The purpose of our organization is:
To allow First Nations youth to express themselves on subjects that matter to them;
To develop their social, technical and artistic skills;
To foster new areas of interest and future prospects;
To provide access to technology, communication tools, professional resources, and opportunities;
To encourage Native pride, indigenous culture and language;
To develop empowerment and encourage social engagement;
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The purpose of our organization is:
To allow First Nations youth to express themselves on subjects that matter to them;
To develop their social, technical and artistic skills;
To foster new areas of interest and future prospects;
To provide access to technology, communication tools, professional resources, and opportunities;
To encourage Native pride, indigenous culture and language;
To develop empowerment and encourage social engagement;
To stimulate and support the emergence of positive role models, youth leaders and peer helpers;
To combat suicide, substance abuse, crime and school dropout with stimulating activities, guidance and support.
In order to do so, we use video and music as learning and empowerment tools by transferring knowledge and know-how through “hands-on” experience to indigenous participants. At Wapikoni, we developed a “Learning through creation”.
The Workshop
For a period of 4 weeks, the workshop immerses participating youth in the context of a real film production. Participants are encouraged to develop a personal project on a topic of their choice. They will benefit from practical training and explore the various technical aspects of filmmaking (shooting, sound, editing, sound recording, etc.). They will learn how to master digital technologies and will be actively involved in every stage of the process. Their training and progression will be closely supervised by 2 professional filmmakers, 1 youth worker, as well as 1 local coordinator from the community.
At the end of the workshop, participants will present their works during a public screening, gathering 150 members of the community, a great moment of individual and collective pride.
The Impact
First, our workshop reinforces participants' confidence in their capabilities and self-esteem, two fundamental elements for success.
The creation and learning process also develops their social and employability skills, such as working with others, reading comprehension, organizing ideas, writing, oral communication, decision-making and working in teams. The workshop will stimulate new and old passions and will give some participants the extra boost to return (or stay) in school and pursue a career. The project will also encourage the emergence of positive leaders who, in turn, will inspire the others to get involved in the community. Some participants will involve elders in the project and talk about cultural heritage, thus fostering intergenerational ties.
Our workshop has also been recognized by many organizations as preventing and reducing suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, criminality, unemployment and school dropouts. The increasing number of testimonies and success stories that add up during the years confirm the relevance of our action and the positive impact of our workshops.
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