FERGUS — The Grove Wellington Guelph in partnership with the Rotary Club of Guelph’s Indigenous Awareness Committee, hosted a mural painting at the Fergus site the week of Aug. 14 to 18. The mural was coordinated by First Nation’s Artist Michael “Cy” Cywink and his assistant Gerry Ranger.
Community members were invited to participate in the painting to leave their mark and learn about “Water is Life – Healing Through Colour” which includes The Seven Grandfather Teachings noted below per the “The Mishomis Book: The Voice of the Ojibway” by Edward Benton-Banai.
WISDOM: To cherish knowledge is to know WISDOM.
LOVE: to know LOVE is to know PEACE.
RESPECT: To honour all of the creation is to have RESPECT.
BRAVERY is to face the foe with integrity.
HONESTY is facing a situation is to be brave.
HUMILITY is to Know yourself as a sacred part of the creation.
TRUTH is to know all these things.
The Grove Wellington Guelph is a “one-stop-shop” for youth aged 12-26 designed to meet a wide range of needs, including mental health, substance use, primary care, education, employment, training, housing and other community and social services.
It continues to positively impact the community by offering youth programs and services specifically designed for them.
Michael “Cy” Cywink is an Odawa Anishinaabe artist, author, curator and muralist from the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, Manitoulin Island and the Odawa nation. Gerry Ranger is a Huron-Wendat artist and development social worker from Wendake, Quebec.
Together they travel across the province, leading art projects which aim to teach cultural appreciation from a First Nation perspective, informed by Cywink’s life experience and artistic endeavors.
The purpose of this mural painting project is to help make The Grove Wellington Guelph sites a more welcoming and inclusive place for all youth who enter by allowing youth the opportunity to “leave their mark” on a significant piece of art, to be passed down for generations to come.
In addition, youth will have the pleasure of hearing various First Nation Stories shared by Cywink prior to painting the mural piece to provide youth with a more in-depth understanding of First Nation history and culture.
“The Grove is thrilled to host Michael and Gerry in the painting of this mural,” said interim executive director at The Grove Wellington Guelph Jeffrey Hoffman.
“It was a wonderful opportunity to create a beautiful piece of work, and for local youth and our team to learn more about The Seven Grandfather Teachings.
“This project was brought to The Grove by the Indigenous Awareness Committee at the Rotary Club of Guelph. We are thankful for the Rotary Club of Guelph’s continued support of youth in our community.”
“This project supports the valuable work of The Grove and increases knowledge of Indigenous culture through art, to the youth in the Guelph Wellington area. ‘Cy’ Cywink spoke to our Club in the past and after hearing him, we knew we wanted to be a part of this project,” said chairperson of the Rotary Club of Guelph’s Indigenous Awareness Committee Eleni Bakopoulos.
To learn more about The Grove Wellington Guelph and its programming across seven local youth wellness sites, visit thegrovehubs.ca.
To stay up-to-date with The Grove, subscribe to its monthly newsletter, The Heart of The Grove News, at thegrovehubs.ca/stayconnected.
