Daily walks rally support for Indigenous youth

DIY Community Health Timmins is raising awareness about the challenges Indigenous youth face when they leave their home to attend school in larger centres.

DIY Community Health Timmins is raising awareness about the challenges Indigenous youth face when they leave their home communities to attend school in larger centres.

For the past three days, Patrick Etherington and volunteers with the organization have been walking from the Mutual Aid site to Gillies Lake.

Organizers said the walks will continue throughout the summer as part of a broader campaign focused on supporting Indigenous students living away from home.

The initiative also aims to raise awareness about the ‘Wake the Giant’ movement in Thunder Bay and the symbolism of the Sleeping Giant rock formation in Lake Superior.

Organizers said the campaign is calling for urgent action to better support Indigenous youth who often face isolation after relocating for school.

“We’ve lost a lot of our young people … to the street life when they end up staying here or having issues within their own lives, pertaining to street life, homelessness and so on,” said Etherington.

He also encourages people across all treaty areas to participate in solidarity by committing to daily walks within their own communities throughout the campaign.