Building leaders and strong women.

Earlier this year I had a 2-month long art exhibition at Neechi Niche. During my show there, I made a meaningful connection — I received an email from Jana Gauthier, the program co-coordinator at Wahbung Abinoonjiiag Inc. She saw my work at Neechi Commons and wondered if I would be interested in donating a painting to help support the Building Leaders in Women of Tomorrow Program. I declined the painting donation.

I decided, after learning more about the program, that I wanted to make a bigger, more meaningful contribution than just donating a piece of art. Instead, I offered to deliver an art collaboration workshop to the participants in the program.

This is where my journey with Wahbung began.

About Wahbung
Wahbung Abinoonjiiag Inc. is a Winnipeg North End organization that empowers children and their families to break the cycle of violence. I was asked to be a member of the Steering Committee for the Building Leaders in Women of Tomorrow program that provides leadership training for aboriginal girls and young women. My hope is that my contribution will help inspire young women to be passionate about the arts and community and help them realize their potential of becoming strong leaders.

Building Leaders in Women of Tomorrow Program
Funded by Status of Women Canada, Building Leaders in Women of Tomorrow is a 24-month program that focuses on Aboriginal young women to address barriers and gaps. Through girl-led programs the participants work with local women leaders to help build positive strategies, participate in cultural events and participate in activities to help build a foundation for success in becoming strong aboriginal women leaders of tomorrow.

“Having Lisa Delorme Meiler involved with the Building Leaders in Women of Tomorrow has provided young Aboriginal girls and women with the opportunity to express their inner voice through creative outlets. Lisa’s artistic influence and genuine heart has created a platform for these women, a platform from which to build skills and showcase leadership within their own community. I am a firm believer that strong women means strong communities and with the involvement of a profound artist such as Lisa Delorme Meiler, young girls and women are empowered and impacted in a truly significant way”. —   Jana Gauthier, Building Women Leaders of Tomorrow Co-ordinator

The Journey of Discovery

The young women leaders along with the program co-ordinator and steering committee members attended many meaningful cultural events such as:

• Girl Rising
• Quilt Unveiling in Honour of Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women & Girls
• Off the Beaten Path: Violence, Woman and Art – an art exhibition at the WAG
• 13th Annual Keeping the Fires Burning — hosted by Ka Ni Kanchihk Inc.
• The Unveiling of the Monument for Murdered and Missing Aboriginal Women

The events helped the group to understand potential barriers. The events also showcased local, strong, aboriginal women leaders leading many of these cultural events, causes and activities.

The Art of Empowerment
The purpose of the art collaboration workshop was to teach the participants about finding their voice using art as a means of communication and expression. The skills learned in the workshop include, how to work together in an encouraging, supportive and collaborative environment. And discovering how to communicate and deliver powerful messages through paint.

Participants were given words that describe the goals of the program, using paint and brush to communicate what those words meant to them. The participants collectively contributed to each canvas and produced paintings that contained a mosaic of voices. The outcome of the art collaboration workshop was a most spectacular series of artwork created by the participants. The work produced will be on display in the groups first art show, October 20, 2014 at Neechi Commons, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

In addition to participating in the art collaboration workshop the group also attended a writing workshop delivered by Katherena Vermette, Governor General Award winning author and poet. They also took part in a professional photo shoot with local photographer Ian McCausland and delivered their first TV interview to the media.

A Great Success Story
Wahbung Abinoonjiiag Inc. is holding a gala event called The Strength of Her. It is a celebration of the achievements of Wahbung Abinoonjiiag’s Inc. young women and girls who were part of the Building Women Leaders of Tomorrow program. This gala will showcase the accomplishments and achievements that these young women and girls have been a part of including, photography, artwork, and poetry. The Strength of Her, Gala event, takes place on Tuesday October 14, 2014 at Bergmann’s on Lombard, 167 Lombard Ave beginning at 5:30pm.

The last few months have been an interesting journey. I feel that I may have learned just as much as the young women leaders. I am so grateful to be a part of their journey of discovery; watching them grow and seeing them find their passions, and realize the opportunities for the future. I can feel good that I, and others, had a part to play and that we’ve made a meaningful impact in the lives of these women and girls.