Na-tas-kek (meaning “reconnecting with mother earth”) captures of stories of some of the people who have been part of the Fund projects and how central the work has been to the health and well-being of their communities.
Across northern Manitoba, neighbourhood gardens, apiaries, chicken coops, and greenhouses have sprung up, tended to by proud community members who are leading initiatives to respond to food security and community economic development challenges in the region. These initiatives are part of 13 projects funded in the past year by the Northern Manitoba Food, Culture, and Community Fund. Na-tas-kek—“reconnecting with mother earth”—is a new video that captures the remarkable and transformational stories of five northern Manitoba communities that received support from the fund and are revitalizing traditions and learning new skills to reconnect with the land.
Northern Manitoba is home to many remote towns, villages, and First Nations communities. Once ably living on the land, these communities are now struggling with high rates of poverty, food insecurity, and related health issues. But Northerners are eager to learn new skills and reawaken traditions like community agriculture and wild harvesting. Responding to local interest, the Northern Manitoba Food, Culture, and Community Fund was established to coordinate efforts and build key relationships to help address the region’s food security challenges. The Fund is led by a collaborative of funders, supporters, and northern advisors who collectively manage grantmaking, cultivate shared learning opportunities, and provide strategic direction.
Last year, the Northern Manitoba Food, Culture, and Community Fund supported 13 projects in 11 communities with more than $200,000 in grants. At a recent gathering in Winnipeg celebrating the Fund’s second year, project participants shared stories of the challenges and successes of their communities to improve the health of their members and to restore community resilience in the north. The gathering brought together project participants, funders, and supporters of the Fund collaborative to hear how northern communities are advancing the health of their people, food systems, and economies in inspirational ways. While funding resources are limited, the Fund collaborative is committed to leaving no one behind. Micro grants have been provided to communities that did not receive full funding for projects this past year and others have been invited to ongoing networking and learning calls.
In addition to featuring some of the project stories in Na-tas-kek, a report summarizing the outcomes and lessons learned from each of the projects in the 2014 program was also released at the gathering.
The success of the Northern Manitoba Food, Culture, and Community Fund program’s second year has spurred commitments to do more. In 2015, the Fund is supporting 20 community-led projects and aims to double its grantmaking to $500,000 by 2017.
The stories in Na-tas-kek make one thing clear—amazing things can happen when people in communities rediscover their connections with each other and with food.
See the 2014 Northern Manitoba Food, Culture, and Community Fund Report here.
To support the work of the Fund projects, or to learn more about the Northern Manitoba Food, Culture, and Community Fund, please contact Julie Price, Tides Canada’s Program Lead, Manitoba.
