Aboriginal Partnership
Mamow Sha-way-gi-kaywin or North-South Partnership for Children represents a coalition of individuals and organizations from southern Ontario who have partnered with thirty First Nations communities. The Governing Council of the North-South Partnership for Children includes Chief Donny Morris, Dr. Judy Finlay, and the Honourable Landon Pearson.
The collective goal of the Partnership is to learn from one another while addressing the needs of these First Nations … to find out what’s needed – in housing, in skills building, in a recreational activity, in friendship – to open pathways of hope for the young people.
The strength of Mamow Sha-way-gi-kay-win is its unique partnership with First Nations, its ability to bring a broader public awareness to the conditions of their communities, its long-term commitment to these communities, its non-partisan approach, and its independence from governmental systems. Southern partners are dedicated to following the direction of northern partners in identifying issues, priorities, and potential solutions. The work of the Partnership exemplifies the respectful relationships needed to improve the conditions of First Nations communities.
In the autumn of 2008, Judy Finlay and Landon Pearson flew to seven of the First Nations communities to ‘gather’ the stories of the Oji-Cree Elders and relay them to First Nations youth. This was an inspired request of the Chiefs involved – in Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, Sandy Lake, Fort Severn, Mishkeegogamang, Eabametoong, Nibinamik, and Weagamow.