Lighting Saamis Tepee an ‘amazing opportunity’ for local non-profits

“I think it’s an amazing opportunity and it’s really cool that the city allows individuals and non-profits to rent those lights to draw attention to their causes and their events and whatnot,” says Ryan Oscar of Our Collective Journey. “Because it is the world’s biggest teepee right. You talk to anybody in Canada I think and if they’ve driven past here they want to know the story behind that teepee. So I think that’s a, that’s a huge piece to getting people’s attention.”

Our Collective Journey had the teepee lit blue and green in November for National Addictions Awareness Week.

In the three weeks after, Oscar says a dozen people reached out to the group, which helps people struggling with mental health, isolation, addiction issues and more.

He attributes that to the tepee lights that drew attention to the week and the personal stories shared on the group’s podcast. He adds it’s been a continual climb in people reaching out since then, and seven people have reached out in the last 10 days alone.

Having the tepee lit during National Addictions Awareness Week is helping Our Collective Journey change the narrative from an addiction focus to a recovery focus.

“We’d really like to change the focus on the solution and what is the solution. and for us that’s recovery,” Oscar says. “When we talk to people in the community a lot of the conversation is around active addiction and the struggle, and not enough people are talking about what the action steps are and how to get into recovery and change the focus onto recovery and a message of hope.”

Oscar has a message for anyone struggling, saying he hears a lot of stories about people typing out a message or email and then deleting it. Just push send.

“Send the message and somebody from Our Collective Journey is going to answer you. We surprised somebody Sunday night the messaged at 9:05 and we answered them by 9:15,” he says. “We do because we know how quickly that window of opportunity closes. When somebody’s ready to reach out, that might be the only time they reach out and if nobody answers the phone or is there for them then it’s hard to say what the outcome is but it’s usually not good.”

Our Collective Journey is not the only group lighting the Saamis Tepee.

It’s currently blue and gold in support of the people of Ukraine, at the direction of city council.

Under the City of Medicine Hat’s Lighting for a Cause program, community groups and non-profits can pay a small fee to have the teepee lit in their colours.

The purpose is to promote awareness of important social causes; emphasize the spirit of the community by accentuating and celebrating the spirit of living in Medicine Hat and promote a sense of belonging in the community.

It was blue in late February for Scout-Guide Week and in January was tie-dyed during Tongue on the Post Folk Music Festival.

Later this month the teepee will be blue and yellow in support of World Down Syndrome Day and it will be green on April 7 in honour of Logan Boulet, a victim of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash and an organ donor.

Learn more about the application process, eligibility and fees on the city website.

by Chris Brown

Lighting Saamis Tepee an ‘amazing opportunity’ for local non-profits

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