NEWS RELEASE
LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY
*************************
Directly or indirectly, water is central to our lives in every way. Water is also the focus of Lakehead University’s Office of Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning’s upcoming event, Women and Water.
On Wednesday, June 19 people of all ages will gather for an evening of stories, teachings, and songs that share a common theme: the centrality of water. Three remarkable women will join Lakehead University for Women and Water and help explore, embrace and celebrate our relationships with water.
Kim Wheatley, water walker and Anishinaabe traditional grandmother, will open the event with traditional stories, songs and teachings.
Maude Barlow, Honorary Chairperson of the Council of Canadians, chair of Food and Water Watch, and Lakehead University honorary degree recipient (2005) will answer the question, "Whose Water is It Anyway?", and discuss the fight for water justice in Canada and abroad.
The evening will also feature Canadian singer-songwriter, Coco Love Alcorn, who people will remember from her amazing turn at the Mariposa Folk Festival in 2018, will perform her viral hit, "The River," along with many other top songs.
“We have been working really hard in Orillia to think through and address climate change and embrace sustainability,” said Dr. Linda Rodenburg, coordinator of Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning. “We wanted to do something to celebrate our commitment to addressing these issues. Everyone can learn something about the water, and embrace its importance in their own ways.”
Rodenburg points out that, according to local Indigenous teachings, women are the keepers of the water. This doesn’t mean that the event is only for women, however.
“Their message is for everyone in our community, men and women, young and old,” she said.
Details, including registration information, can be found online. Tickets can be purchased at the website.
*************************
