FAMILY CANOE CARVING PROJECT
The intention of this project is to learn how to carve a traditional dugout cedar canoe under the guidance of Joe Martin, from beginning to finish ~ including all nuu-chah-nulth mathematics, physics, and ceremony involved.
Project leads: Ryan Sabbas & Valeen Jules
BHBSC (BLACK HOME BIRTH SUPPLY AND SUPPORT COLLECTIVE)
The intention of this project is to help combat black maternal health disparities by removing blocks to accessing prenatal education and supplies for home-birth and water-birth. Studies show that black families who birth at home have better health outcomes, reduced trauma, and more empowering overall experiences, yet few choose home-birth due to a lack of education and lack of access to the necessary tools.
Project leads: Claire Campbell-Williams, Morgan Switzer-Rodney & Alisha Lettman
INDIGENOUS WELLNESS AND CULTURAL SUPPORT GROUPINDIGENOUS WELLNESS AND CULTURAL SUPPORT GROUP
This project aims to create an online cultural support group for Indigenous students across BC who are attending post-secondary for the spring semester.
Project leads: Matt Provost
Voices That are Never Silenced
This project will highlight and share stories of Black Queer Trans and Non -binary folks especially those who are of African descent as our stories tend to be erased, never told or shared at all, due to the Trans and homophobic cloud that covers our continent with the discrimination, oppression, and murders of Black queer and Trans identifying people. This magazine will also provide a platform to support Black queer and trans youth Artists by giving them honorariums as we showcase our talents through photography, writing, and as we tell our stories.
Project leads: Sandrine Umuhoza & Mahi Kaur & Adebayo Chris
Mental Health & Making Music !
This will be an online mental health songwriting workshop. In this workshop, I will teach how to find the right beat to fit the emotion you're trying to express. How to translate your feelings into words. Making melodies. How to structure your song. And also teaching everyone tips & tricks on how to freestyle & the magic freestyling truly has.
Project leads: Michelle Heyoka
Raising the Next Generation
This project is centred around a new Black mother seeking support as she explores new work opportunities. In order to pursue opportunities, access to post-partum support through collaboration with Nesting Doula Collective, a BIPOC collective of birth and postpartum doulas. It is her firm belief that children should be raised collectively, with a community that can provide culturally appropriate care.
Project lead: Aida Mwanzia
The Indigenous and Black Youth Support Fund was birthed out of our experience of not being able to access funding as youth organizers ourselves. Being young, migrant and refugee students we know the difficulty of juggling jobs, side gigs, school online all while trying to make space for the things and people you care for. With the first-ever cycle of funding coming to a successful close we hope that recipients of this funding are empowered to follow dreams of Community Joy even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Indigenous and Black Youth Support Fund intends to provide financial support to youth who are committed to uplifting the community. We especially encouraged artists, community organizers, facilitators, activists, sex workers, and birth workers to apply for funding.
We are honored and eager to share with you our supporter’s details about the kinds of projects we are excited to be funding in this cycle.
Read more about the projects below
BLACK AND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY SCHOLARSHIP - BICS
Create a community school scholarship made for Black and Indigenous students open to both domestic and international. Scholarship criteria based on understanding and contributions to social justice informed by BIPOC racial equity and gender equality.
Project leads: Marcus Queiroz Mckay & Igor Queiroz Mckay
WEAVING A CIRCLE OF REMEMBERING
The intention of this project is to create a supportive network of BIPOC allies to gather together as we relearn our languages, and share our familial and ancestral stories.
Project lead: Suna Galay
THE LEGACY GARDEN
This project began in April 2020 to create a community garden that represents the agricultural contributions of people of African descent, offers education and gardening resources, and is an accessible community gathering and building space for all BIPOC interested in food systems.
Project leads: Alisha Lettman & Njoki Mburu
CHILDBIRTH EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION FOR LOCAL BLACK DOULA
Supporting individual goal towards becoming a certified Childbirth educator through Lamaze International. Through my work in the birth world in Victoria, BC, I have identified a gap in culturally relevant, BIPOC-led childbirth education classes.
Project lead: Simone Blais
COMMUNITY SUPPORT INITIATIVE FOR BLACK AND INDIGENOUS SELF-IDENTIFYING WOMEN AT SFU
This initiative will support Black and Indigenous self-identifying women at SFU by redistributing funds and grocery coupons etc. Black and Indigenous self-identifying women who have been on the frontlines in varying capacities in addressing systemic racism and antiBlackness at Simon Fraser University.
Project leads: ASA Team members
Beads 4 Femmes
Beads4Femmes began as a small project meant to simply get beads in the hands of bead workers. We wanted to alleviate the financial barriers associated with starting to bead and/or allow vendors to make a 100% profit margin off their designs. Purchasing supplies can be a huge undertaking, especially during a pandemic when many of us are financially insecure.
Project leads: Peyton Straker & Evelyn Sharp
Cash Rules
A music video collaboration for a song called "Cash Rules". The song is from my debut solo album called "YOU ARE NOT IMMUNE TO PROPAGANDA" scheduled to release in March. The album as a whole was written in reflection of how difficult this year was for young Black people in particular.
Project leads: Malaika Lwakila & Zuleyma Prado
Computer Literacy for Newcomer Immigrants
Sina and Minab are former refugees from Eritrea by way of Uganda. We have both worked as translators in Canada and are very aware of the many issues that are important to our communities. One of these is computer literacy. In a world where almost everything is done through computers, anyone who is not able to operate the basics of computer functions and computerized processes that are necessary to our daily lives is severely disadvantaged.
Project leads: Minab Yetbarek & Sina Yetbarek