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Youth Declaration
Text Description of Youth Declaration 2018
Image with Turtle Lodge logo and aerial photo of Turtle Lodge with slogan “An Indigenous place of learning, healing and sharing for all peoples.”
Youth Declaration
Developed at Turtle Lodge, Sagkeeng First Nation, Manitoba
May 31, 2008
We have the vision to bring love to our communities.
As Youth we commit to taking care of each other and working to gain knowledge from our Elders.
We have learned from Survivors of Residential Schools how to be strong, resilient and courageous.
We honour the gifts they have given through Truth and Reconciliation and will continue to learn from them and share their wisdom.
We will work towards living in a peaceful way within our families and friends.
We will not turn to drugs and alcohol when we don’t feel loved, instead we will turn to our families and Elders for support.
We will work to reconnect different cultures and pass on the beauty of Indigenous People and speak up against stereotypes.
We will speak up against lateral violence.
We will work together to take care of Mother Earth, the land and the water.
We will ask our Elders for mentorship when we feel hopeless or lost.
We believe there is hope and we will spread love and hope into our communities.
We believe in the sacredness of life and will work to live a good life in a good way.
NCTR Logo
NCTR’s spirit name – bezhig miigwan, meaning “one feather”.
Bezhig miigwan calls upon us to see each Survivor coming to the NCTR as a single eagle feather and to show those Survivors the same respect and attention an eagle feather deserves. It also teaches we are all in this together — we are all one, connected, and it is vital to work together to achieve reconciliation.