New T’s! 2 New designs/colours to choose from

We are extremely excited to announce a brand new way to support Northern Starfish and our mission to build a playgound in every Northern community that doesn’t have one.

For $25.00 (which includes shipping) you can help build playgrounds by purchasing one of two T-shirt designs.

Wes and his sisters sporting their new T’s at the Count Me In Conference 2013

The grey shirt has our cool new colourful logo on the front and is a geat conversation starter.
The Black shirt features “Northern Starfish” down the side in white.  (Very cool)

Both styles come in small, medium, large and X-large

100% of all profits go to supporting the work of Northern Starfish.
Purchase yours today! Send a cheque or money order to:

Northern Starfish: 6283 Finlay Ave. Niagara Falls, ON L2G 4C4
Or – use the button below to purchase with PayPal:

Share this:

I’ve had the opportunity to speak to a lot of schools and groups lately, and the one big question I seem to get asked a lot is: “Why Playgrounds?”

I guess I understand the question behind the question, but, the answer isn’t an easy one. Why build playgrounds in remote First Naions communities when there seem to be so many other “important” issues? Some of these issues include:

1) Lack of clean drinking water. 1 in 5 First Nations reserves do not have access to clean drinking water and/or are under a ‘water boil” advisory. There are organizations raising literally billions of dollars to provide clean drinking water to third world countries around the world, while First Nations here at home, suffer with illness and potential disease because of the quality of their water.

2) Education. First Nations students are underfunded between 2 and 4 thousand dollars a year (so in a class of 30, First Nations would receive aproximately $120,000 less every year than my class in Niagara Falls). It’s no wonder the education standards are 3 to 4 years behind non First Nations schools and the dropout rate is so high.

3) Housing. Overcrowding is a huge issue and one that caused Attawapiskat Ontario to declare a state of emergency last year. I visited a 3 bedroom home that had been condemend 4 years ago. The 19 family members were forced to stay in this home because there was no where else to live.

4) Healthcare. A First Nations lady in New Brunswick just won a year long court case trying to get the same level of care for her son as she would if she was off reserve and non-aboriginal. That’s insane! Thank God she won the case and her son can now be treated; but really – why in the world should she have to fight in court to get the same level of care as I would get?

These are just a few examples of some of the issues I am aware – and yes, I know – there are many, many more. So, back to the question. With so many BIG issues facing First Nations people, why are playgrounds important?

If you take a look at the four issues above, you may see a common denominator. In a city like Toronto, Vancouver or even my town of Niagara Falls, none of these issues would be acceptable. We, as Canadian citizens would demand our rights and force changes. So how is it that we continue to allow these sorts of things to continue for First Nations? I’ll leave that for you to answer, but, in that answer lies the answer to “why playgrounds”.

Where I live (Niagara Falls), there are 55 playrounds, 3 of which are in my neighborhood. I think that’s awesome! Anytime my friends and I want to do something, we head to the playground for a game of grounders. Growing up, my parents would always take us to the playground to just run around and have fun.

When obesity in Canadian children is reported at 30%, it just makes sense to encourage outdoor physical activity among children and youth. Other benefits include the development of social skills – in fact – many experts believe that the social skills learned on the playground benefits the country as a whole.

Children who play on a playground develop greater self-confidence and highe self esteem. And – playground play actually helps children’s brains develop as they “learn about the world through motor activities and sensory experiences”, according to the Shasta report. 

Playgrounds are important. My city believes that – that’s why we have 55.

So – if playgrounds are important and we agree there are benefits to allowin children to play on playgrounds – how is it that so many First Nations reserves don’t have even one?

This is not about charity. With First Nations youth the fastest growing group in Canada; this is about justice.
I believe First Nations children should have access to clean drinking water.
I believe First Nations children should have access to equitable education.
I believe First Nations children should have access to equitable health care.

And – I believe that there should be at least one playround in every First Nations community

because that’s just fair.

Share this:

Tomorrow is the beginning of March Break. Every year for the past 3 years, I have spent the first 24-48 hours camping out to raise
funds and awareness for some very important issues surrounding First Nations children. (poverty, homelessness, education and the lack of access to playgrounds).

This year, I am very sad to announce that we won’t be doing the campout. We tried a few different ideas to make it a huge deal, but none of them worked out and now we are out of time. So, that’s the bad news.

The good news is pretty good though.

We are right in the middle of a huge process to re-brand Northern Starfish with a whole new look. We are getting a new website as a part of this as well as T-shirts and all kinds of cool stuff that will help us to do more to raise positive awareness to the issues surrounding First Nations Children on and off reserve. All of this is made possible by the amazing generosity of a man who heard about Northern Starfish and the work we are doing and was inspired to use his talents to #DoSomething (if you follow me on Twitter you’ll know that’s a hashtag I use alot).
I can’t wait to show you all the stuff he’s been working on!

So – we’re doing that. As well, we are taking this time to really get organized and focused on the future. I saw a tweet today that said something like “Train for success like it’s a marathon, but run sprints too”. Since I was 11 years old and found out that there were people  in Canada living in third-world conditions, we have been running sprints. I still don’t understand how in my community we have 55 playgrounds while there are many remote northern communities that don’t have even one.
I don’t understand how it is fair that I can go to the tap and pour myself a glass of water when there are families (2000 people in Attawapiskat for instance) that share one community tap  - and still have to boil the water before it is safe to drink.
I don’t think it’s fair that I receive 3000-5000 more than a First Nations kid every year for my public education because of where I was born or what race my parents are. There are so many things that are not fair and I have been running to try to make a difference.

(ps. if you weren’t aware, right now, the government of Canada is facing charges of racial discrimination in a human rights tribunal. You can – and should – learn more about it here: http://www.fncaringsociety.ca/i-am-witness)

Instead of sprinting ahead into another campout and a playground build this summer as we had planned, we are stepping back and preparing for the marathon that I believe will see the end of prejudice in my lifetime.

With the help of my dad and some great mentors, we are taking this time to finally apply for our charity stastus. This is huge because, not only will it allow us to give receipts for donations, but it will also allow us to go after some grants. Our goal is to have our charity number this year and line up three playground builds on the James Bay coast next summer.
I am also right now taking this time to talk to businesses and foundations about supporting the vision to build a playground in every remote northern community that doesn’t have one. That way, once we become a registered charity, we will be able to use 100% of private donations to provide a safe place for kids to play. You will know that your money wasn’t used for travel or office stuff, but that every penny you give goes to bringing hope to kids who otherwise may never see a playground.

Next week I am speaking at Ryerson University, then at a couple of Toronto schools the week after that, then to a group of children’s pastors at their conference and then to 1500 kids at the Count Me In conference in Mississauga. I’m still running sprints but – I really do appreciate your support as we kind of take a step back and re-group to train for the marathon that sees justice win. I am so proud to be a part of making history with you all.

Wes

Share this:

The last couple of months have been pretty insane and I am sorry for not updating this site recently.

The penny campaign is still going, so don’t worry if you haven’t been able to get your collection in yet. We’re a long way from the 1.5 billion pennies we need, so we really need your help to build 10 playgrounds and 2 foster homes. For more details, please read more here.

I had the amazing privilege of addressing the General Assembly of First Nations this summer and said something that I truly believe. “What I have been doing for the past 3 years is not charity. What I have been doing for the past 3 years is justice. It’s making something right that should have been right.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

First Nations children do not need or want our pity or our charity. Of course there are times when we need to do charitable acts, like bringing humanitarian aid to communities that desperately need help. In fact, that is how my journey began 3 years ago; by helping TrueNorthAid raise money and aid for the community of Attawapiskat. But what I believe First Nations communities need more than occasional emergency relief, is an end to the inequality that creates a need for emergency relief to communities in Canada.

I haven’t met anyone yet who has been able to explain to me how it is fair that a First Nations child receives thousands of dollars less in funding than me and my friends in Niagara Falls (and everywhere else in Canada) for education.

How is it fair that in Niagara Fall, we have 55 playgrounds, when so many First Nations kids have never even seen a playground?

Please explain to me why First Nations kids are not provided the same level of access or funding to decent healthcare.

And why is it, that even though there are more First Nations children in care right now than ever in the history of Canada that they receive less funding per child than non-aboriginal children?

If clean water is a right, then why is it that a majority of First Nations reserves can’t drink their water without boiling it first?

There are so many things like this that I don’t understand – or want to understand. All that matters is that we as Canadians stop this craziness.

When Claudette Colvin (a 15 year old African American) decided that she would not give up her seat on the bus because of the colour of her skin, she didn’t know she would be giving her teacher Rosa Parks the courage and inspiration to do the same. She din’t know that she would be starting a movement that would change the world. All she knew was that discrimination was wrong and she was not going to stand for it (literally).

Shannen Koostachin didn’t know that her dream of becoming a lawyer would mean she would be risking her life. But that is the reality for First Nations kids with a dream. In order to receive a level of education that was at least equivalent to the rest of Ontario’s students, she would have to leave her home and go to high school hundreds of miles away.
She didn’t know that speaking up for her right to an education and a proper school would launch the largest youth-led movement in Canada’s history. But it did.

It is time for a revolution in Canada.

I’m not sure a revolution is something you can plan for. A revolution begins with a spark. Claudette was the spark for the Civil Rights movement. Shannen is the spark for this new movement.

I see this movement being one that no longer recognizes the differences between First Nations and non-aboriginals. This is a revolution that will once and for all tear down the barriers that bring inequality and injustice. This is a movement that will not be politically based, but will keep our governments to the high standard of non-discrimination on any basis. This is not a right thing or a left thing – this is a right or wrong thing. This coming revolution will see the end of “us and them” and see only “we”.

There is only one race – the human race – and this is our revolution.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has” Margaret Mead

Share this:

If you’ve been following Attawapiskat in the news, then you have probably heard or read Ezra Lavant talk about the hockey arena and the Zamboni.

Ezra Levant got two things right.

Two young boys walk past substandard housing on their way to play hockey in Attawapiskat, Ontario, December 17, 2011. (Frank Gunn/REUTERS

1: the awesome picture
2: the title of his article: “Hockey Rules in Attawapiskat”

Here’s what he said in the Toronto Sun last week:

“Except that, right in the middle of this so-called state of emergency, when people were in leaky houses and tents, the Attawapiskat Indian band — with three chiefs and 18 band councillors on the payroll — made an important financial decision.

They needed a new ice resurfacer for their hockey rink.

They haven’t rebuilt their school up there, since it was torn down because of diesel fumes. They’re living in shacks. (Well, not the chief, of course.)

But forget about such trivial problems. These clowns needed a new ice resurfacer.

You can see a copy of the invoice for it on this page: $96,089 for an Olympia model ice resurfacer.”

The picture he used for the article shows two kids with hockey sticks walking past some homes in pretty bad shape on their way to the arena.

I LOVE this picture!

Nevermind that the “diesel fumes” were the result of a massive 100 thousand litre diesel leak right under the school, where kids attended for 20 years, causing nosebleeds, nausea, headaches and kids passing out in class. (Kids should never have to choose between an education and health). Nevermind that the arena was the project of an Attawapiskat elder who spent 15 years fundraising for it before passing away. Nevermind that the “Olympia Ice Resurfacer” was purchased with money the hockey parents and community members raised through bingos, hotdog days and other fundraisers. When your as angry as Ezra Levant, those details don’t matter.

And that’s what I don’t get. Why is he so angry that the parents of this remote First Nations community wanted to give their children a safe place to play in the wintertime?

I have been to Attawapiskat and visited some of the worst homes there. I have seen the black mould that lines some rooms like a carpet. I have seen frost on the inside of walls. I have been in the tent-houses where some families are forced to spend the winter because of the severe shortage of homes. The state of emergency is real and it is not over for Attawapiskat.

In the middle of this crisis, because parents in Attawapiskat love their kids just as much as my parents love me, we see two boys walking down the road toward the arena. Now look closer at the picture, what do you notice?
Do you see the house that looks like a shack behind them? Do you see the snow that covers the ground for more months than it doesn’t? Or, do you, like me, see the huge smiles on their faces.

Before the UN Convention on The Rights of A Child was written, parents everywhere knew  that play (sports, recreation, cultural activities) made kids happy. Realizing this, the United Nations declared article 31 of the Convention On the Rights of a Child :

Article 31 of the UN Convention

1. That every child has the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.
2. That member governments shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity.

My friends in Attawapiskat love hockey, just like many of my friends here in Niagara Falls. Why shouldn’t Attawapiskat have an arena and the equipment to have good ice, just like my community? (Our arena in Niagara Falls, by the way, cost almost $40 million dollars to build and cost $2.5 million every year to operate – I’m guessing that a lot of that comes from our taxes). The government didn’t pay for the arena or the Zamboni in Attawapiskat, even though in my opinion they should have, just like they paid for mine.

I hate politics. I hate that people have to waste time in government debating and arguing about what should or shouldn’t be done. I hate that while that debate goes on in Ottawa, newspapers and television shows argue about the same things. I hate it because, while all that debating and arguing is going on, the truth gets lost.

There is a wrong and there is a right. It is time to make things right for Attawapiskat and for all of our First People. With or without politics. With or without the angry news people. With or without the debating. First Nations kids should have access to the same opportunities that I have access to in education, health care and recreation. Anything else is discrimination and just not fair.

“Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead.

Share this:

Two Thoughts:

1. My dad recently talked to me about Charity:Water and how they have businesses that give enough to cover all their administration costs so that 100% of people’s donations go to digging wells. I really like that idea.
If people are donating to build a playground, their money shouldn’t be used for paper or gas or  anything other than the playground.

2. The question I get most and the one my parents get is: How can I get my child inspired to do big things and make a difference?

A new company called LIFE helps people learn how to improve in every area of their lives by providing resources from people who are already successful in the area that they are talking about. They offer subscriptions for Personal development (LIFE), Leadership development (LLR),  A Christian Series (AGO), and the one I am subscribed to: The Edge

And, if you refer 3 people who subscribe to a package, yours is free!

As well, you can enroll in the 90 Day Mental Fitness Challenge that is a 90 day map to help you live the life you always wanted.

Click here to view the embedded video.

So, not only can you learn to develop your leadership abilities, but, a minimum of 40% from every purchase or subscription will be given to Northern Starfish!

Here’s my suggestion: try the 90 Day Mental Fitness challenge it will give you a very good idea what the LIFE subscription is all about. After that, I think you will want to subscribe to at least one of the packages.
If you are a youth or have youth at home, get The Edge

So please check it out, change your life and help change other’s lives through your subscription.

Share this:

If I told you that there was a guy with no legs climbing a mountain, you’d probably say, “That’s impossible!”.

But right now, as I write this, my friend Spencer West, a man with no legs, has reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Impossible?

Ask Spencer. 

What inspires me most about Spencer isn’t just that he’s got a great attitude and has helped thousands of people all over the world realize that they have the potential to change the world. As great as that is, what inspires me most about Spencer is that he has taken away every excuse I could possible think of.

I can’t ever say, “I’m too busy” or “it’s too hard” or “I’m only 13″.

Spencer West has Redifined Possible not just for himself, but for our entire generation.

Last week I went to Comic-Con for my friends’s birthday. It was a pretty awesome day, but something occurred to me when I saw the Delorean from Back to the Future.

Just imagine jumping into the Delorean and travelling back in time 100 years to visit your great-great-grandmother. What would she say if you told her that where you come from, she wouldn’t need a fire to cook dinner. In fact, she could put a plate of raw meat into a box, press a button and in 10 minutes the meat would be cooked and she could have dinner.

What would she say?

“That’s impossible!”

Let’s jump back in the Delorean and this time, let’s take it to 1950 to when my grandfather was my age. What if I told him that where I come from there’s this thing called an iPhone.

I would tell him that I can hold an iPhone in my hand and there are no wires attached to it. Instantly, I can talk to anyone in the world – and see them on my iPhone when I do. I can type a message on it to somebody in Australia and they will receive it instantly. I can also send a message that’s 140 characters and almost everyone in the world is able to read what I typed.

What would my grandfather say to that?

“That’s impossible!”

To them, microwaves and iPhones were impossible because they couldn’t even imagine them. If you think about it, how many impossible things do we take for granted every day? iPhones, Twitter, electricity, clean water, cars, skyscrapers… we are living in what used to be impossible. Like Spencer West, it is time for you and I to #redefinepossible . It is time to stop limiting ourselves and start imagining again.

I’ve been told (and others just smile and pat me on the head) that my goal of building 2  homes for foster families and 10 playgrounds on northern reserves is impossible.

I’ve been told that collecting 1.5 billion Canadian pennies is a great idea, but it’s impossible.

Do you know what I say to that? I’ll tell you.

Just like Spencer West, I’m about to #redefinpossible 

Share this:

As part of the new budget the government just announced, the Canadian penny will no longer be produced and will soon disappear from circulation. Before that happens, I would like to offer the penny one last heroic act of awesomeness.

Share this:

In a lot of ways, #Campout2012 was a great success. Our idea was to have 100 kids from across Canada campout for 50 hours raising awareness and funds to meet the housing needs in Attawapiskat, James Bay and eventually all reserves who are suffering through a housing crisis.

A huge thank you goes to the brave campers who joined me in Niagara Falls at Campark Resorts.
Sterling, Avery, Kai, Angel, and Juan. You guys are all heroes. Thank you for making a difference!

Our goal for this campout was to raise $500,000, enough to build 2 homes for foster families in Attawapiskat and around James Bay. You see, when children are place in care, because of the housing crisis, even if there are good, qualified care-givers, they don’t have the room to take kids in. Foster children are then sent away from their homes, away from their communities and away from everything they know. Usually it is hundreds of miles away.

I don’t think that’s fair. That’s why we camped out.

Right now we are about  $494,000 short of our goal. So – we are extending the #campout2012 campaign to last the rest of the year. I’m  very confident that we will meet our goal by the end of this year. When I promised to build a playground in Attawapiskat and won the $25,000 Pepsi Refresh grant, we were about $75,000 short of our goal. But I made a promise, and that was my biggest motivator. With the help of CRCS Recreation in Sudbury and people from all across Canada, I was able to keep that promise.

With your help and support, I have no doubt that I will be able to keep my promise of funding two homes in Attawapiskat this year.

Enjoy this slide show of our #camput2012 after party from Barnes Management Group.

Share this:

We are finalizing out plans for #Campout2012

The 50 hour campout begins on Wednesday at 2:00pm and wraps up with an afterparty/tweetup Friday at 6:30pm. (Click here for details)

For all the why, what and where’s of the campout, please visit this post: http://northernstarfish.org/donate/

Share this: