Gonzaga Middle School invites SJR students to Bear Cub Walk

Mama Bear Clan is a community safety initiative started in 2016 by the Women’s Warrior Circle at the North Point Douglas Women’s Centre. By organizing regular weekly patrols, Mama Bear Clan is commitment to promoting safety and reducing violence while providing a positive and compassionate presence in the community. The group began with mothers, grandmothers, sisters and aunts coming together to promote safety in Winnipeg’s North Point Douglas neighbourhood. Since its inception, the group has grown to employ more than 500 volunteers, welcoming any person to participate in community patrols. Not only does Mama Bear Clan offer personal connection within the community, but their pledge to safety comes in many forms, including clean-ups, first-aid response and regular distribution of hygiene items, food, water and clothing to those in need.

 

Each year, Mama Bear Clan organizes a Bear Cub Walk, inviting the students of Gonzaga Middle School to participate in Mama Bear’s initiatives. In February, a group of Grade 10 students from SJR were invited to Gonzaga Middle School to participate in this year’s Bear Cub Walk. Prior to the walk, information about Mama Bear Clan was shared, along with a smudging ceremony and a presentation of the Seven Sacred Teachings. While some students from Gonzaga and SJR participated in the community patrol, another group remained at Gonzaga Middle School and made over 300 sandwiches. These were distributed in the community, during Mama Bear Clan’s regular evening walk, later that day.  While on their patrol, students met with various community members, offered gifts that were collected as donations prior to the walk and visited a number of special memorials within the neighbourhood.

 

Not only was this an incredibly impactful opportunity for students who had not previously participated in a Mama Bear Patrol, but it was also a great chance for SJR students to connect with students from another school, forging new relationships within the Winnipeg community.

 

To learn more about the Mama Bear Clan and how you can get involved, visit their page on the North Point Douglas Woman’s Centre website at https://www.npdwc.org/get-involved.html