THUNDER BAY — The Indigenous youth advocacy group Feathers of Hope says a donation of over $25,000 announced Friday will help ensure its work continues into the future.
The donation will support a new podcast the group is launching, among other initiatives.
Jason Thompson, president of Superior Strategies, an Indigenous-owned health and safety company, presented a cheque for $25,570 to the organization on Friday.
The company launched the fundraising campaign in 2021, when it began selling Every Child Matters shirts, with five dollars from each going to Feathers of Hope.
The organization arose out of efforts by First Nations leaders and Ontario’s child and youth advocate to address concerns over Indigenous youth mental health and suicides.
Harley Legarde-Beacham, the organization’s treasurer, called the donation “very exciting," saying it helps the organization find its footing, after the youth advocate's office was axed by the Ford government.
“Everything we want to accomplish, it makes it that much easier now. When the provincial advocate's’ office had shut down, none of us really knew what we were going to do. We worked with so many youth across Ontario, [then] it almost felt like we were stranded.”
The group is currently planning how to advance work it’s done in the past, like holding forums for First Nations youth across the region and advocating for action from policy-makers.
In the shorter term, Legarde-Beacham said, Feathers of Hope will use some of the donation to support plans to launch a podcast it hopes will spark conversations and build engagement.
“With COVID, there’s a lot of depression — we all felt it,” he said. “We want to bring our youth back together and have them rise up.”
The podcast will focus on issues of health and well-being in Indigenous communities.
“We want to bring in guests, get our name out there, get youth to start opening up and helping themselves live better, be healthier,” Legarde-Beacham said.
Thompson said the work is crucial, and aligns with the company’s own mission.
“It’s a great organization doing great things for the community, so it’s always truly our pleasure to give back,” he said.
“It really goes along with what we’re trying to do, and brings awareness to the travesties that came with residential schools [and] this orange shirt campaign to make the lives of Indigenous people a lot better going forward.”
The fundraising campaign was bolstered by corporate partners like BGIS and Staples, he added.
The shirts remain on sale, and Thompson said the company has discussed more collaborations with Feathers for Hope in the future.
Those interested in the shirts can call the Superior Strategies office at (807) 623-2004.
