You Matter. You Are Important. You Belong.
Three Things Consulting
We provide a strengths-based approach to engaging communities and young people. We will inspire you, motivate you, and share the tools for you to do the same. Contact us today for more information.
Things That Are Happening
Come Walk With Us... Facebook Live Every Saturday Night at 7:00 PM EDT
With all of us (we hope) continuing to take care of ourselves and each other, by practicing self isolation and social distancing, even as the country slowly re-opens and shifts occur, we bet you've got some time on your hands - like Saturday nights! Join Brennan and Pytor each week as they chat about self care, what's happening in the world around us, and share their unsolicited opinions. Come Walk With Us... is live every Saturday night on our Facebook page, each a chance for us to communicate, connect and keep our community of youth, young people, adults and Elders linked and entertained. So, stop by and spend some time while you are reminded that #youmatter, #youareimportant and #youbelong!
Thank You To All Our Friends...
Our consultants are leaders in their areas of interest and are the reason Three Things has been able to find the kind of success we have in each project, activity and event. We are so grateful for them and during these challenging times, we honour them. If you've crossed paths with these folks, you know, like we do, that they are the foundation of the good works being done collectively by Three Things. We keep them all, and each of you, in our thoughts during these difficult times.
Thunder Bay Youth Engagement with Pathways to Education Canada and the Regional Multicultural Youth Centre
It is an exciting time in Thunder Bay, continuing our work with Pathways to Education Canada and their commitment to youth led community engagement. Last fall a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth with the Regional Multicultural Youth Centre (RMYC) began meeting weekly to plan and organize Voices of Youth 2019: The Past, Present and Future. Hosted at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School, and bringing more than a hundred Indigenous students together over two days with representation from each high school along with local community organizations, this event gave great insight into what supports students were looking for in their educational journey. Read a snapshot of the gathering and the young people’s calls to support them in their path towards high school graduation in Pathways to Education Canada Snapshot of Youth Led Engagement in Thunder Bay.
We were excited last summer to continue to support the partnership between RMYC and Pathways to Education Canada, who have generously provided support to employ six youth who led a community mapping project. The youth engaged with local organizations to determine what supports, programs and activities are available to students, in particular Indigenous students. So far in 2020 the youth team in Thunder Bay, made of of students from every high school and the college planned and hosted the Voices of Youth Talking Circle, which brought more than 100 people to listen to seven brave Indigenous students sitting in one of our Supported Sharing Circles, share their experiences growing up Indigenous in Thunder Bay.
We are thrilled to share that our time in Thunder Bay has come to a close, in a day to day way. As always our intention is to create spaces for local organizations to carry forward the work and Pathways Canada and the RMYC have collaborated to continue exploring the opportunities in the city for a Pathways Program. They are actively meeting with their youth planning team twice a week online, and providing support to them throughout these challenging times. We look forward to following along and helping support the online or in-person (down the road) Voices of Youth 2020!
Nine Indigenous Young Elite Athletes Attended Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games
Mekite’tm 2019: I Am Proud, was driven by Waneek Horn-Miller, the first Mohawk woman to compete in the Olympics, (she was the co-captain of Team Canada Water Polo team in Sydney), and a Gold Medal Winner in the 1999 Pan Am Games, led our team in 2019 to once in a lifetime experience for Indigenous youth. With our experience traveling internationally with children and youth, Waneek's expertise in sport, Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild as our Elder for cultural support along with Dr. Marie Wilson as an ally and Grandmother, who together worked with the powerful team of nine young people, all Indigenous elite athletes who were both inspired and were inspired by witnessing the Lima Pan American Games 2019 and taking part in cultural activities, including a visit to Machu Picchu. Meet The Mekite'tm Delegation.
If you're curious as to the experience they had, this short film helps tell their story.
Your Voice Matters
We only get stronger when we self-reflect and listen to those in our network: our clients, participants in Three Things designed projects and programs and the communities we support. Please take less than 5 minutes and share your insight, experience and ideas - and help us grow to be a stronger network of leading consultants across Canada ensuring everyone knows #the3Things - you matter, you are important and you belong. Click the image below to take part!
Some Things That Have Happened
Walking the Path of Peace Together
This year we are happy to announce our yearlong commitment to support Walking the Path of Peace Together; a partnership made up of members of our local Indigenous community here in Kingston, where Three Things is based and who many on our team are proud members of, along with Faith United Church and their congregation. Using our resources, the best we way we can, this commitment of in-kind and monetary contributions will help further the relationship building taking place, planning and execution of how the two communities can share the role and responsibility to care for a piece of land that Faith United has long waited to determine its best use. Coming as a result of their learning via the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, this became their plan: ensure there is space for reflection, sharing and healing, in partnership with the Indigenous community. We were humbled to work for Faith United in early 2018, visiting and engaging with 100’s of Indigenous community members, resulting in this report, Walking the Path of Peace Together Final Report which is driving forward this important movement. Read it today and follow along on the new Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Walking-the-Path-of-Peace-Together-2231188857147655/. There are exciting things happening and in 202 we are honoured to support this movement that is demonstrating reconciliation in action.
Mapping Out the Future For Youth In Renfrew County
Rural youth voices matter and often, they do not feel heard in the important discussions taking place across Canada on youth issues, policy and voice. We have been thrilled to partner with our friends at the Students Commission of Canada and work with Renfrew County and District Health Unit and Renfrew County Youth Network throughout the year which resulted in the release of the 2018 Renfrew County Youth Needs Assessment Report. A youth strategy will help ensure that youth voice helps influence the supports, services and spaces for young people in Eastern Ontario.
Indigenous Awareness Community Talking Circles
As we wrap up a year of Community Talking Circles for the City of Kingston, a component of their Engage for Change project, we are launching these important Circles across Canada. Learn more by clicking here.
Msit No'Kmaq: All My Relations
45 Indigenous young people representing 31 First Nations, 3 Inuit regions 7 urban centres sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, from Halifax, Nova Scotia to La Havre (France) in August 2017 as part of the Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta, all while taking part in Msit No’Kmaq, a Sail Training and Youth Leadership Program. To learn more, click here.
Building Your Community: We Are
Indigenous owned with a national scope of partners and clients.
A team of diverse Indigenous and non-Indigenous consultants with expertise in various sectors, specializing in working with youth, communities, not-for-profits, and government.
Recognized leaders and respected helpers working in partnership with you, your organization, and your community. Bringing people together.
Skilled in positive youth and community development, leading to safe, strong and healthy spaces for growth and action.
Leadership, Experience, and Innovation. That's Three Things Consulting.
Building On Your Strengths: We Provide
Motivational and Inspiring Speakers
Trainings and Workshops for Youth and Adults
Creative Community and Youth Consultations
Cross Cultural Relationship and Capacity Building
Innovative and Creative Development for Community or Youth Programming and Special Projects
Reliable and Professional Project Management at Local, Regional or National Levels
Meaningful Event Management and Consultation for Youth and Adults
Consultative, Guidance and Advice on Youth and Community Trends
Connect with Us
Not just three statements; #the3Things are a way of life.
Your needs matter to us, they are important and if you are interested in working in partnership with youth or your community, you have a place where you belong.
3 Things Consulting
We are often asked by our non-Indigenous colleagues and clients (along with friends and family members), how they can be strong allies during difficult and challenging times that Indigenous Peoples are experiencing. And that's OK. It's what we do in our work, and the relationships we have, allow for those conversations.
Yet…
In difficult and challenging times kindness can go a long way. Be kind in your words, actions and intentions. If you have Indigenous friends, family members, colleagues and clients, a simple text, email or message simply checking in and saying, 'sending good thoughts / hug your way', or 'wanted you to know I was thinking about you'. That's all that's needed. It gives allowance for your Indigenous friends, family members, colleagues and clients to determine how/if to engage further. That's one way being kind can look like. Kindness is demonstrating that you understand how overwhelming this time can be for Indigenous Peoples.
In difficult and challenging times respect can go a long way. Be respectful in the words you choose. Being respectful by not sharing with Indigenous friends, family members, colleagues and clients how this difficult and challenging time effects you, unless you are asked. Being respectful is not expecting responses, nor being hurt if they don't reply to your kind message. Being respectful centers your Indigenous friends, family members, colleagues and clients and not yourself in the very public narrative taking place. Being respectful can mean creating space for non-indigenous folks to talk, process and plan how to take action, personally and collectively, coming out of these difficult and challenging times, without asking Indigenous People for their help in doing so.
In difficult and challenging times love can go a long way. For those with close relationships with Indigenous friends, family members, colleagues and clients love is offering to drop off a meal, provide child care if needed, and offering to listen (without providing feedback, unless they say, ‘what do you think?’), to stand alongside (while not leading) community actions or healing activity you are invited too, or donating to an Indigenous organization or charity.
In difficult and challenging times action matters. It can not be on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples to carry the weight of hurt and tackle the systemic and individual racism that has allowed these injustices and violence to take place, in the past and present day, on our own. Action is learning and listening: reading Indigenous authors, listening to Indigenous podcasts or videos, and searching the internet for factual narratives of the history of Canada. Action is reading the Truth and Reconciliation Report and Calls to Action. It’s big, painful and challenging to read: it’s the truths of the thousands of survivors of Indian Residential School. Action is writing a letter to your elected representatives: provincial, federal, and municipal, demanding change. Share the hurt, shock, and overwhelming feelings with them. It matters. Action is organizing your faith group/body (if you belong to one) to get active: to learn more and push for change - within faith systems and using those systems to leverage change in government action. Action happens when standing alongside Indigenous Peoples without putting the responsibility of them to tell you what to do or how to do it. Action means standing with children today: and we encourage you to visit https://fncaringsociety.com/welcome to learn more and how you can do so.
These are just our thoughts. Others might have different takes, and that’s OK. While these words are offered as opinion - they are good tools to use to walk together in this world: kindness, respect, love and action. At least, they’ve worked for us. We encourage all our relations to work hard to practice them in these difficult and challenging times.
We mentioned above about donating to Indigenous organizations. Some of our favourite organizations that you might consider supporting include:
Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, Inc. - in our opinion, one of the leading Indigenous organizations in the country, and while delivering supports in Winnipeg (and Manitoba) have had an amazing effect on national and International systems and organizations as well. Their support children and youth is second to none.
Learn more at https://www.mamawi.com/ and you can donate here:
https://www.mamawi.com/opportunities/donate/
Influence Mentoring Society is an emerging Indigenous organization and working to create better opportunities for Indigenous post-secondary students, and to create opportunities for mentors to raise their awareness of Indigenous issues, culture, and history.
Learn more at: https://www.influencementoring.com/
and you can donate here:
https://mygoodness.benevity.org/community/cause/124-5018196880
In Atlantic Canada the Ulnooweg Indigenous Communities Foundation, is transforming philanthropy and contributing to positive change with Indigenous Communities. This is a powerful movement creating and innovating and while a young foundation, it is rooted in thousands of years of knowledge in how to care, support and stand alongside their Peoples.
Learn more at https://ulnoowegfoundation.ca/ and you can donate here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-ulnooweg-indigenous-communities-foundation/
Find a local Friendship Centre who are on the front line of supporting urban Indigenous People throughout not just this current challenging time, but all the time. You can learn more about where there is one close to you at: https://www.nafc.ca/en/friendship-centres and donate directly to one in your area.
There might be local actions / activities or organizations in your community. Find out if there are ways to support them, again, without putting the weight of the hurts you might be feeling in these difficult times on them. They will be carrying a lot: their own experience and that of the community they support.
In our community in Kingston, where our office is situated, we like to support The Kingston Indigenous Languages Nest. Providing space for language learning in multiple Indigenous languages, they creatively and passionately are working towards language revitalization. Learn more at https://kingstonindigenouslanguage.ca/ and contact them directly to see how you can support / donate to this important work.
If you found this post helpful, while you're free to share it - I encourage you pick one of the above Indigenous organizations, or another you support, and offer a monthly donation of $5.00; the price of a cup of tea, (at a fancy coffee/tea spot).
And ya, don't forget put your mug in the sink. It's always important to clean up after ourselves.
Live tonight, right here at 7:00 PM EST. See you then!
So, grab a tea ... maybe some cookies and tune in on National Indigenous Peoples Day as we celebrate and honour Indigenous girls and women in Guiding!
You won't want to miss this special program on Monday June 21st at 7:00 PM EST where we are going to be inspired and impressed by all our guests - who together created a shift in Guiding for all Indigenous girls and women - today - and for generations to come.
Not to mention - KImmie D returns as our guest host - and singer / songwriter Aiyana Louise will share a few tracks!
