Finding Our Power Together

Chi Miigwetch to all of our participants, friends and supporters near and far! We have now entered our final week of the Building Our Bundle program and we are slowly beginning to ‘let go’ of our fears, doubts, and grief, as we begin/continue to pick up the things in life that bring us joy, a sense of belonging and peace. We wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has participated in the photo challenges each week, watched the videos, reached out and followed along - w...e are overwhelmed by the positive response. To bring this program to a closing, we are sharing our final prize...an iPad! In order to win the iPad, please submit any missing photos from the last six weeks of photo challenges to be entered into a draw to win! Message/email us any/all missing photos by September 4th at midnight! If you’ve already submitted all six photos, you will automatically be entered to win! Miigwetch and good luck! #buildingourbundle #findingourpowertogether #mentalhealth #wellness #spiritualhealth

We have one more bonus episode of Building Our Bundle this week! This session is for those of you who are ready to take the next step in your journey of self-healing and discovery. In this session, we hear from Niki Ineese-Nash and Nyle Johnston about a tool that can help us to be able to pick up our bundle; that is the ability to let go. Letting go can be a tough thing to talk about but is often necessary for us to heal and move forward in a good way. Letting go requires sel...f-reflection, radical acceptance, and faith. We know that many of us have experienced things that have harmed our bodies, minds, and spirits and it is up to us how we allow those experiences to define our futures. Letting go allows us to find our power and to make our futures our own. This week marks the end of Building Our Bundle for summer 2020. We have been so honoured to have connected with you all and really appreciate the thoughtful effort you have put into your posts each week. We want to extend a chi-miigwetch (thank you) to all the participants and facilitators who have made this program happen. We could not have done it without you and hope to keep working together. We’ve designed this last session for you to do when you are ready which includes our teachings about letting go, a letting go activity and practice, and an additional photo challenge. This week will also mark the deadline for all photo challenges in order to be entered into our final prize draw! Did you miss one along the way? No worries! Complete this week’s or go back and complete one that you missed! Send us 6 of your photo challenges to be entered to win an iPad! We are so thankful to Canadian Roots Exchange - Échanges Racines Canadiennes for funding this program for the last 7 weeks. Stay tuned for more from Finding Our Power Together! #findingourpowertogether #buildingourbundle #mentalhealth #spiritualhealth #letitgo

We cannot believe that it is already week 6 of Building Our Bundle! In our last official session we hear from Niki Ineese-Nash, Lauren Akbar, and other FOPT team members about our gifts and how we can bring them out in ourselves and others. We know that every one of us is a gift from creation, who brings with them power, purpose, and value. But sometimes, we have difficulty seeing our gifts because of our inner beliefs and feelings about ourselves, or because we have not yet ...had the opportunity to develop them. It’s usually easier for us to see the gifts others have. We want to encourage you to connect with one of the most powerful items in your bundle; your gift. Spend some time this week thinking of what your gift is and how you can help others you care about to start seeing theirs as well. Then, share your gifts with us and the world in this week’s photo challenge! This week is kind of like a show and tell: show off your talents and uniqueness by sharing your gift in an image or video. We can’t wait to see your gifts and are so grateful to have walked along this path with you these last 6 weeks. There will be one more optional session of Building Our Bundle next week so stay tuned and stay in touch! See more

We cannot believe that it is already week 6 of Building Our Bundle! In our last official session, we hear from @wildflowerkwe , @laurenakbar @kruti_p25 , and @jessbitts_ about our gifts and how we can bring them out in ourselves and in others. We know that every one of us is a gift from creation, who brings with them power, purpose, and value. But sometimes, we have difficulty seeing our gifts because of our inner beliefs and feelings about ourselves, or because we have not y...et had the opportunity to develop them. It’s usually easier for us to see the gifts others have. We want to encourage you to connect with one of the most powerful items in your bundle; your gift. Spend some time this week thinking of what your gift is and how you can help others you care about to start seeing theirs as well. Then, share your gifts with us and the world in this week’s photo challenge! This week is kind of like a show and tell: show off your talents and uniqueness by sharing your gift in an image or video. We can’t wait to see your gifts and are so grateful to have walked along this path with you these last 6 weeks. There will be one more optional session of Building Our Bundle next week so stay tuned and stay in touch! #findingourpowertogether #buildingourbundle #gifted #indigenousyouth #strongertogether #mentalhealth #spiritualhealth See more

It’s Friday, which means you still have time to share your week 5 photo challenge! This week we asked you to look inward and reflect on your relationships with self. Personal mantras are affirmations that help motivate and inspire you to be your best self! For your photo challenge, create a visual representation of your mantra! Enter by midnight for a chance to win a FOPT Hoodie! #findingourpowertogether #buildingourbundle

It’s Week 5 of Building Our Bundle and we are taking this week to reflect inward on the relationship we have with our inner self. Our minds are a part of our bundle; it’s the way we experience this physical and spiritual world. But sometimes, our mind can seem like our enemy rather than our friend, particularly when we’ve internalized negative statements we’ve heard from others. This sessions invites you to spend some time learning to identify those negative messages we tell ...ourselves so we can learn to talk back and stand up for ourselves. When we find that power within us to talk to ourselves in a kind way, we are able to support others around us and talk forward (by sharing positivity with our community. Watch our video on talking back and talking forward to learn more about the power of self-talk, participate in a reflective storytelling activity, and share a positive message in this week’s photo challenge! We can’t wait to see your powerful messages and as always, reach out anytime! #findingourpowertogether #buildingourbundle #mentalhealth #spiritualhealth #selftalk #mindfulness #storytelling #youth #indigenous See more

Week 4 of Building Our Bundle hopes to get you out and engaged in your community through our photo scavenger hunt! We want you to have everything you need while you’re on the go so we are offering three FOPT backpacks for completing this week’s #photochallenge! Check out our week 4 IGTV for details on what to do and don’t forget to post your photos by Friday at midnight for your chance to win! We can’t wait to see your communities! As always, if you need anything while going through this week’s challenge, feel free to reach out! #findingourpowertogether #buildingourbundle #photochallenge #photoscavengerhunt #community #youth

Join us for week 4 of Building Our Bundle, a mental and spiritual health program for Indigenous youth across Turtle Island! This week we are talking with Lauren Akbar and Niki Ineese-Nash about the concept of community and what it can mean to us in our lives. As part of our bundle, community allows us to have a security system that we can go to when we need to, as well as a place where we can share our learning and gifts. As we explore through our different perspectives of co...mmunity, we want to encourage you to practice relationality with all of creation in this week's photo scavenger hunt activity! Get out there and start embracing all of the members of our communities, whether they be people, plants, animals, or spirits who we have in our environments. Share your photos with us in this week's #photochallenge by creating a community collage and sharing one word that describes what community means to you! Post your photos by Friday at midnight for your chance to win this week's prize. As always, feel free to reach out anytime to share your thoughts or questions. We are so glad to have this online community with you all! #Findingourpowertogether #buildingourbundle #community #Anishinaabe #allourrelations #reflection #mentalhealth #Indigenousyouth See more

It’s Friday! That means you still have time to enter this week’s #photochallenge! Check out our week 3 video and post to find out how. Enter tonight at midnight for your chance to win this limited edition dad cap from @brimzofficial and @miigizi! #findingourpowertogether #buildingourbundle

Finding Our Power Together has been in awe of the work of Indigenous organizations, collectives, and individuals who are providing space for Indigenous youth to thrive in their own ways. Welcome back to #ThrivingThursdays! This week we are doing a spotlight on @neecheestudio Neechee Studio is a free art program for Indigenous youth aged 14-30, led by Indigenous people in Thunder Bay. Neechee aims to empower the health and well-being of Indigenous youth through artisti...c expression. A group of people came together to create a space for Indigenous youth to access art workshops through the hiring of professional and emerging artists in the community. Every session is hosted by these artists who provide support and education on their specific art form. Through Neechee’s work they hope to learn, educate and uplift community members. Some examples of different workshops have been mitt making, film and animation, cutting and sewing patterns, stencil art, print screening, drawing illustration and much more! Check Neechee Studio out on Facebook or Instagram for more information! Follow their page to learn more about the important work they are doing to support Indigenous youth to thrive! Do you know other inspiring Indigenous youth groups or individuals who we should feature on our page next week? Let us know in the comments! #findingourpowertogether #thrivingthursdays #youthsupportingyouth #spotlight #solidarity #artexpression #riseup See more

We are honoured to be partnering with @brimzofficial and @miigizi on this week’s photo challenge prize! Don’t forget to share your personal constellation images with us by the end of the week for a chance to win this amazing hat! We can’t wait to see what you create! #findingourpowertogether #buildingourbundle #photochallenge #prize #giveaway #streetwear #contest #indigenous

Follow these steps to create your own relational constellation for this week’s #photochallenge

We are now in week 3 of Building Our Bundle! This week’s session is called We Are All Stars and explores traditional Anishinaabe stories of our origins from Sky World. We are talking about the stars as a way to explore our own identities and relationships to help us better understand where we’ve come from, where we are, and where we can go. We want you to spend some time this week thinking about the relationships you have in your life and what they mean to you by mapping your own relational constellation. Explore the stars yourself and share your own version of a constellation in this week’s photo challenge! We can’t wait to see more of your amazing photos this week (this photo challenge is tricky, but please respond however you like) and to hear from you this and every week!

Week 2 of Building Our Bundle is coming to an end tonight at midnight! That means you still have time to submit your #photochallenge for a chance to win an FOPT self reflection kit! This week, we spoke about values and teachings that we can bring focus to. We then asked you to share an image collage of your top values! Submit your photos by posting them to Facebook or Instagram and tag us (or send them to us directly). We can’t wait to see all the beautiful values you connect... to! Join us next week for more teachings, activities, and prizes! Want to sign up for Building Our Bundle? DM us to get involved any time! #findingourpowertogether #buildingourbundle #contest #indigenousswag #drip #youth See more

This week’s session of Building Our Bundle is all about reflecting on our values and our journey as they relate to cultural teachings of living a good life (check out our IGTV if you missed it!). We want to encourage you to keep on that reflective healing journey! So this week, we are offering 3 opportunities to win this FOPT self-reflection on the go kit for completing this week’s #photochallenge! The kit comes with a drawstring backpack, pencil case, water bottle, and journal for you to keep practicing these skills, whether through drawing or writing. Remember to submit your photos by Friday at midnight for your chance to win! #findingourpowertogether #buildingourbundle #week2 #prize #reflection #mentalhealth #spiritualhealth #minobimaadiziwin

Welcome to week 2 of Building Our Bundle! This week we are talking about values and how they affect our choices and our relationships. Watch our teaching video where we explore the Seven Grandfather Teachings (Niishwaswi Mishomiisaag) and what they can mean for us in our journeys. Then, start sorting your values through our guided reflection activity. Use these exercises to really think about how you can start focusing on the values that are most important to you. Then, show us those values/teachings in this week’s photo challenge (due Friday at midnight for a chance to win)! As always, reach out if you have any questions or need any additional support. Missed last week? No worries! Join any time! #Findingourpowertogether #buildingourbundle #Anishinaabe #teachings #storytelling #mentalhealth #spiritualhealth

Do you have an idea for a horror film that you would like to develop? FOPT is honoured to be partnering with Bawaadan Collective to be able to support you in developing and producing your own short film! This contest is open to Indigenous you (aged 14-29) in Southern Ontario. Submit your ideas to Bawaadan Collective before Friday July 31st to enter this contest! As always, if you need any information or support, feel free to reach out! #findingourpowertogether #indigenousfilm #youth

This week, we asked you to send us your photos of where you feel like your true self. We are so thankful to have seen so many of you sharing these special places of connection in your communities. We want to send out a big, big congratulations to our winners of the week one Building Our Bundle #photochallenge! *Drum roll* ... Miigwetch to @atribecalledbeauty @kyr.dumont and @tyannaajordann for your lovely photos and beautiful words. Thank you to all of the participants who submitted this week. We are so excited to continue to see everyone’s photos as we move through the next few weeks. Stay tuned for next week’s teachings, activities, and photo challenge (and another chance to win!). If you’d like to participate in the Building Our Bundle program, it’s never too late to join! DM us or send us an email! #buildingourbundle #letsfindourpowertogether #photochallenge #mentalandspiritualhealth #miigwetch

Week 1 of Building Our Bundle is coming to an end tonight at midnight! That means you still have time to submit your #photochallenge for a chance to win an FOPT t-shirt! This week, we spoke about bundles and grounding tokens, asked you to find your own token, and share an image of a place where you feel like your true self! Submit your photos by posting them to Facebook or Instagram and tag us (or send them to us directly). We can’t wait to see all the beautiful places you co...nnect to! Join us next week for more teachings, activities, and prizes! Want to sign up for Building Our Bundle? DM us to get involved any time! #findingourpowertogether #buildingourbundle #contest #indigenousswag #drip #youth See more

Finding Our Power Together is so humbled by all the amazing Indigenous organizations, collectives, and individuals who are helping Indigenous youth to thrive in their own ways. We want to create a space to showcase these initiatives in a segment we are calling #ThrivingThursdays! This week we are doing a spotlight on Nimkii Aazhibikong Eshkiniigjig The Nimkii Youth Collective started in 2019 with the goal of lands-based language and cultural revitalization. We work to...wards and pursue our goal by learning with and on the land with numerous traditional knowledge holders, elders, language speakers and lands-based practitioners. We host lands-based cultural camps throughout the different times of the year and according to the natural cycles of the land. We also have a special focus to learn and document the Anishinaabemowin vocabulary of specific traditional skills, bush craft and harvesting activities that are not spoken in everyday conversations and are at risk of being lost. This vocabulary is one that cannot often be found in ojibwe dictionaries and resources so our hope is to document, preserve and share our findings and learnings with others. Follow their page to see more of the awesome work they are doing to support Indigenous youth to thrive! Do you know other inspiring Indigenous youth groups or individuals who we should feature on our page next week? Let us know in the comments! #findingourpowertogether #thrivingthursdays #youthsupportingyouth #spotlight #solidarity #riseup

Building Our Bundle is off to a great start! We’re so happy to have so many Indigenous youth from across Turtle Island getting in touch and following along. Every week we will have a photo challenge for you to share your ideas and experiences with us! You’ll also get the chance to win prizes and FOPT swag! This week, we will choose 3 winners to win a FOPT t-shirt! . To enter, make sure you watch our week 1 video and follow the activity prompts. Then, send us a picture of a p...lace where you feel like your true self. Post the picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us for a chance to win. Remember, the deadline is Friday at midnight! Winners will be announced this Saturday! (Please do not send photos of people’s faces without their consent) . Haven’t registered for Building Our Bundle? It’s not too late! DM is to get started! #findingourpowertogether #buildingourbundle #indigenousfashion See more

Welcome to week 1 of Building Our Bundle! We will be posting these videos every Monday on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Each session will have a content video, a self-reflection activity, and a photo challenge. This week, we are talking about bundles and grounding tokens. After watching the teaching video, we want you to practice a technique called grounding by finding and connecting with a grounding token. Your photo challenge this week is to share a picture or image th...at represents a place where you can be your true self! We can’t wait to see your photos! Remember to submit them by posting to Facebook or Instagram and tagging us by Friday at midnight for your chance to win FOPT swag! #findingourpowertogether #buildingourbundle #mentalhealth #spiritualhealth #youthrise

Welcome to week 1 of Building Our Bundle! Check out our IGTV or YouTube video for this week’s content! We will be posting these videos every Monday on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Each session will have a content video, a self-reflection activity, and a photo challenge. This week, we are talking about bundles and grounding tokens. After watching the teaching video, we want you to practice a technique called grounding by finding and connecting with a grounding token. You...r photo challenge this week is to share a picture or image that represents a place where you can be your true self! We can’t wait to see your photos! Remember to submit them by posting to Facebook or Instagram and tagging us by Friday at midnight for your chance to win FOPT swag! #findingourpowertogether #buildingourbundle #mentalhealth #spiritualhealth #youthrise

In preparation for starting our Building Our Bundle program, we wanted to reach out to say hi and let you know a bit more about the team you’ll be hearing from over the next 6 weeks! We’re excited to hear more about you! Reach out and say hi anytime! Interested in joining the Building Our Bundle program? Shoot us a DM!