The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

Congratulations to DWF President & CEO Sarah Midanik for being recognized as one of the 2024 Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winners! Thank you to Women’s Executive Network for recognizing Sarah and so many other inspiring women! Read the press release here: https://ow.ly/R45q50TWAHC Women's Executive Network (WXN) #WXNTop100

DWF Artist Ambassador DJ Classic Roots (Joshua DePerry) is a Thunder Bay-born, Toronto-based DJ, producer, and founder, celebrated for blending Ojibwe and Blackfoot heritage into his Electronica soundscapes. As a member of Long Lake 58 First Nation's Mukwa-Dodem (Bear Clan), Classic Roots crafts a unique sonic tapestry that honors Anishinaabe beats and fosters cultural liberation. Beyond music, Joshua empowers First Nations youth through workshops that integrate dance, cultural expression, fitness, and DJing, promoting optimism and self-assurance. His work reflects the untamed spirit of Northern Ontario, celebrating resilience and inspiring others to pursue their dreams with determination and pride. The Artist Ambassador program connects Indigenous and non-Indigenous creators, Knowledge Keepers, and experts with DWF’s audiences through a variety of engagements and activations. Get to know our Artist Ambassadors by visiting our website: https://lnkd.in/e2inp2kH #DownieWenjackFund #DWFArtistAmbassador

DWF LIVE | Mauna Kea and International Indigenous Solidarity Watch anytime on the DWF YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/enPk-jSA Join host Danielle H. Morrison in conversation with "Standing Above the Clouds" filmmaker Jalena Keane-Lee and Pua Case, film protagonist, co-producer, and founder of Mauna Kea Education & Awareness (MKEA). #MaunaKea #DWFLIVE #SecretPathWeek

DWF proudly supports the Confluence exhibition opening on November 1, 2024, 7 pm at The Art Gallery of Algoma in Sault St. Marie, ON. The participating Artists/Storytellers are Noel (Skip) Jones (Anishinaabe Elder), Barbara Nolan (Ojibwa elder and Nishnaabemwin­language immersion teacher), Sister Mary Jo Radey (Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph), and Adriano Di Cerbo (Lead artist for Confluence and Lead Teacher for the Arts at St. Mary's College, Huron Superior District Catholic School Board) This exhibition provides the opportunity to present a unique collaboration between various local artists/partners to explore the worldviews of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Drawing on motifs related to natural resources, the exhibition looks at the importance of the land and water and our interconnectedness with the Earth and each other. Through the exhibition’s sculptural installation, collective narrative and personal storytelling, the artists are examining the past, cultivating a deeper awareness of our shared histories while looking toward a more respectful and inclusive future. The title of the exhibition, Confluence, or “a merging of two rivers” suggests a perpetual flow towards transformation. This project will reach wide audiences as it relates to the environment and demographics of Algoma and to universal issues that touch us all. https://lnkd.in/eRBVUtyv #DoSomething #ReconciliACTION

Today, President Joe Biden formally apologizes for the U.S. government boarding school system that forcibly separated generations of Indigenous children from their families for more than a century. Watch Now: https://lnkd.in/ePrV3xzF

On October 25, 1784, the Haldimand Proclamation was issued by Sir Frederick Haldimand, the Governor of the Province of Québec, granting approximately 950,000 acres of land to the Haudenosaunee Confederacy for their allegiance to the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War and as compensation for the loss of ancestral territory in what is now upper New York state. Today, 46,500 acres of the Haldimand Tract make up the current Six Nations of the Grand River territory, approximately 4.9% of the land that was originally promised. Six Nations of the Grand River is the only reserve in North America where all six Haudenosaunee nations live together. Treaties Recognition Week in Ontario this year is November 3 to 9. Check out DWF’s compiled resources to learn more about #Treaties and #LandBack at https://lnkd.in/gtCR5kxG

We are hiring! As part of the DWF team, the Director, Education is responsible for braiding together the educational programs and initiatives at the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF). The Director, Education will provide a strategic approach to the creation, implementation, and oversight of all DWF educational programs, initiatives, resources, and partnerships. Deadline to apply: November 15, 2024 Anticipated start: January 2025 More info: https://lnkd.in/e8W2R4tP #DownieWenjackFund #CareerOpportunities

Yesterday, in honour of #SecretPathWeek DWF staff teamed up with staff from Legacy Space partners Corby Spirit and Wine and Hudson’s Bay for a Walk For Wenjack. This marks the first collaboration between Legacy Spaces partners in a Walk for Wenjack, and their initiative spanned several different cities. Each organization created educational maps with check-points along the route in each city to pause and learn about the different markers of Indigenous history and culture in the area. These are moments of reflection that encourage us to get curious about the land where we live and work. Plan a Walk For Wenjack today! https://lnkd.in/dzW9FjQB   Hudson's Bay Corby Spirit and Wine Limited #DoSomething #ReconciliACTION #WalkForWenjack

Miigwetch everyone for joining us this #SecretPathWeek Here are 3 ways to take #ReconciliACTION anytime: Plan a Walk For Wenjack: https://lnkd.in/dzW9FjQB Catch up on DWF LIVE sessions you might have missed, such as this session with Jared Visitor, Chanie Wenjack's great-nephew, in conversation with the Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair, on the DWF YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/dViesmVd Support our work https://lnkd.in/eykMqjH #DoSomething

Qattuu is an Ontario-based, Inuk throat-singer, originally from Pangnirtung, Nunavut. In this session, Qattuu will focus on the rich traditions of Inuit arts and storytelling, with a focus on Throat Singing. Learn about the power of Inuit Throat Singing in preserving history, culture, and values. Lesson Plan: https://lnkd.in/gtNyeSpv Plan de leçon (Français): https://lnkd.in/gc6SqYCk