Last week we planned a meeting with COW and TIG was on the panel. There were about thirty young people gathered at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit and these are some of the things that came out of it:
pamphlet /session -all youth group
face book
videos -volunteer hours
including everyone-French - DFC

what can we do together:
media campaign
training together
weekend -peer leaders-work on video & train
NWOSSA
every month and half meeting
working with a younger audience-many agencies together
youth involvement fair-at a youth eventyouth job fair
youth week
ADVERTISEMENTS-for free - in the source
peer influence
meetings -creating a network
decide at the Christmas meeting

There were fourteen groups represented there on the panel and each had a lot to say about what they are doing and how we can work together. Now we need to continue these meetings, reach groups who may have been missed in the marketing, and combine everyone's ideas to create a real ripple effect in the community. The theme of the next one is going to be a panel about what each group is doing to create connections and how we can create this youth network.

The theme is something that is new to Thunder Bay youth. I think what the main goal is is to create a youth task force and with the goals of creating community in Thunder Bay. Creating a positive community is something that will be discussed in future meetings... how to do it, locally, provincially, and nationally, and what it looks, feels, and sounds like.

I've been busy getting the word out to a youth netword that seems to be growing in Thunder Bay out of the Multicultural Youth Centre.

There is a Building from Strength conference put on by the Centre of Excellence coming up at the end of November that will be having a parent/youth night panel where TIG will have a presence. There will also be a TIG table at that conference and I have been meeting with the committee to plan and decide who to invite.

There is another group that is in it's initial planning stages that TIG is going to have a huge role in. The major event we are planning right now is the Change Our World interagency meeting that is Monday night, November 5th. TIG will be on the panel and I will bring some brochures and add the the contact list that I am developing.

There was a conference last weekend put on by The New Mentality, a project hosted at the Multicultural Youth Centre. TIG had promo materials in the gift bags.

I am looking forward to the first TIG networking meeting planned for November 14th at the Indian Friendship Centre here. I've been inviting people and it's basically going to be an introduction to TIG while testing the network. Hopefully we will get some organizations and volunteers on board.

I also attended a provincial election forum for civic youth engagement and discussed funding for youth organizations and technology access for the Northwest.

There was a diversity meeting at my College where we were discussing possible initiatives. Job Connect at the College and the Centre of Excellence at the University have offered space for future TIG meetings.