Moricetown Place History...
The Chief & Council of Moricetown decided to try something new. Council wanted to better communicate with the youth, so they pulled some strings and discussed the possibility of developing a junior council. Today we have a Youth Council which consists of five members. The five councilors are both nominated and elected in through the Moricetown Band Policies and Procedures. Band Council's Chief initially had two seats - one as Chief and one as Councilor. The Chief gave his Councilor seat to the Youth Council and gave them a voice at the table.
Moricetown Place Society opened its doors in 2002 when the first official youth council came into office working in partnership with the Moricetown Band Council. Interim Band Manager Jeff Holland was relieving Ron T. Mitchell at the time of this exciting growth. The employees of the Band Office had just moved into the new Multiplex building, leaving the old office vacant.
The transition from the old office (Previously a Recreation Centre in the 80's) into a state-of-the-art facility gave the youth council much to look forward to, especially Andrew who was working as a Summer Student at the time assisting staff with the big move, answering incoming calls and performing other clarical duties as requested by the new Band Manager, Lucy Gagnon. Building this working relationship with the new administrator was a stepping-stone towards an even larger partnership. Andrew quickly familiarized himself with Band protocol in terms of Council and its relationship with the community of Moricetown.
This was a time of growth for our new youth council, made up of five guys who knew very little about youth leadership. Jeff Holland met with Band Council to discuss the Youth Council's request to open up the Recreation Centre and assume partial responsibility of its upkeep with the help of maintenance of course. Meetings took place, no response was delivered to the youth council at first but that didn't stop them - these five highschool students knew the pains of living in a small community and only imagined how significantly they could improve the lives of their peers if this youth centre project was approved.
After exchanging phone calls, letters, emails and messages, Jeff Holland was finally given the green light by Band Council to support the youth with the opening of a Youth Centre. Keys were handed over to the Junior Council and they immediately headed down the road into what is now Moricetown Place. The youth group started out with nothing but a broom and some leftover cleaning supplies. Today, if you walk into the centre you'll find an entertainment centre, pool table, foozeball table, ping-pong table, library, fully-operative kitchen, administration offices, board room, photo lab and guitar lesson lounge.
Founder Andrew Tom was one the first Youth Councilors to be elected in, his term ended but the fire that fueled his determination only grews as he involved himself in numerous community functions. Andrew established Moricetown Place Society with many goals and objectives, his first and most important goal was to get youth involved and connected. Today, Andrew is still volunteering as the Executive Director seeking new members, recruiting volunteers, deligating tasks, reporting to band council and mentoring the current youth council.
A large part of Moricetown Place's history comes from the creativity, motivation and strength of its countless youth members who wanted to see a stronger, healthier connection between the youth & their community. Bridging the gap between these two would not be easy, nor was it impossible in the eyes of those who would soon be our future leaders. Determined young men and women continue to strive for excellence and sucess; of these role models, young aboriginal youth are still shaping Moricetown Place Society into a healthy place for all to enjoy regardless of gender, religion, race, sexual orientation or age.