Building Foundations – Goal Matching Satisfies All Trillium’s Goals In A Holistic, Innovative, Extensive

Program - that provides entrepreneurial skills development & support, innovative and promising business/social enterprise ideas, incubates and strengthens the skills, talents & interests of youth and links them to meaningful economic opportunities while building strong communities, and providing opportunities for youth to build a connection with employers to shape economic options in ways that are stimulating and adaptable to the new workforce. All of this is accomplished through:

Cultural And Recreational Initiatives: including ropes courses, climbing walls, group dynamics, water-based initiatives, birch-bark canoe building, construction of an Ojibway village, traditional hunting skills, and edible wild programs.

Healing And Healthy Living Initiatives: with adventure-based counseling, substance abuse & crime prevention programs, journey-building activities with masters who would teach martial arts, yoga, paddling and other recreational sports.

Arts And New Media Initiatives: where students would become skilled in drama, traditional arts, video and audio production, digital photography, photo retouching, 2D and 3D animation, website authoring, CAD, computer graphics, etc.

Entrepreneurial Initiatives: using a product-based corporate model similar to the Junior Achievement Model, youth will design, build, & market a product, using sustainability themes while guided through a self-administered corporate model.

Enhanced Educational Initiatives: utilizing all 4 of the above initiatives to attract youth to the educational process, the enhanced success and augmented programs would better prepare the youth for a healthy living and a rewarding vocation.

Green Economy And Community Initiatives: alternative construction, zero-net energy dwellings, sustainability in design & lifestyle, permaculture initiatives, green trade training and green manufacturing would add local career options for youth.

Building Foundations - Experiences, Partnerships & Networks

• The Traditional Journey Initiative – a joint Venture with SRFN and WRFN, also including SFN this year in which youth and elders participate on an interpretive journey in 36’ Montreal Canoes

• Vision Quest – an Anishnabek Police Services and kids program involving outdoor adventure initiatives as a crime reduction technique

• Wampum Belt Transfer – a traditional walking, paddling initiative intended as an effective tool in the fight against diabetes

• Cultural Initiative – traditional hunting, gathering, and living skills taught in a cultural context by a local authority.• Previous Educational Program Initiatives – such as the T.R.U.S.T. Program exemplar - proven to be up to 544%

more effective in achieving success for At-Risk students• Birch Bark Canoe Building Courses – several have been run in the area, and we wish to build a large, authentic 4

fathom (8m) canoe traditionally used for whitefish fishing in the North Channel that could be kept at the Trading Post• Green Construction Courses – have already been initiated by a local instructor who has written Green Curriculum

and taught this innovative program - completing several buildings with students, using alternative construction techniques

Previous Experiences and Programs

Networks:

Partnerships:• Digital Media Partners – a local partner has designed and equipped approximately 2 dozen high tech labs and will

assist the Secondary Schools and First Nation Communities with equipment and training• Sault College – has already initiated Green Construction Training in this area and is interested in continuing this.• The Serpent River First Nation is in negotiations for partners in energy and LED manufacturing facilities• The Arts Network for Children and Youth is interested in this project as a provincial model and has partnered with

us to provide support for Community-based Arts Initiatives. Secondary Schools have also expressed intense interest.• Other Communities have already expressed interest in this project and in Green Construction Programs

• Other First Nation Communities - networked regionally through the North Shore Tribal Council, and on a broader basis in the wider area of this northern region as well as provincially in educational, health & economic areas

• The municipalities are also closely linked and interested in GIS mapping that could include youth initiatives• This area has been approved for a $49M Micro-Fit Project that will generate interest in solar techniques and

exposure to the green construction techniques• This project will create exposure and interest in key areas that need to be shared and can easily be done with

the networks and the digital tools developed in this project

Building Foundations – Sharing Information

• Just as this project has the potential to capture the attention and interest of youth, it will make for a very interesting Pilot Project that will be seen by other northern communities and First Nation communities as a very interesting opportunity

• The emergence of courses in Alternative Construction, with the resultant model buildings will provide opportunities for many to stay overnight in a straw bale home, try out composting toilets, and gain an experience in off the grid living with the ability to monitor power consumption for a variety of appliances

• The Permaculture courses will produce locally grown food and provide significant examples of intensive agricultural techniques• The educational adaptations that have proven to enhance results for At-Risk youth can easily be showcased

Building Foundations – An Innovative and Interesting Pilot Project

Building Foundations – Digital Media Advantages:

Building Foundations – A Pilot Project with High Natural Visibility• Our location on the Trans Canada Highway, easily accessible on a highly travelled route will offer great exposure.• Our First Nation Connections and Northern Community Affiliations will provide an excellent format for the distribution and

sharing of information.

• The Digital Media Program Component in this project and the equipment purchased will assist the Secondary Schools and First Nation Communities with equipment and training, but will also provide Digital Media that documents each of the projects undertaken in this initiative.

• The above video and artistic documentation will be streamed on the internet for an even broader exposure of this remarkable pilot project

Building Foundations – Additional Information Sharing:

• We would be open to all opportunities, ideas and suggestions that Trillium or others have for reaching a wider audience with the important concepts that are inherent in this project