For a Youth and Elder Centre

1) The Band Council has decided to build a new bingo hall. We object and demand the immediate stop of this plan and that INSTEAD the money be allocated to build a youth centre located in Ohsweken.

2) We demand the centre not become dependent or beholden to any government funding and that its continued operation be the responsibility of and supported by the efforts of all community members and community organizations regardless of other conflicts.

3) We demand that the initial building of the centre should come from money set aside for the "new bingo hall."

4) We demand a place which all our can youth access; no matter where they live on or off the reserve.

5) We demand that it be a place where elders and youth can come together to learn from and support one another.

6) We demand that the building be sustainable and self-sufficient in it's construction, design and operation; respecting all life.

7) We demand the right for young people to be leaders in their own youth centre; as volunteers, members, staff and board members. And all decision-making be made by consensus.

8) We demand the centre represent the needs of our youth as represented by youth.

9) We demand a place where youth can come together to overcome the challenges they face, a place where traditional knowledge and skills can be taught, re-learned and practiced.

The crime rate in our community is not going away but always increasing. It used to be that we could leave our car doors unlocked without worry. That has completely changed and it has changed so fast that even the young people have noticed. Our young people face family violence, racism, discrimination and forced assimilation into an education system that does not represent them. The current social programs are not enough and at their core they are derived from the western system and dependent upon them. That system is also the source of many of our problems. We feel the dire need to get back to our roots and to honour our heritage.

We question and reject the decision made by Six Nations Council to invest community money in the building of a new Bingo Hall when the current Bingo Hall is fairly new and while youth have been fundraising and working towards a youth centre.

We, the undersigned, make these demands and recognize that we come from all backgrounds, different religions and experiences but from the same community and with the same commitment to the future of our community and our youth.