Members of ALIVE and youth messengers from the GEN7 program recently attended and volunteered at the 1st Annual National Aboriginal Physical Activity Conference, hosted by the Aboriginal Physical Activity and Cultural Circle (APACC). The Conference was held as an opportunity to discuss and share ideas about the promotion of Aboriginal health and well-being through sport, recreation and physical activity. As the nation's largest conference concerning physical activity in the Aboriginal community, The 1st Annual National Aboriginal Physical Activity and Cultural Circle was a unique opportunity for education and networking.

The APACC is a Vancouver-based network for Aboriginal People involved in sports, recreation, fitness and traditional activities. It is a registered non-profit organization with the mission to “create a community of mentors, leaders, participants and supporters who promote physical activity as a means to health and wellness”. 

To learn more about the National Aboriginal Physical Activity Conference and the Aboriginal Physical Activity and Cultural Circle visit the APACC website at: http://www.a-pacc.com

The City of Vancouver has made public its support for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, voting to make June 21st 2013 to June 20th 2014  the Year of Reconciliation in Vancouver. The motion came from Councillor Andrea Reimer in preparation for the fall Truth and Reconciliation event and as a result of dialogue with the city's Urban Aboriginal Peoples Advisory Committee, whose membership includes two ALIVE board members. Reimer stated that “reconciling past injustice, and strengthening shared understanding and awareness of history, is vital to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities in building a successful future for Vancouver.”

 Reconciliation Canada and the Urban Aboriginal Peoples Advisory Committee are committed to increasing opportunities for dialogue and understanding between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals regarding the experience and rights of indigenous people in Canada. “It’s important that all Vancouver residents build our understanding of the histories, contributions, and persistent challenges faced by Aboriginal people in Canada, and that City Hall continues to strengthen relationships and dialogue with the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tseil-Waututh Nations,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “The Year of Reconciliation in Vancouver will provide an opportunity for people of all cultures to engage in dialogue and work together for a shared future that fully supports the rights and aspirations of aboriginal people living in and around Vancouver.”

"For some people, the residential school experience is unknown,” Reimer told the Georgia Straight “They might have heard the term, but they’re not aware of what it meant…It was a very deeply traumatic and shameful experience in Canada that needs to be dealt with, needs to be acknowledged, needs to be understood, and that we need to move on from collectively.” “Ultimately it’s a trauma…that has reverberations throughout our community, and if we can’t reconcile that and move forward, that’s holding us back, as a society and as a city.”

Urban Aboriginal Peoples Advisory committee: http://vancouver.ca/your-government/urban-aboriginal-peoples-advisory-committee.aspx

Mayor of Vancouver website: http://www.mayorofvancouver.ca/reconciliationyear

February 20th marked the launch of the new Gen 7 Aboriginal Role Model program, a partnership initiative between ALIVE and Motivate Canada, a national youth-driven development organization. The program will be coordinated by ALIVE through 5 local community centres:  Britannia, Ray-Cam, Strathcona, Trout Lake, and Hastings. Gen 7 will provide the youth with training and mentorship to build leadership capacity and develop their skills through sport and physical activity. The program incorporates a place-based approach, as Messengers draw on inspiration from native elders as well as the tools and resources offered by community partners.

GEN7 is committed to engaging local Aboriginal residents in community centres through programming as well as in hiring. Gen 7 believes that Aboriginal people need to feel they are reflected in community organizations, and the program will work with FNES to  help Gen 7 Messengers look at career opportunities in municipal recreation. ALIVE sees Gen 7 as an innovative program that enables local Aboriginal young people and their families to engage in community life and hopes to see all 24 community centres open their doors for our youth.

 New Gen 7 Messengers

Darren Baptiste

Shaniece Angus

Nadine Brooks

Martina Whonnock

Jessica Savoy

Check out their individual videos or read their bios

ALIVE's Executive Director, Scott Clark, spoke at the public meeting on Feb. 4th in favour of pooling community centre revenues and services. It ended with the city's park commissioners voting to go ahead with implementing the new funding model which the park board states will create equity between have and have-not community centres. The proposal was met with much opposition.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/02/05/vancouver-community-centre-funding-approved_n_2621626.html?fb_action_ids=468782493170514&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=246965925417366

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/community-centre-surplus-divides-city/article8477642/

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Budget+fight+from+over+Vancouver+community+centre+associations/7946254/story.html#ixzz2KiMx39D9

http://metronews.ca/news/vancouver/537124/park-board-promises-equality-but-communities-arent-buying-it/