December 5, 2019
YELLOWKNIFE (December 5, 2019) – TheYellowknife Community Foundation and RBC Foundation are pleased to announce therecipients of grants totalling $35,000 to support two youth-led projects in theNorthwest Territories. Grant recipientsare: The5052 Community Mural Project will create a northern and Indigenous-inspiredmural on Foster Family Coalition office building on the corner of 50thStreet and 50th Avenue in Yellowknife. The Mural is a collaborative art projectinvolving the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories,MakerspaceYK, and a Yellowknife performance collaborative of visual artists,musicians, and traditional storytellers called Borderless Art Movement (BAM). Indigenousartists will be among the eight youth selected to work on the project. Workingin partnership with mentors from BAM, young artists will help design the mural,purchase materials with grant funds, and create the installation. Afterunveiling the mural, the young artists will also lead three workshops to sharetheir new skills with other young artists and students in the broadercommunity. Korry Garvey, Project Coordinator – “The 5052 Mural is our way of improving our community by beautifying a downtown location and creating meaningful mentorship opportunities between youth and established artists. With this public art project, young artists are getting a chance to improve skills, engage citizens in conversation about their identity, and drive cultural understanding.” TheRainbow Youth Mentorship Program is a volunteer mentorship program for LGBTQ2S+youth and adults that will allow them to build networks and connections, aswell as gain a sense of belonging and inclusion in their community. The project’s goals are to create a healthydialogue between different generations of LGBTQ2S+ people in the NorthwestTerritories, help them share their knowledge and traditions and encourage youthto take an active role in their communities. Theproject involves a partnership between the Rainbow Coalition of Yellowknife,local schools, youth serving organizations, counsellors, and young leaders inthe community. These partners will identify who should be mentors or mentees,as well as serve as an access point/liaison for the program in connection withthe Rainbow Coalition. The project will be piloted in Yellowknife with a planto expand to other NWT communities once it is successful. As a part ofthe RBC Future Launch Community Challenge, grants like these are being made toinspire youth-led projects in 150 small and medium-sized communities acrossCanada. The program’s goal is to helpship the power to young leaders making positive social or environmental changein their communities, while enabling them to gain valuable skills andexperience. Yellowknife Community Foundation board member and project lead Sophie Kirby – “The RBC Future Launch Community Challenge is an exciting and valuable addition to the Yellowknife Community Foundation. We are looking forward to seeing how youth in our community step up to create solutions to urgent needs.” Yanik D’Aigle, RBC Community Manager NWT – “We are pleased that youth-led initiatives in our area can benefit from the RBC Future Launch Community Challenge grants. At RBC, we believe we have a responsibility to help young people prepare for the opportunities and uncertainties of the future. By unlocking their potential, we help them improve the social, economic and physical well-being of our communities.” TheYellowknife Community Foundation was formed in 1993 to provide interestedindividuals and organizations with a means of supporting projects in ourcommunity for the enduring future. The Foundation is not singularly dedicatedto any specific area of support. It embodies a simple concept – that peopleworking together can make a difference. For more information contact: Yellowknife Community FoundationRosella Stoesz / Phone: (867) 446 4527 / Email: info@ykcf.ca
