Vision Overview

Development of our Vision Statement and Document began during the COVID-19 global pandemic (2020/22). Members of our five Cree (Nayhenaway lninewuk) Nations joined regular online meetings and gatherings to discuss the importance of protecting our shared ancestral lands for current and future generations. After the end of pandemic lockdowns (in mid-2022), the project has since been able to increase engagement with the Five Nations through several in-person leadership meetings and community gatherings.

Community surveys and youth workbooks (digital and hard copy materials) were designed and distributed (online and in-community) to share project information and gather input from Five Nations members. The youth workbooks were provided to each community’s local school, voluntarily filled out by students, and later collected by the YFFN Kitaskeenan Project Team and Community Coordinators.

In June 2022, leadership from the Five Nations gave their full support for the project initiative to proceed with the development of a formal vision statement. Feedback from community surveys, youth workbooks, and in-person community visits and gatherings informed and contributed to the resulting Vision Statement and Document completed in August 2023.