Brandon kids' program offers Indigenous teachings alongside crafts and dance parties

A youth activity centre in Southwestern Manitoba's biggest city is helping strengthen Indigenous culture and teachings while helping youth get active, share laughter and have fun.

When kids fill up the Brandon Aboriginal Youth Activity Centre, known as BAYAC, the room is loud and full of energy. There are regulars like Taliya Bone, 10, who drop by any time they can because they have fun and learn new things. Taliya loves loves BAYAC because they play games and it helps her express herself.

"I come every day because I like the activities they pick and it's really fun," Taliya said.

"One of my favourite activities is probably dream catchers, 'cause I love dream catchers and making them."

BAYAC connects with young people in the community using activities inspired by the teachings of the medicine wheel, said cultural youth worker Joseph Paul. Programming focuses on balancing emotional, physical, spiritual and mental needs, he said, while also having fun.

These values ensure BAYAC has well-rounded well-programming for youth in the community.

"I feel it's important to reconnect a lot of the youth to the culture ... it's a dying culture because a lot of our stuff is kept through our elders and the younger youth aren't really as interested in it anymore or just don't really understand," Paul said.

"When they come to BAYAC here, we give them a chance to learn more about their culture and … get them more involved with their culture and pick up what they're missing."

BAYAC works with youth ages six and up, said youth program facilitator Miranda Traverse. Youth can learn about beading, sewing, making dream catchers, Indigenous games and other arts and crafts. They also take field trips to events like Festival du Voyageur and engage in physical activities like snowshoeing or Zumba.

The througline is Indigenous values, Traverse said, and exposing youth to unique First Nation, Métis and Inuit customs, cultures and traditions.

Cycle of teachings

The staff hope youth can learn and share their cultural teachings with others. Traverse said this cycle helps young people feel connected to themselves, each other and their community.

"I'd like them to learn something and be able to experience something that can they can practice in their own time and ... at home and can pass on," Paul said.

"If the kids learn one thing from this and they pass it on to one other person even, that just creates the cycle of teachings to bring back a culture ... That would be pretty great for them to carry that on."

On Saturday, about a dozen kids got a Zumba lesson as a special dance exercise. Paul says it was good for their physical and mental well-being.

Zumba instructor Jennifer Pinard says it's exciting working with BAYAC because she enjoys seeing kids get active dancing to music they love.

Zumba is a chance to introduce youth to new cultures through the "universal language of music," Pinard said. She tries to get youth to make up their own dance moves, draw what a song makes them feel or tell a story through their movements.

"We break down some of the songs and we kind of make a story out of it. So we kind of relate our own story to each dance move that we're doing," Pinard said. "They're 100 per cent a part of it."

BAYAC often offers experiences like this, Paul says, and has had special days centred on mindfulness yoga, oral health, fire safety or other topics for the kids.

"It's not just on the cultural aspect ... we'll take them to like the police station for tours and stuff like that and just try and get them involved in their community," he said. 

"It's important for youth to know what the community has to offer that they live in, as well as their Indigenous culture," Paul said. "We try to always be that kind of a safe place for the youth to come and learn things and do fun activities."