"This was a wonderful experience. Grateful for the opportunity to hear from our elders"
Naut'sa mawt Tribal Council, in collaboration with Islands Trust and the Healthy Watersheds Initiative hosted a talking circle between youth and elders about water. The primary purpose of the Talking Circle was to engage youth in conversations with their elders about the importance of water, how to respect and conserve water, and the healing properties of water. A secondary purpose of this engagement was to identify youth leaders in Naut’sa mawt member communities that might be interested in participating in a Naut’sa mawt Youth Advisory Council.
The Talking Circle took place over two Zoom sessions on separate days - a 1-hour session for introductions on Tuesday July 20, 2021, and for youth to share with elders what they would like to learn in the talking circle, and a 2-hour session on Thursday July 22, 2021, for elders to share their knowledge and youth to respond with questions and takeaways. A graphic recorder was hired to record the Talking Circle.
Comments from participants:
I think this is a great way to start getting Youth and Elders connected. We live in such a vital time where we really need those connections, so I'm happy Naut’sa mawt and Island Trust and everyone involved helped make this happen! Happy to have been a part of this. Thank you
I have taken a lot from the talking circle and I wish we had a bit more time to listen to the elders.
This was a wonderful experience. Grateful for the opportunity to hear from our elders. Virtual is always great.
