Maskwascis Funding all around!

Maskwacis Justice Society Funding initiatives all around the area! 

Check out the Facebook Group for latest news on whats going on!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/154129824685452/

Maskwacis Horsemanship Club kicks off!

Maskwacis Horsemanship Club will be taking registrations for the 2012 year come on in to our office to register today, our office is located at the Nipisihkopahk Education Building, or call Dion Yellowbird at 780-361-5914 or Luci Johnson at 780-585-2330 for more information

Maskwacis Justice Society's Luci Johnson, Woman of the Month!!!!

Congrats to Luci!

Congratulations to Luci for winning the Dove Woman of the Month!
Both VERY inspiring and VERY deserving!!
http://www.girlguides.ca/partners/dove?mid=51

Girl Guides Ready for Halloween!

Mamowoketeyowitan: "let's grow old together."

Luci's interview in the Calgary Herald with one of the Girl Guides Kristen!
Great work ladies!

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Moving+from+grief+action+over+deaths/5607600/story.html

Vote for Luci!!!!

Go on this link and vote for Luci as the Dove Woman of the Month!! She is a very deserving candidate and this is a great opportunity for Maskwacis Justice Society!

http://www.girlguides.ca/partners/dove

Check Out Maskwacis Girl Guides 2011 !!!

Girls Guides Kicks off!

Summer is over and Girls guides has kicked off again at MJS and is off to a great start!  In fact, a large congratulations goes out to Maskwacis Girls Guides for being a huge success, they have been noted by the Girl Guides of Canada for it's successes and will be doing a publication on this unit! 

Also, Boy scouts is looking to be started fairly soon out of MJS! 

Hi 5! 

Traditional Cultural Camp

Here are some more photos from the Traditional Cultural Camp held at Rundle Mission. 

The Teepee the youth built on the first day

There were some nights were some youth slept inside!

Inside of the Teepee

I helped one of the youth to build a Teepee inside the Teepee, for her pet ladybug

The boys learned to prepare and smoke the meat for the feast held later in the week

Canoe Pictures!

Augustana and the Traditional Cultural Camp! 

Getting set up 

First group in the canoes

The other youth cooling off in the water 

The 2 groups, 1 swimming 1 canoeing 

"STROKE" 

Bringing down more canoes 

Our wonderful instructors 

A merman the kids made at the beach 

Prevailed Partnership!

Yesterday marked day 3 of the 5 day Traditional Cultural Camp that has been put together by pooled funding from 3 organizations, Maskwacis Justice Society, the Howard Buffalo Memorial Centre (HBMC) and Samson Cree Nation Justice and Legal Support. The camp is being held at Rundle Mission where about 25 youth, 5 elders, countless guest speakers and 10 Youth Workers are being hosted. The camp is highly focused on teaching the youth about the Cree culture. 

Wednesday was a day that I organized a partnership with the University of Alberta, Augstana's Outdoor Education Faculty to bring canoes and teach the youth canoeing on the lake. We met at Miqueleon Lake, where the day was spent canoeing and swimming in the water. Augustana provided us 2 highly equipped facilitators, two 10 man canoes, and two 2 man canoes, as well as PFDs and paddles.

It was a perfect day for the kids to be out on the water, it was refreshing to swim and beautiful warm weather to be on the lake. The kids really enjoyed themselves learning about canoeing and repeatedly asked to get back out on the water. 

Paula gets Published in SOS Magazine!!

Paula here at MJS did a full write up about Maskwacis Justice Society and the programs offered which has been published right in the middle of SOS magazine!!!

This editions cover

What is SOS magazine?

"At SOS Children’s Safety Magazine we pride ourselves in being recognized as a viable resource for preventative educational material in Canada. Our publication was founded in 2002 and has grown substantially over the last nine years in readership and circulation. By providing new innovative design and relevant content through hard copy and online presence, our magazine has attracted a captivated audience across the nation. Last year in 2010 we successfully delivered over 260,000 copies of the publication and received honourable mention from the country’s top political leaders, law enforcement agencies, and educational faculties.

Topics include teaching children and parents alike about bullying, peer pressure, the huge crystal meth epidemic, teen suicide and much more. We guarantee that no other publication covers more safety topics.

It is this level of reputable awareness that has enabled us to go above and beyond the boundaries of our pages by opening new doors for overcoming challenging issues faced by teens on a day to day basis. Through school counselling presentations, in partnership with non-profit organizations such as Saffron, and presenting our excellence scholarship “The Joshua Hunt Safety Award” SOS Magazine has not only created a vehicle for teens to source out answers and solutions, but also given financial support to further their post secondary education.

This is a company where we truly are “Keeping Communities Safe One Child at a Time.”  "  (www.soskids.ca). 

For more information on SOS go to their website: http://www.soskids.ca/

Paulas article! 

A Quick Clarification

     I just wanted to briefly clarify what this blog is. This blog, started as a personal account of my summer experience as an intern with Maskwacis Justice Society, however, throughout the summer it has been reshaped.

     There are some instances where the entries are specific and my own personal accounts, but there are other parts where I refer to Maskwacis Justice Society. When I am talking about Maskwacis Justice Society, as an organization, these are not things that I have done myself.

     I want to recognize that in the blog when I state Maskwacis Justice Society, I am referring to this organization, and it is work that is completed beyond myself.  It is work done my members of the organization and community volunteers. 

     The blog shifts from personal accounts, to accounts run by Maskwacis Justice Society. When I refer to the organization, it is work that is done as a whole. 

Samson Cree Nation PowWow !

This weekend was the Samson Cree Nation PowWow which was amazing to see. I was able to go Sunday evening,  where Luci and Paula taught me about the PowWow, and about some of the things that were going on. I have been to PowWow's before, but never one this large, and it was AMAZING!

Inside the Arbor, totally packed!

Alberta Health Services Come to MJS

Eating and sharing stories

Alberta Health Services brought a group out to Maskwacis Justice Society on Friday. The group came out, and were able to experience picking and learning about sweet grass from a community Elder, Norma Crane. During this time I was able to talk with some of the teens about issues they felt faced by Aboriginals in Canada. It was good to be able to exchange stories and experiences with people from other communities. A huge thank you to the community Elder, Norma Crane, who shared her wisdom and teaching with myself and the group of youth.
For lunch we had bannock tacos, and Paula taught me how to make bannock! :) We all ate together as a group and in the afternoon the group made collages about positive self-identification.

Making Bannock!! :)

Yum!

Meaghan's Visit!

Luci, Myself and Meaghan =)

Last week, Meaghan came out to Hobbema with me from the LaB office to check things out. In the morning we went to check out a Pow wow in the Hobbema Jail, which was a pretty neat experience. We got searched by the dogs to get in, and even got to chat a bit with one of the inmates. Again I was reminded about the kindness of the people in the Hobbema area. What was really awesome about this Pow wow being in the jail was that it allowed for inmates to celebrate their culture, and also allow for a sense of healing.
In the afternoon, we went with a group of youth out to Louis Bull First Nation, where we got to go through the process of picking, and braiding the sacred sweet grass. This wisdom was taught by a community Elder, Norma Crane. This also was a great experience, and what was even better was seeing the youth's excitement while learning this process, and the great respect they showed for the Elder. The day was a great success in teaching the youth about their culture.

The Elder leading us in a prayer before going to pick the sacred sweet grass.

MAMAWOKETEYOWITAN through (AYCES)

MAMAWOKETEYOWITAN -Cree translation refers to
Lets Grow Old Together

Aboriginal Youth Community and Empowerment Strategy (AYCES)

2 Day Youth Symposium!

Maskwacis Justice Society and Girl Guides took part in the 2 day Youth Symposium in the townsite of Hobbema. Youth from the community gathered and were able to look at the booths of organizations in the community, as well as watch and listen to some amazing guest speakers and role models. This was from musicians to Canada's next top model! Overall, it was a fun exciting experience, which provided a great example for the communities youth!

The Booths set up and ready to go! 

Luci doing air brush tattoos on the young girls

ASIST Training- Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training

Monday and Tuesday marked the two day intensive ASIST Training, held right here at our offices.
"The ASIST workshop is for caregivers who want to feel more comfortable, confident and competent in helping to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. Over one million caregivers have participated in this two-day, highly interactive, practical, practice-oriented workshop."
The workshop was an overal success and all participants agreed that we had learned and grown in the area of a first aid to suicide. The workshop not only trained us with how to properly intervene with those with thoughts of suicide, but it also provided us information and facts, that changed a lot of our attitudes on the topic of suicide.

ASIST Training 2011

In session

The Rural Life

As a rural capacity intern, we often talk of what it means to be rural, what is the rural lifestyle?

As I pulled into my office yesterday morning, I saw that Hobbema had it all figured out!

Girl Power Program Kicks off!

Girl Power program is kicking off here at Maskwacis Justice Society. It will run Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer with the key theme of building self-esteem in these youth girls.

My collage for Girl Power 

Maskwacis Boys Circle!

Video from the training we attended in San Francisco, CA. Hope to kick start this program here in Hobbema soon!

Girl Guides Video Soars!

The Girl Guides of Canada saw my Maskwacis Girl Guides Video and are now using it on their feed and also have other plans for its use! ALSO now they are planning on coming to Hobbema to check out the program, as it is the only Girl Guides on a reserve in Canada!

A Girl Guide gave this to me to hang in my office =)