TakingITGlobal

86 # R I S I N G Y O U T H C O M M U N I T Y I M P A C T Giant Mine was a dangerously toxic gold mine located on the Ingraham Trail north of Yellowknife that greatly affected the local community, many of whom were Dene First Nations. #RisingYouth grantee Danya Erasmus wanted to develop and lead a culturally-safe and age- appropriate workshop about the impacts of the mine on Dene youth in the community. She facilitated this workshop alongside members of the Giant Mine Remediation Team, community leaders, and teachers from Kalemi Dene School. They sat around a fire and listened to stories about the history of the mine and their relationship to Dene. The youth had an opportunity to have their questions answered by those who knew more about the history and health risks. But more than the educational component, Danya wanted to engage the youth on a deeper level by incorporating an art- based element to the project. She and a group of youth between the ages of 15 to 19 painted a mural to imagine what their community might look like without the mine. Created over the course of five days, the team who painted the mural grew more comfortable with each other, opening the way to dive deeper into the impacts of Giant Mine on their daily lives. " This project was a space for us to come together and talk about something huge that is impacting us directly, but in a small and safe space with access to answers. We were all able to learn together and talk through our concerns." DANYA ERASMUS Mural Painting of Giant Mine Danya Erasmus | $1,500 Yellowknife, Northwest Territories NORTHWEST TERRITORIES Yellowknife is located on Yellowknives Dene territory. LEARN MORE AT WWW.WHOSE.LAND

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