Empowering youth aim of Dreamcatcher conference

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Aboriginal youth from across North American will be descending on Edmonton this fall, as Grant MacEwan College hosts it annual Dreamcatcher Aboriginal Youth Conference.

Now in its 11th year, the Dreamcatcher conference provides youth with a forum to get together, celebrate their culture, and discover how best to prepare themselves for the future.

This year's conference will be held at the college's City Centre campus, and will run from Friday, Oct. 17 to Sunday, Oct. 19.

Participants in past Dreamcatcher conferences who attend this year's event will notice a few new additions to the schedule, including a banquet on Saturday evening at the Shaw Conference Centre, complete with entertainment, to be held just prior to the always popular MuchMusic youth dance.

Another addition will see the conference close on Sunday with a presentation from a special keynote speaker, Jamie Medicine Crane, a young entrepreneur from the Blood reserve who operates her own modeling school.

Emcees for Dreamcatcher 2003 will be the brother and sister team of Travis Dugas and Shauna Simpson.

Carolynn Chartrand is conference organizer for Dreamcatcher 2003. She said the focus of this year's event will be on "youth empowerment, education, moving youth forward."

During the conference, organizers try to provide participants with a balance between three main components, Chartrand explained. The first is a cultural component, the second an educational component.

"And then the social component where they can just be kids and have fun.

"They love the social components. It's a great social atmosphere for meeting family and friends that you haven't seen in a long time, as well as going home renewed and feeling that they have the ability within themselves to make a difference in their future."

As part of the educational component of the event, youth delegates will have an opportunity to attend information sessions on a variety of topics, from career-related sessions, to sessions dealing with spirituality, to an interactive hip-hop dance session.

The Alexis Singers will be host drum for the conference, and will lead the opening ceremonies. Youth delegates will also be invited to take part in the opening, carrying banners representing their communities or youth groups during the grand entry.

Among the entertainers scheduled to perform are singer Crystal Anne, dancers Jennifer Mcleod and Tanya Lukin, throatsingers Lucy Tulugarjuk and Elena Iyerak, hip-hop group Reddnation, and the Rainbow Spirit Dancers. Also scheduled is This Next Generation, a youth concert workshop that uses music and drama to present a message of positive values and making the right choices.

"The goal of the conference is to really promote education as a means of a successful future, specifically in the Aboriginal community. That they don't have to leave behind culture when they come away to get an education. They can maintain their culture, as well as be working in a community that's integrating all cultures. That they can hold onto their identity, and in doing that that they have a lot in themselves that they can do. There's a lot of opportunity out there for them," Chartrand said.

"What we try to do is bring in speakers that can show them what they can do with their lives, you know, what opportunities are there for them, and how education really is the basis for moving forward, for self-empowerment," she said.

"The Aboriginal population is one of our fastest growing populations, especially in Alberta. It represents about 24 per cent of the population growth. And we've got a very large Aboriginal community. But we tend to attract a lot of rural community youth, and they don't always know what opportunities are there for them-what kind of educational opportunities, what kind of funding opportunities-so we try to bring that out, or show them what is out there, available for them. We try to partner with other institutions to get them to come out and show the youth."

While every participant takes something different away from the conference, Chartrand said they usually leave with something concrete that can help them to set their goals and reach them.

"They come with a good attitude about what they're looking for. The mentors that are coming with them are really encouraging them to look at how to empower themselves, either through education or technology in education, or what youth activities are going on out there. Because the youth are very progressive nowadays. There are a lot of very strong youth groups out there that are trying to empower youth and say, 'I can do this for me. I don't have to wait for someone else to do it for me. I can plan my future starting now.'"

For more information about Dreamcatcher 2003, visit the conference Web site at http://dreamcatcher.gmcc.ab.ca,