Montrealers will come together on Mount Royal Saturday for the 10th annual spirit walk.
The event organized by the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal (NWSM) aims to raise funds for Indigenous women and children, with this year’s theme of “empowering our youth.”
Starting at 1 p.m. participants will meet at the George-Étienne Cartier monument, before walking a loop of approximately five kilometres. Drumming and singing by local community artists will fill the air.
With a fundraising goal of $100 000, the NWSM hopes to fund the creation of a new youth worker position at Cabot Square, in addition to an annual healing retreat.
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According to Statistics Canada, Indigenous children represent 53.8 per cent of children in care, despite representing only 7.7 per cent of the child population under the age of 15 within Canada.
A youth worker position is urgently needed, the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal says, to advocate for these youth and to connect them with the tools, information and services they need to find hope.
The shelter hopes their extensive programming like the spirit walk will also help members of the community to heal.