Hard to Find the Words

Having met and worked with so many incredible folks these last few weeks in the northwest Territories of canada, how do I find the words to accurately describe my recent media education workshop tour?

The people I met, the places I saw, the late sunrises and early sunsets, the fox that came out to greet us every day as we went home for the night…

I struggle to articulate with any accuracy the 2-day Digital Storytelling workshop delivered at Sir John Franklin Highschool in Yellowknife with new Canadian youth coming from the Phillipine’s, Somalia, Ethiopia, Syria and China. As they described their journey’s across the globe, their experiences of Yellowknife so far, and their hopes for their futures and lives with their families. (This workshop was hosted by the NWT Literacy Council).

Or what about the 3 #BreakTheFake workshops designed by MediaSmarts I delivered, sharing tips, tricks and resources for adults to verify information online? The House Hippos flew north of 60 and into the Territories, and the Yellowknife Public Library, The Sahtú Youth Network and the Native Women’s Society all received this new and critically important training. Having delivered similar workshops across many Canadian provinces, it felt really great to share these resources with Northern communities this time.

Or how about trying to summarize my experience working for a whole week with an incredible group of young Sahtú leaders beside the beautiful Mackenzie and Great Bear Rivers, as they describe to me how it makes them feel to be Dene, what helps them heal, what they see and want for their communities, or how hunting makes them feel connected to their traditions and culture? For more information about the Sahtú Youth Network and the full collection of new Digital Stories visit the SYN website. (This workshop was hosted by the Sahtú Renewable Resources Board).

Or maybe you have some ideas I could try in describing my 2-day Digital Storytelling workshop with the Native Women’s Association as we comb through the online NWT Archive database, searching for images and documentation of a settlement one woman was raised in, but doesn’t know how it’s spelled. After some digging, we find it, and she sees photos of the cabins on the shore of Marian Lake, for the first time in her life, just like she had described them to me. These images were then used in their final Digital Story projects. (This workshop was hosted by DigitalNWT and the Smart Communities Society).

Or how in a Portrait Photography workshop of just 1 hour and 15 minutes, an ambitious and talented group of highschool students in Yellowknife managed to capture such stunning photographs of themselves and their peers that my jaw literally dropped, having had my final-product expectations blown out of the water? (This workshop was hosted by the Far North Photography Festival).

I think I’ll just let their photos and Digital Stories speak for themselves.

:)

I would like to thank the organizations and funders who made each one of these Digital Literacy Workshops take place. As always, it is an honour to be invited to work with the people of the North.

To learn more about our workshops, and how we can bring hands-on or remote Digital Storytelling Workshops into your community, school or organization in the new year, contact us today to speak with our team.