Blog #2: Treaty Person Giving Back

This week turned out a bit different than I thought it would be, but I still believe I made efforts in being an engaged citizen. I researched and contacted two foundations where I plan on donating. My overall plan for the semester is to donate at least once a week in some way. The foundations I have found are: All Nations Hope Network and The National Voice of Indigenous Woman in Canada, but my plan is much bigger than just these two foundations.

The donation I will be making to All Nations Hope Network will be food donations because when I contacted the director she had said, “We are always interested in donations especially when it comes to food as we continue to feed the community without a lot of programming dollars for that. We provide a daily breakfast and lunch.” With my donations, it will help immensely and might provide more people with food. Secondly, the donations I will be making to The National Voice of Indigenous Woman in Canada will be money donations online. Here is the catch though, they will not be donations right out of my pocket. I will be selling some clothes that I do not wear anymore and instead of keeping that money for myself, I will donate it to this foundation.

Through this past week, I felt so defeated because I felt like I had accomplished nothing. But this is not true. This weekend I went to a Treaty Education Conference at the university where I was inspired and learned lots. The Elders that had talked to us, helped me develop my plan of giving back. They stressed the importance of this and how they do it without even thinking, which is where I want to get. I think it is important to help struggling people as much as we can because they may feel lost and lose hope, but our donations can help change their minds and help them feel appreciated. Overall, I am an engaged citizen and working harder every day to become more engaged. I will continue striving as a Treaty Person.