June 15, 2021 Carnegie Newsletter

JUNE 15, 2021

401 Main Street Vancouver Canada V6A 2,T7 (604) 665-2289

The Carnegie COIllIDUnity Centre ~~

Monday ~une 21st, 2020 Virt.ual Event. 12:00 PM st.art. join us online: https:llfb.me/e/4'yKtu08yS Ancestral Land Acknovvledgement vvith Chief BillWilliams of the Squamish Nation .f.

llVESTREAfl PERFOR"'ANCES .:t:JJt.~ ~

.

eI.J -;..f.

~.~

Virtual tour of the BillReid Gallery of Northvvest Coast Art

.

•~

IN PERSON

Free Lunch Staning at 12:00pm CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE

401 Main St served from the patio

~

THE

~

learning

UNIVERSITY

OF

BRITISH

Exchange

COLUMBIA

~,

~t;,~

Healing Oppenheimer Park A small Healing and Cleansing ceremony was held in Oppenheimer Park on Sunday June 13th 2021 by local indigenous land stewards from Musqueam to prepare the park for steps towards opening.

The Park itself will be reopened in phases. The western part has more seating at tables and on logs, with the grassy area open for use in outdoor programs and relaxation. A trailer of washrooms should be parked on Dunlevy Street to service people; porta-potties seem to be unsuitable due to cleaning concerns.

The eastern part will remain closed to the public as restoration of the fieldhouse is necessary after break ins and vandalism in the latter part of2020. Also in the eastern part is the Indigenous gardens and restoration of the herbs and healing plants that were destroyed during the tent-city takeover. The community was deeply affected by this disrespect. .

The overall opening is hoped for by the end of June, and the Park Board will be messaging guidelines for the community and on-site.

Park Rangers will be in attendance daily 3-4 times per day. They will ensure any overnight campers are packed and gone by morning, with Carnegie doing programming from 9:30 to 4:30. Any camping will have to follow regulations and be permitted only in a designated area. Again, any willful damage to the park will be dealt with by police.

It is sincerely desired by the vast majority of residents that the park be open for all. Prior to any opening, however,the Indigenous Advisory Group at Carnegie Centre stresses that a healing of the space be done with Elders and before any celebrations for National Indigenous Peoples Day. Carnegie will host events much like last year, with people in the community and online performances. There may also be "pop-up performances" in the immediate area.

There willbe a lot of food available as well!

Powwow Poem They came with cannon And demon rum Got us drunk Then called us dumb

They stole our salmon Stole our trees Stole our children Then called us thieves Heh,heh,Ho

Stewart Brinton

From the LibrarY Last week I introduced myself, and now I want to introduce you all, my fellow readers, to the new Community Librarian for the DTES, Strathcona, and Chinatown communities - Emily Aspinwall. Emily has been working at Vancouver Public Library for 5 years, most recently in our Programming and Learning department, where she designed and taught basic digital literacy classes and worked with community organizations (including People's Law School, MOSAIC, Family Services of Greater Vancouver and Disability Alliance BC) to put on free workshops on financial literacy, legal education and newcomer support services. Ernily also has much experience with small non-profit organizations like Vancouver Co-operative Radio and SFPIRG (SFU's student -run social justice centre).

Over the past 25 years she has been involved in a range of community projects including community gardens, visiting women in prison and doing advocacy on prisoner's rights (including producing a show on Co-op Radio). Ask her about teaching Ki Aikido ... You can say hi to Ernily when she's working at ngca?mat ct Strathcona Branch which is located at 730 East Hastings St. You'll also see news about the Library actively clearing fees and fmes on people's library accounts from June 14th to 27th. Please do spread the word with your friends, comrades, families, and lovers. Too many people have stopped accessing the Library's free services because offmes and this is a way to change that. Fingers crossed going fine free at the Library becomes a permanent fixture. Bring any questions you might have about the upcoming Fine Forgiveness event our way at the Carnegie Library Branch.

Danielle

The Carnegie Community Centre - Indigenous Advisory Group Terms of Reference Adopted by CCCA: March 5, 2020 Revision Date: May 4, lZ021

Mandate, Purpose and Objectives: Having an Indigenous Advisory Group is about bringing together Indigenous voices and knowledge while also acknowledging the past history of exclusion and disempowerment. Including Indig- . enous community members in meaningful ways will not only empower the Indigenous Advisory Group members but it is also about building a stronger, more respectful, more reciprocal relationship between the Carnegie Community Centre and the Indigenous community as a whole.

The purpose of the Carnegie Community Centre Indigenous Advisory Group is to provide a formal structure for providing feedback and ideas about Indigenous community programming and events at Carnegie Community Centre and Oppenheimer Park to the Program Committee of the Carnegie Community Centre Association, and the Centre staff.

The group's mandate is to give advice, share opinions, and ask questions about issues, topics and opportunities for Indigenous people and programs in the community and in Carnegie Centre, and make recommendations to the CarnegieCommunity Centre Association's Program Committee.

The objective of this group is to provide an opportunity to strengthen local First Nations and Urban Indigenous Relations; incorporate a First Nations and Urban Indigenous perspective.into programming decisions; enhance and support the City of Vancouver's Vision for Reconciliation, Responsibilities ofthe advisory group: The advisory group will be responsible for generating ideas, offering suggestions, and advising on opportunities related to Indigenous community programming at Carnegie Centre and Oppenheimer Park.

Advisory group members will be asked to commit to the group for a minimum one-year term.

Decision Making: The Indigenous Advisory Group will function as an advisory body. Decisions on community programming will be made by the CCCA or Centre staff, as required or necessary. ~

~~

-

.~ .~ .~ .~ .~ .~ ~~

~~

~~

~~

~~

'Q) .•...•

~~

~~~

cu $:

'0 c cu

CL

.~

:::J

-

o

u N

o cXS -a l/) Q)

o .•...• cu .•...• o

CL

Q) Q)

$: cu Q)

Vl

..c

.•...•

-~

Q)

2: Q)

Vl'

INDIGENOUS HISTORY AONTH

lexwst:i:~

Dl"umt-l"oup

BY 'WAYOf THE CARNEGIE CENTRE CULTURAL SHARING PROGRM, MEABERS Of THE DTES COMMUNITY HAVE COME TOGETHER TO fORM - THE LEX'WSTI:lEA DRUA GROUP. WEARE,HONORED TO SHARE THE HAWEAEYLEA 'WORD LEX'WSTI:LEMfOR "ALWAYS SINGING" - AS WE LIVE AND LEARN ON THE TRADITIONAL TERRITORY Of THE X'WAa 8Kwa ya '" (",USQUEM), SKWX'WU7MESH(SQUMISH) AND sa ifLwa TA7 (TSLEIL- 'WAUTUTH).OUR DIVERSE DRUM GROUP Of MNY CULTURES - PERfORAS AND SHARES SONGS fROM VARIOUS INDIGENOUS NATIONS ACROSS CANADA. 'WEARE PROUD TO KEEP LEARNING THE LANGUAGE.MUSIC AND SONG 'WHILEKEEPING THE INDIGENOUS CULTURE ALIVE. GILA'KASLA HMIYAA

~------------

TOOYAKSIA" N"nSI"'" HA'iAA

THANK YOU.

@

~--~

t:::::::I i I'CJ---~-~5-'

I

PT""'"

,",,\YV-I~-Cl'\:'1

ClI

I

i

,

NA IIVNAL.

INUIUJ:.NVU;)

MI;) I VK Y MVN I M

.'llr~liIill.,.u~ •.••• r••nl •• IIIf~I.:

.']i[4i.OOIIiilmlllf

-~

~

WITH

ELDE'RMAil DORVAULT I'~ '" • • /10 .

I

l/j'I~1 \ ..-..iJ j 't

GiI \

• ,I'

ELDERS IN OUR COMMUNITY LOUISA

STARR

<,

Kitasoo Nation Louisa fills her time sharing her knowledge and crafting skills with the many community members of the DTES

~ "I like to keep busy and see children learn"

""'"

flfllllm'l

(mu:

~

~

THE UNIVERSITY

OF BRITISH

"

Learning Exchange

COLUMBIA

\NE'RE

FORGIVING

LIBRARY FIN·ES. Limited time: June 14-27/ 2021 Spread the word! Contact us during our two week Library Fine Forgiveness event ...and we will clear any outstanding fines and reactivate your library card-available part of our commitment

to anyone...for any reason. it's

to make knowledge available to everyone.

Don't miss this chance to reconnect with your local VPL branch.

Call, Click or Come in!

•

604.331.3670

•

vpl.ca/1'ine1'ree

•

Visit your local VPL branch

l!J [;J l!I

VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY

""Li1'eisn't meant to be lived per1'ectly but merely be LIVED_ Boldly, vvildly, beautifully, uncertainly, impepectly, magically LIVED_" lVIandy Hale

to

QMU

YPeerSupportGroup

BiFocus • •.

of the

month

••

• Online via Zoom For details and Zoom link contact the facilitators at bifocus@qmunity.ca

Bifocus is a Vancouver-based, peer-led social and support group for bisexuals and non-rnonosexuals.

Non-monosexual may be defined-as anyone who experience's their sexuality or attraction as connected to people of more than one gender. This includes people who identify as bi-, pan-, omni-, ambi- or poly-sexuals, queer, fluid, heteroflexible, homoflexible, bi-questioning, and more! .

Through a talk-based support group, Bifocus offers a community where non-monosexual folks of all genders (transgender, two-spirited, non-binary, gender nonconforming, cisgender and others) can talk about their issues and experiences with non-monosexuality .

Each month, alongside our sharing, Bifocus delves into a theme such as biphobia and invisibility, bisexual health and mental health, relationships, loneliness, or celebrating bi-culture. We share feelings, fears, knowledge, and questions in a non-judgmental space, striving to empower folks of all backgrounds.

Participants need to send us an email as per below or through our Website. https://qmunity.ca/social-groups/ bifocus/ Contact: Bifocus@qmunity.ca Further information can be provided by our volunteer coordinator Chelsey Blair (604) 684-5307. volunteer@qmunity.ca

My profession was a trained nurse and practitioner of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine before my retirement. I operated a free wellness centre for nine years on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. I was eofounder and Social Spiritual Chair of the Downtown Eastside Hl V / AIDS Intravenous Drug User Consumer's Board and eo-founder of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users. (VANDU)., • I am heart-broken and sad to see my friends and former patients lose their battles with addiction to illicit drugs. People use them for various reasons such as, traumatized childhood abuse, emotional pain, loss, anger, failure, despair, homelessness, poor living conditions, and a sense of being hopeless. Drugs are the consequence ofthe problem itself. Please refrain from being judgmental or hurtful to others, .

Never give up in life. There is a light ahead of us. When we get angry, we give up our power of calmness.

Anger hurts-us. We are stronger if we replace the habit of using drugs with healthy habits that are enjoyable. Some people use drugs to numb their nerves, get high to get away from the humdrums of life. Please don't trade short term pleasures for long term misery. When pleasure seeking becomes ajob, it ceases to be pleasurable. The impulsivity and attractiveness of drug addiction can be very strong. The strong lure of the drugs is hard to combat. Many drug addicts try to quit arrd yet fail. Please don't discriminate against the drug addicts. Embrace them with compassion to give them peace and comfort. All they need is someone to lean on, someone who listens, someone who understands.

Stop addiction from happening through education.

Please don't eradicate coca plants, opium poppies or cannabis plants. They can be a source of medicine, pain killer or anesthesia from Mother Nature, their recreational products cocaine, heroin and marijuana are blamed for getting people addicted. The problem is abuse.

The rainforests are the storage houses of herbal medicines. Today they are being destroyed for mining, oil and plantations. Greed without limit will create hardship for people in their daily life. Greed is evil. Greed for monetary and material gains such as gold, silver and coal mining are destroying the web of life in which we are all interconnected and independent. Money from greed and from exploitation of Mother Earth can make one materially rich, but not spiritually rich.

Health care professionals, physicians, nurses and pharmacists must be aware ofthe addiction properties of medicine containing opioids. Children and teenagers must be educated about the addiction and overuse consequences of hard drugs. Failure to educate them in this aspect will let them down.

By JAMES PAU PhD BC Community Achievement Award Recipient

C I V 'C L UN CH'""'" dtes

CRUNCH,...dteb

1"1"\ RUNNING FoR:. rt04E DTE S-SIDf:WALK REAL ESTATE PA~K\

/1'

~ ""Ct_

,t.jG

BOA RD.

-