ISPAYIN DVD & Discussion Guide
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ISPAYIN - Métis Youth Express Yourself!
ISPAYIN - Métis Youth Express Yourself! is an extensive project, led by the Métis Centre of the National Aboriginal Health Organization, to build awareness about Métis youth identity, health and well-being in a contemporary context. The ISPAYIN project sought out artistic submissions and sponsored regional gatherings of Métis youth across Canada in the summer of 2009. Youth were recorded singing, speaking, fiddling, jigging, rapping, and dancing at these events. They were also encouraged to submit videos or hard copies of artwork, music, stand-up comedy, poetry or any other form of artistic expression. A DVD was built around these expressions of Métis youth identity in a contemporary context, where images were paired with intergenerational narratives, representing a collective Métis past, present, and future. An accompanying Discussion Guide was also developed. This interactive package showcases Métis pride and can be used as a cultural competency tool within mainstream and Aboriginal organizations, in communities and schools across Canada, and elsewhere.
Another goal of the ISPAYIN project is to engage Métis youth. Select youth from various regions in Canada attended a two-day symposium in July 2009. They discussed effective methods for youth engagement around identity, culture, health and well-being using social media tools, and explored basic videography. A second symposium was held in March 2010 to train Métis youth as facilitators, encouraging them to take an active role in delivering workshops on identity, health and cultural competency using the interactive DVD and Discussion Guide package. Through this project we hope to empower youth to engage and work with others to develop Métis-specific cultural competency.
As part of the ISPAYIN project, the Métis Centre also developed this youth website, offering information about health, well-being and culture, and a space to blog, network, and engage each other.