Youth culture celebrated at Aboriginal conference

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Grant MacEwan Community College city centre campus will once again play host to one of the largest Aboriginal youth gatherings in the world when the tenth annual Dreamcatcher Youth Conference is held Oct. 18 to 20.

With the theme "Celebrating Past, Present and Future Dreams," the conference will host more than 2,000 youth, presenters, chaperones and volunteers from across Canada.

"There is power in dreams because they help us to look forward to the future while remembering important lessons from the past," explained Chris Rechner, marketing manager for the college. "Dreamcatcher gives participants the chance to explore those dreams, to discover new paths, and to find support as they move down the road of life."

Presenters of workshops come from across Canada and teach participants about exciting career possibilities and lifestyles, but also about respect for self and others, and about the importance of making positive choices.

"As well, youth realize how strong Aboriginal culture is and how much stronger it can be," Rechner said.

While most participants are from western Canada, a good representation attends from eastern Canada and the northern territories.

Last year Aboriginal groups from Nigeria and Kenya were interested in coming, but plans fell through at the last minute.

"Even though they couldn't attend, the act of beginning a dialogue with them was an important development," he said.

The world Indigenous movement is growing and more and more global conferences are expected to be held in upcoming years, including the possibility of Dreamcatcher welcoming delegates from far-off communities. One of the workshop participants this year had attended an Indigenous Women's Conference in Hawaii and was very inspired by meeting Aboriginal people from all over the world and discovering how much in common they had.

This common heritage was brought home at a Dreamcatcher conference a few years ago where a common project saw some participants each bring a quilt square from their home community.

"When it was all sewn together it was remarkable to see that even though there were distinct differences which were representative of each culture, there were also huge similarities that were obvious once they were all placed side by side," Rechner said.

The three days of activity include numerous workshops with intriguing subject titles such as Cool Careers for Aboriginal Youth, How do you Help a Friend Thinking of Suicide, Native Youth Leadership Skills, and Reading and Writing for the Media, to name just a few. As well, a tour of the Provincial Museum of Alberta and other activities are planned. A Much Music video dance will be held at nearby Shaw Conference Centre on the Saturday evening. Entertainment on the campus will include local personalities Crystal Anne, Jennifer McLeod, Darren Tootoosis and the Metis Cultural Dancers.

A pipe ceremony will begin each day's activities and a traditional round dance will conclude Friday's agenda. "There is an abundance of cultural activities waiting to be enjoyed and participants are welcome to bring their regalia and join in."

The Dreamcatcher Youth Conference has become an outstanding success over its ten years as a gathering of young people.

"With a lack of opportunities for youth from Indigenous cultures to meet and connect, Dreamcatcher plays a vital role in bringing people together," said Rechner. "There is a great diversity of cultures who attend Dreamcatcher every year. The conference has grown because many of the same people attend year after year, renewing former friendships and forging new ones."

The full schedule of workshops is still being completed and folks are urged to go to the www.dreamcatcher.gmcc.ab.ca Web site for up-to-date information.

"It's always best to register early, but we have many participants who walk in on the first day of the conference and attend for the whole weekend," he said.

"The conference began as a result of the relization that although education is one of the most important parts of life, much of our learning takes place outside the classroom walls," Rechner said.

Being exposed to new ideas, discovering new friendships, celebrating shared cultures and seeing the similarities rather than the differences are all important parts of the total learning process.

The Dreamcatcher conference provides this unique learning environment and participants come away with a renewed sense of appreciation, said Rechner.

"It's all about connecting young people to their cultures, learning from the wisdom of their Elders, and looking ahead to the limitless opportunities in their future."