The Yukon Literacy Coalition’s weekend event in Carcross attracted 300 attendees as part of the non-profit’s programming to help newcomers find employment opportunities in the territory The Yukon Literacy Coalition’s “Yukon, a welcoming place” event, celebrating diversity and aiming to create connections between newcomers and Yukon First Nations, attracted 300 daily attendees with performances, workshops and keynote speakers at the Haa Shagóon Hídi venue in Carcross from March 29-30. The Yukon Literacy Coalition orchestrated the weekend events in five weeks of planning. One of the coalition’s organizers, Carrie-Anne McPhee, told the News that they did this by leveraging federal funds for the coalition’s “Pathways to Success” program and by having a 13-person team, with addition help from planner, Marjie Cowell. The Tourism Industry Association of Yukon and the Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association attended the event and ran workshops with newcomers and people from Whitehorse using a free shuttle service, McPhee said. “We had partners from the project represented at the event as well. So from the Tourism Industry Association of Yukon, they did a workshop and there was information available to people,” McPhee said. “We also had information available to folks from the Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association as well, so that people could make contacts and network and gain information about how to gain employment in tourism and hospitality.” The workshops that took place over the weekend played a particular focus on diverse cultural traditions, McPhee said. Attendees participated in decorative egg painting in the Ukrainian Pysanka workshop, wrote names in Chinese calligraphy and practiced proper tea preparation and etiquette in the Japanese Tea Ceremony, McPhee said. The Cultural Diversity Workshop, led by Talia International, the organization that ran the Yukon African Music Festival in Feb. 15-16, explored multicultural perspectives, while Guná Jensen’s Decolonization and Art Workshop focused on form line art and decolonization themes, McPhee added. Traditional and modern artistry blended over the two days. The Dakhká Khwáan Dancers, a Tlingit dance group, showcased Indigenous heritage, while the ancient Chinese guzheng stringed instrument was performed by a Chinese Canadian attendee. Yukon musician Erica Dee Mah, Ugandan comedian Arthur Simeon, Howie Miller, a Cree comedian from Alberta and Japanese taiko drummers comprised most of the weekend’s performances. Attendees forged connections with people they might never encounter in daily life, sharing joyful moments and heartfelt exchanges. McPhee described how the event bridged cultural connections, leaving participants with a lasting sense of unity and belonging. “It was so joyful, and there was so much heart and there was just so much love in the room. You could feel it. I mean, at one point, the Japanese taiko drummers were drumming and it was like, you could just feel the heartbeat of the room. It was really, really neat,” McPhee said. Future events are still uncertain as organizers decompress. However, McPhee believes the success of the weekend events and planning has laid a foundation for potentially hosting similar events in the future.Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com
Newcomers to Canada connect with First Nations in Carcross
