Leadership Thunder Bay and Anti-Racism Host Unity Project
THUNDER BAY – Leadership Thunder Bay and the City of Thunder Bay Anti-Racism Committee hosted The Unity Project at Lakehead University today.
Thunder Bay Youth aged 12-18 were present at the Faculty Lounge at the university to hear the engaging presentation Unified Minds: Working Towards the End of Racial Discrimination and to participate in a series of sessions designed to gather their thoughts and opinions on anti-racism efforts in Thunder Bay now and for the future.
The Unity Project kicked off at 10:00AM with a presentation from Becky Sasakamoose Kuffner, the Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Coordinator at The City of Saskatoon. Kuffner’s presentation is entitled Unified Minds: Working Towards the End of Racial Discrimination.
Kuffner told the youth that “You don’t have to re-invent the wheel”, and that “There is a lot of knowledge in Thunder Bay, and working together with all the groups is going to be a huge task, and it is very important that young people are involved.”
Following the presentation there will be entertainment provided by a local spoken word/hip hop artist and then breakout sessions to delve into deeper discussion of the issues presented, all led by experienced facilitators.
“This forum will offer youth a safe space to discuss these sensitive and serious issues. These young voices are integral to the conversation around racism in Thunder Bay, and this forum will ensure their voices are heard”, stated Brook Mainville, member of The Unity Project’s organizing team.
The Unity Project is the product of a Community Action Project being completed as a part of the 2016 Leadership Thunder Bay program in partnership with the City of Thunder Bay’s Anti-Racism and Respect Advisory Committee.
“When we were given the opportunity to choose which Community Action Project we wanted to take on, our entire group instantly wanted to host this forum, this conversation is necessary in Thunder Bay and the youth voice needs to be a part of the conversation”, said Tricia Murdoch, member of The Unity Project’s organizing team.
