First Nations community holds bi-annual youth forum
MEMBERTOU, N.S. — Noah Matthews-Cremo wonders if First Nations youth are losing touch with their culture.
Unlike many of his friends who prefer to stay at home and play video games, the 15-year-old Membertou resident can speak, pray and sing in Mi’kmaq, although he admits he doesn’t take part in as many sweat lodge or smudging ceremonies as perhaps he could.
That’s one of the reasons why he took part in the community’s youth forum Monday at the Membertou Trade and Convention Centre.
“Children are just at home most of the time on their video games — I don’t like video games — so it’s good to see children all in one place,” said Matthews-Cremo, who is a councillor on Membertou’s 10-member youth chief and council.
“I find financially we’re getting better but spiritually I find we’re decreasing. We’re losing more of our language but modern day life is rising and (in) spiritual life we’re decreasing.”
Matthews-Cremo was one of about 75 people at the bi-annual forum, which started in 2009 as a way for young people to open up about what they’d like to see happening in their community.
Laurie Doucette, who works with the interagency group that organizes the forum, said they report those ideas, comments and suggestions directly to Chief Terry Paul and the band council. And they listen.
In fact, a poster hanging on wall near the entrance to the forum lists many of the recommendations from past forums that chief and council delivered on. The Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre, the bowling alley that’s set to open next year and YMCA fitness centre were all proposed by young people, and Doucette said the community increased the number of sweat lodges, created youth leadership programs, organized a princess pageant, installed lights and benches at Busters Pond, and built a playground because young people asked for those things. Even the youth council came from a suggestion at a past forum.
“We listened — the council acted on some of the kids’ concerns,” said Doucette, who noted one of the questions they ask the young delegates at each forum is what their dream job is. Now, 16 years later, she said, many of them have realized those goals.
“From 2009, the first one they had, some of those youth went on to become band councilors. We have one young lady who’s a Red Seal chef. We’re trying to show them that you can be what you want. We’re trying to encourage them to continue on with their education and show them there are people that care.”
Matthews-Cremo said he’s participated in many of events and programs that were created after previous youth forums, such as healthy living workshops and a nitap, or friendship, day. He said he’d like to see more arts programs for Membertou youth — “like singing” — in the future, as well as more ways to keep his peers from forgetting their heritage.
“You’ve got to know your history, you’ve got to know where you came from, your roots. It’s sad that people don’t even know they’re Mi’kmaq.”
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