We Day Sponsorship Empowers Displaced Teens from Lake St. Martin
When overland flooding forced them to be evacuated from their homes, residents of Lake St. Martin First Nation figured it would be a few months at most before they were allowed to return.
But after spending a year and a half living in temporary housing in Winnipeg — and with much of their community still under water — those same residents are wondering if they’ll ever return to their community again.
The 18-month ordeal has been particularly tough on the teens and children who were displaced when Lake St. Martin flooded in May 2011. That’s why Red River College stepped forward to send 12 of those students and two teachers to We Day — a global “youth empowerment” event that has since inspired the teens to become agents of social change for their own community.
“Too frequently we hear of children and individuals losing hope, or who feel powerless, and we have seen this with some of the evacuees of Lake St. Martin,” says RRC President Stephanie Forsyth.
“I wanted to reach out to the youth of this community — to afford them the opportunity to hear We Day’s very powerful message of hope, and the role they might play in bringing about change.” Read More →