Things That Are Happening

You're Graduating High School.  In a Pandemic.  Oof.  

Are you graduating high school this year?  That matters.  It’s a big deal.  You’re a big deal.

Each week Three Things hosts Come Walk With Us…a chance to connect, build our community and have great conversations.  Look below for the video to see what it’s all about.

This June we want to honour all the hard work that graduates put in to get to this place in life.  We have heard from many of our young friends who are graduating this year, that even with a healthy perspective of the current state of the world due to COVID-19 – there is a lot of disappointment with not having the chance to cross the stage with a cap and gown.

Part of that special event are the Commencement and Valedictorian Speeches. The first, is where folks are invited to share ideally, motivational and interesting words of wisdom to your graduating class.  Pytor, from the Three Things team has been humbled to be asked do just that a few times.  He was never though a Valedictorian mind you…while many of you are so deserving to have that title.

So – as you might be missing that this year – we wanted to invite you to Come Walk With Us.. for two special nights!

If you are a high school graduate this year - check out a series of amazing and motivational messages from leaders from across Canada on June 13^th at 7:00 PM EDT on our Facebook page!  They will share their Commencement Speeches with you in hopes of inspiring you as you move forward to the next chapter of your journey!

Be inspired, celebrated and honoured by adult allies – champions who want all young people to know that they matter, they are important, and they belong!

The next Saturday, on June 20^th we’re handing our show over to amazing grads – someone just like you – who will deliver 5 – 10 minute Valedictorian Addresses – it’s your chance to share your insight and wisdom with the entire Class of 2020!

So if you think you’re a changemaker, a leader or just simply have a great message you want to share with others from the Class of 2020 send us an email at youmatter@3things.ca or message us on any of our social media channels with who you are, how we can contact you and in a nut shell, what the theme of your Valedictorian Address would be!

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.