Press Conference for the Land Purchase

On November 7th Native youth and representatives from the municipal, provincial, and federal governments gathered in the Native Youth Drop-in Centre to hold a press conference to announce a joint purchase of land for the Native Youth Centre.The room was packed with youth, Elders, the private sector, government, and reps from local community organizations. UNYA’s Young Women’s and Young Bear’s drum groups set the tone of the event by opening the event with some traditional songs.

All three levels of government echoed the same messages: that the project is youth driven, will be a community asset & landmark, will improve opportunities for Native youth, and is a unique partnership between community & government. Speakers also noted the strong support of the private sector who have already donated over $2 million.This announcement was an important milestone for the project as all three levels of government have now made formal commitments to the Native Youth Centre. This brings our fundraising total to $6 million.