aware of the history, teachings, and daily realities of Indigenous communities in Canada. Keynote speakers and youth-led workshops will place an emphasis on positive youth mobilization, leadership, and reconciliation. Conference Programming The CRE National Youth Conference is facilitated by youth and for youth. Our national youth facilitators are Indigenous and non-indigenous youth from local and out of province communities. The following is a snapshot of the programming featured at the Conference: Traditional Gatherings and Community Events 1

3 CRE will collaborate with community partners including the N Swakamok Native Friendship Centre and the Laurentian University School of Architecture to hold cultural events within the community to give participants the opportunity to be involved in and learn at the local level. Elders Welcome Anishinaabe Elders will share welcome messages to inform youth participants of the knowledge and teachings of the diverse Anishinaabe territories where Sudbury, Ontario is situated. Youth Panel A panel of diverse Indigenous and non-indigenous youth leaders from across the country will open a dialogue on developing respect and unity between historically divided communities. Keynote Speakers Prominent youth and community leaders will share speeches in order to provide local insight on the themes of reconciliation, renewing relationships, and youth leadership. Past keynote speakers have included Autumn Peltier, Erica Violet Lee, Desmond Cole, Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Marie Wilson, and Wab Kinew. Youth-Led Workshop Sessions Participants will choose their sessions from a variety of options which will run parallel to each other during morning and afternoon time blocks. Some examples of themes that have been explored at past conferences include: 2 Spirit Teachings and intersecting cultural identities Significance of provincial and national treaties and the history of treaty-making Challenging stigma related to mental health and addictions Positive relationships between Newcomer and Indigenous youth Community organizing and outreach Cultural safety and sexual and reproductive health Hip hop, spoken-word, and dance as tools for reconciliation Environmental protection and education Call for Presenters! Canadian Roots Exchange invites interested youth (under 30 years of age) to facilitate interactive workshops that reflect the conference themes of reconciliation and intercultural exchange between Indigenous and non-indigenous youth. Workshop blocks are one and a half hours in length; Facilitators may request two session spaces if they have a longer or two-part session. Interested facilitators are encouraged to send in a proposal through the online form and/or send in questions to conference@canadianroots.ca. 2

4 Youth may include an adult support person to co-present with them but the request for presenter must be led by a youth. CRE will waive all fees for any local presenters accepted. Out of town youth are eligible to apply for a sponsored presenter rate. This includes transport, accommodations and registration for $250. Only presenters 25 years and under who have not previously attended the conference as a participant or presenter are eligible for the sponsored rate. The deadline to apply for all presenters are November 30, Registration Information Youth Registration Fee Adult Registration Fee Youth (under 30 years of age): $125 Adult (30 years +): $150 The final deadline that we will accept registration is January 15, 2018 Financial Support & Bursaries CRE strives to make programs accessible and has bursaries available to assist youth with financial barriers to support travel and accommodations in Sudbury. Bursaries are restricted to youth participants between the ages of 16 and 25 years of age who have not previously taken part in a CRE conference. Bursaries are intended to ensure that youth from diverse communities across Canada have access to our conference. In total, we will provide bursaries to approximately 30 out of town participants and 25 local participants. Bursaries are available only to youth who are participating in the entire conference. We will not provide bursaries to youth who only want to participate in part of the conference. Bursaries for Out of Town Youth (Individual) The sponsored out of town youth rate is $425. The bursary includes transport to and from Sudbury, 4 nights accommodation (double occupancy with another sponsored participant), conference registration fee and breakfast and lunch each day. Accommodations will be booked at the Travelway Inn in Sudbury. CRE will primarily use ground transport for youth who reside in communities less than 750km from Sudbury and air travel or a combination of air and bus travel for youth who reside in communities greater than 750km from Sudbury. CRE has a limited number of bursaries and tries to ensure youth from different parts of Canada have access to the conference. Bursaries are given to ensure there is some representation from each province and territory. To apply for a bursary, youth are asked to register online and complete the bursary section. Bursaries will be given on a first-come-first serve basis with geographic region taken into consideration. The final deadline for sponsored rate participants is November 30, Please conference@canadianroots.ca for more information. Bursaries for Out of Town Groups (5 youth or more) CRE has some bursaries to assist groups attending the conference from out of town who request travel assistance. For groups, they do not apply for individual bursary rates but the 3

5 group organizer applies on behalf of the group. Groups comprised of 5 youth or more who meet our bursary eligibility requirement (youth 25 years who have not previously participated in a CRE conference) are eligible to receive up to $500 in travel assistance if reserving their travel through CRE s designated travel agent. Such groups submit their registration fees to CRE and once confirmed will be eligible to receive transport assistance which is deducted from their amount owing to the Flight Centre. Groups interested in receiving bursary assistance should contact conference@canadianroots.ca Group bursaries given on a first come first serve basis with the December 15, 2017 as the final deadline to receive support for a group. Bursaries for Local youth For youth residing in Sudbury area who do not need any assistance with travel or accommodations, CRE has a local bursary rate of $50. This includes conference registration, all programming and lunches during the 3 days of the conference. To apply for a bursary, youth are asked to register online and complete the bursary section. Deadline for local youth to apply for the sponsored local rate is December 15, Participation & Policy for Minors (youth under 18 years) CRE strives to ensure that the conference is a safe experience for all youth. As travel to a conference with over 200 youth can be overwhelming, CRE requires that all out of town youth who are minors (under 18 years of age on February 21, 2018) attend with a chaperone. CRE requests that all chaperones be mature individuals who are a minimum of 21 years of age. In order to make the conference accessible to young people, CRE will allow mature youth who are 16 and 17 years old to attend with a CRE designated chaperone if attending with their own chaperone is a barrier. Youth who are 16 and 17 years old who wish to request to be accompanied by a CRE screened chaperone will be considered on an individual basis. CRE will be assigning a few youth chaperones from select cities across Canada. These chaperones have been screened and oriented by CRE. Selected CRE chaperones are a minimum of 21 years of age, have submitted a vulnerable sector criminal record check to CRE and also have been involved with pre-existing relationship with the organization. CRE chaperones would be responsible for a maximum of 5 minors who are 16 or 17 years of age. In order for CRE to approve a minor (16 and 17 year old) to travel with a CRE designated chaperone, CRE would check references of the youth participant and also identify a suitable chaperone (this is not possible from all locations in Canada). CRE reserves the right to require a youth to attend with their own chaperone. All youth who are 15 years of age and younger on February 21, 2018 will be required to attend with a chaperone who can provide full legal responsibility of the participant. CRE will not make any exceptions to this. Payment Options Once your registration has been confirmed by CRE, we will require your registration fee in order to confirm your space at the conference. Payments can be made at that point by: 1. money transfer to info@canadianroots.ca. Please note: include the full name of the conference participant in your e-transfer message. 4

6 2. Cheque or Money Order payable to the name Canadian Roots Exchange. Registration Process To register for the conference you can complete the online registration form or you can , fax or mail it to: Mail: Canadian Roots Exchange 956 College Street, Unit B Toronto, ON M6H 1A5 *** Before registering make sure you have the full legal names, birth dates, and any accessibility and dietary needs for everyone you are registering. *If you are interested in registering a group or class, please send an to conference@canadianroots.ca to receive our group registration form. Important Dates Last day for Early Bird conference rate October 31 st, 2017 Deadline for sponsored rate for out of town participant November 30, 2017 Application deadline for the call out for facilitators November 30 th, 2017 Deadline for local youth sponsored rate and deadline to receive travel subsidy for groups of 5 youth and greater travelling by air December 15, 2017 Last day to register for conference January 15 th, 2018 Accommodations & Travel CRE will only assist with travel and accommodations for bursary recipients. All other conference participants are responsible for getting to Sudbury and their accommodation arrangements. Confirmed conference participants however are welcome to access CRE s preferred rate at the Travelway Inn in Sudbury and can access conference travel discounts on airlines by booking their flights directly through Flight Centre, CRE s designated travel agent. CRE has negotiated discounted airfares with all the major airlines. Once your registration for the conference has been confirmed by CRE, you can access these rates by booking directly through Flight Centre. You will be required to make payments directly to Flight Centre. CRE also has negotiated a preferred rate with the Travelway Inn for $ (before taxes & including breakfast) per room per night. To access CRE s preferred rate, you must contact Travelway Inn directly and inform them you are a participant with the Canadian Roots Exchange National Youth Conference. CRE does not assume any responsibility for accommodation or 5

7 travel arrangements for general participants. CRE will have a Facebook group for out of town participants. If you are travelling to the conference you can request or offer ride shares with other conference participant, however, you accept full responsibility for these arrangements. For youth who are sponsored rate participants or sponsored rate presenters, your travel will be arranged by CRE s designated travel agent. Travel and accommodation arrangements will only be made after full payment is received. CRE will provide a complimentary bus between the Travelway Inn and the conference venues on February 22, 23 and 24 for all participants and presenters staying at Travelway Inn. Sponsorship If you or any individuals and institutions in your networks are interested in sponsoring this innovative youth-led conference, please contact Canadian Roots Exchange at conference@canadianroots.ca to receive our sponsorship package. Tentative Conference Agenda Please note that the agenda is subject to change. A finalized agenda will be available online 2 weeks prior to the start of the conference and a paper copy will distributed at the conference. Thursday, February 22, :30 am - 9:30am Registration 9:30 am - 10:30am Conference Opening & Welcome 10:30am - 11:30am 11:30am - 12:30pm Youth Panel Youth Leaders in Reconciliation Workshop Sessions Mini-Block 1 Youth will have options from different sessions pertaining to the theme of solidarity and reconciliation 12:30 pm - 1:30pm Lunch Provided 1:30pm 3:00pm 3:00pm 4:30pm 6:30pm 8:30pm Workshop Sessions Block 2 Youth will have options from approximately 5 different sessions pertaining to theme of youth-led reconciliation Workshop Sessions Block 3 Youth will have options from different sessions pertaining to theme of youth-led reconciliation Evening Keynote at Science North (Cavern) Open to the Community Friday February 23, :30am - 10:00am 10:00am - 11:30am Day 2 Welcome Workshop Sessions Block 4 Youth will have options from different sessions pertaining to theme of health, wellness and spirituality Packed Lunch Provided 6

8 Noon to 5pm 6:00pm to 8:00pm Community Excursions: Participants will have the choice of participating in a community excursion led by local youth in the community Evening Social (optional) Saturday February 24, :00am - 10:00am 10:00am - 11:30am Day 3 Welcome & Keynote Workshop Sessions Block 5 Youth will have options of sessions pertaining to theme of connecting youth across Canada 11:30am- 1:00pm Workshop Sessions Block 6 1:00-2:00pm Lunch Provided 2:00pm- 3:30pm 3:30pm - 4:30pm 6:30pm to 8:30pm Workshop Sessions Block 7 Conference Closing Keynote and Closing Ceremonies Youth Talent Showcase at Science North (Cavern) Contact Us Today! Canadian Roots Exchange 956 College Street, Unit B Toronto, ON M6H 1A5 (647) conference@canadianroots.ca Official Conference Partners Government of Canada CRE is receiving support from the Youth Forums Canada program to support this conference. N Swakamok Native Friendship Centre The N Swakamok Native Friendship Centre is a wholistic, healthy, Indigenous community centre which promotes culture, language and well-being in a balanced way. N Swakamok Native Friendship centre is committed to preserving language and culture, enhancing quality of life and empowering family and community by providing supports, services and partnerships for the Indigenous community in an urban setting. Laurentian University School of Architecture The Laurentian University School of Architecture is an unfolding experiment in emerging pedagogies and diverse cultures. Our French, English, Métis and Anishnabek faculty and student body is unique to Laurentian s tri-cultural mandate; conducting design studios in both French and English, as well as working with Elders and guests who are First Nations and Métis, provides a further array of cultures and educational perspectives. 7

To: District 6 Local Union Presidents, Recording Secretaries & Unit Chairpersons

January 30, 2015 To: District 6 Local Union Presidents, Recording Secretaries & Unit Chairpersons Dear Sisters & Brothers, The 20th USW District 6 Conference will be held on August 17 20, 2015 in Sault