By: Danielle Dufour
Love is in the air at the Prince Albert Indian Metis Friendship Centre as Friday, February 13th they hosted a Valentine’s family dance in the gym.
Executive director Kevin Ray, who was newly appointed to this role back in September, talked about a big event coming up this month.
The Friendship Centre will be hosting the Sharing Our Voices to Heal community gathering from February 23-25. One of the guest presenters is Willis Janvier of Dene Yati Media.
This gathering will focus on empowering women and 2-spirit individuals, strengthening men and 2-spirit individuals, and inspiring youth and Elders.
Guest speakers Patrick Mitsuing (from Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nations) and Marrisa Mitsuing (from Saulteaux First Nations) are world champion powwow dancers and entrepreneurs who have built the Powwow Times (https://powwowtimes.ca) into an internationally award-winning organization reaching over 2 million viewers monthly.
There will be a Mataw Samogamik, a giveaway ceremony, followed by a dance at the Bernice Sayese Centre Prince Albert. This is a sacred and meaningful gathering where giving, humility, and community come first.
Beyond these events, the centre also opens up the gym on cold days to be utilized as a warm-up shelter where they provide soup, buns, Bannock, and coffee.
“We do have our youth group that runs on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday,” said Ray. “You have to be a member of the friendship centre to register.”
There is presently a waiting list to register as the centre has a limited number of staff (20) to run the programs.
To register, Ray said, “Come to the front desk, grab yourself a membership card, the membership is $2.”
The Prince Albert Indian and Metis Friendship Centre was established in 1963, working with First Nation and Metis people. The centre continues to work with families through culture and supportive programming.
For more information about the events and programs offered by the Prince Albert Indian and Metis Friendship Centre, please visit their Facebook page
Here is the full interview: https://omny.fm/shows/mbc-radio-on-demand/prince-albert-indian-metis-friendship-centre-new-year-update