Thunder Bay launches 'Welcome Project' for First Nations youth

Superior Morning10:48Michelle Derosier - The Welcome Project

The city of Thunder Bay hopes a new video series will help First Nations students to adapt to life in the city. Film maker Michelle Derosier talks about her vision.

The City of Thunder Bay announcedplans Friday to create a new educational video seriesto help welcome First Nations youth to the city.

The Welcome Project will consist of four documentary videos, as well as a related website, containing information that will help young people and their families to navigate and adjust to the city.

The films are aimed at First Nations highschool, university and college students, said city clerk John Hannam.

The videos aregeared towards"helping themconnect with the community, connect with the supports and services that are available to them, and hopefully better prepare them for life in an urban environment.

"We've known for awhile that students struggle with adapting to urban life when they come from smaller communities," Hannam said.

The videos will build on the city's earlier Walk A Mile film project, a series of short documentaries aimed at improving race relations between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Thunder Bay, he said.

While the Walk A Mile series sparked conversation, The Welcome Project will take the next step,by responding to the needs of First Nations youth, said filmmaker Michelle Derosier, who is producing the films.

"I think that as a community we are well aware ... of some very, very serious issues that we are dealing with as Canadians, and certainly in this community," she said, pointing to concerns over student safety, and the current student deaths inquest unfolding in Thunder Bay.

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Derosier said she will be reaching out to community members for their input on what issues the videos need to address.

The city is currently looking for sponsors to help pay for the films.The plan is to have the videoscompleted in time to welcome new students in the fall, and to screenthem at the annual Fall Feastand Festival of Services in September.