OTTAWA, Jun. 4, 2014 /CNW/ - On June 11, 2014, give First Nations children a chance to grow up safely at home, get a good education, be healthy, and be proud of their cultures by participating in the Our Dreams Matter Too campaign.
Launched in 2011 by the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society (the Caring Society), Our Dreams Matter Too is an annual walk and letter writing event aimed at supporting culturally based equity for First Nations children.
Children living on reserve receive less funding for government services like education, health care, and child welfare than all other children in Canada. This makes it hard for them to achieve their dreams and grow up feeling proud of who they are.
Our Dreams Matter Too is about showing the federal government that people in Canada want First Nations children to receive the same opportunity to succeed as all other children, in ways that respect their cultures and languages.
UFCW Canada partners with the Caring Society to improve the lives of our Indigenous members and their families. Over the past several years, we have worked with the Caring Society to support equity for First Nations children through the Shannen's Dream, Jordan's Principle, and "I Am a Witness" campaigns.
In honour of Our Dreams Matter Too, UFCW Canada is holding a 4th Annual Walk to a nearby mailbox and will be sending letters to Prime Minister Stephen Harper stressing the importance of culturally based equity for First Nations children. The walk will be held at 12:30pm on June 11th at UFCW Canada's National Office on 61 International Boulevard in Toronto, Ontario. All are welcome to join.
Our Dreams Matter Too is an opportunity for citizens who care about children's rights to take the lead in supporting equity for First Nations children. You can participate in the campaign by organizing a walk to your local mailbox and mailing letters (no postage needed) to the Prime Minister and Members of Parliament across the country.
June 11th is the National Day of Reconciliation in Canada, marking the sixth anniversary of Prime Minister Harper's 2008 apology for the wrongs committed against Aboriginal people by Canada's residential school system. Despite the apology, First Nations children continue to receive unequal access to vital government services like education and health care.
Find out more information about the Our Dreams Matter Too campaign at: www.ufcw.ca/ourdreamsmattertoo.
You can also learn about the various ways that you can make a difference in your community and register your walk by visiting the Caring Society's website at: www.fncaringsociety.com/our-dreams-matter-too-2014-register .
And you can check out the 2014 Our Dreams Matter Too Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/events/440410576095023/?source=1.
In 2013, over 5,000 Canadians participated in 35 Our Dreams Matter Too walks across Canada to support culturally based equity for First Nations children.
Image with caption: "First Nations Child & Family Caring Society (CNW Group/United Food and Commercial Workers Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140604_C2151_PHOTO_EN_2479.jpg
SOURCE: United Food and Commercial Workers Canada
First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director, (613) 230-5885, [email protected]; www.fncaringsociety.com
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