|
Happy Friday, everyone.
It’s nice to sit down this morning and take stock of what’s happened; I’ve had a whirlwind of a week. Partly, work was super busy. But also, a woman and her daughter who had helped me in Kyiv arrived in Winnipeg on Tuesday. So I’ve been spending some time with them, seeing first-hand how Ukrainian newcomers get started. It’s more than a little chaotic — navigating a pile of paperwork, rushing all over the city between different appointments — but it’s good to see how the supports set up to welcome them are holding up.
Yesterday, we picked up her and a friend’s young daughters from a day program for newcomer kids. The girls don’t really speak English, so I just pulled up Apple Music’s playlist of the Top 100 songs currently charting in Ukraine, handed them my phone, and asked them to play DJ. Worked like a charm to break the ice; we had a nice sing-along back to their hotel.
Advertisement
As it so happens, Ukrainian war music has been nearly 100 per cent of what’s been on my stereo for the last eight months or so. Why? Because a lot of it is incredibly creative, spirited, and frankly just really great. So of course I jumped at the chance to write about it this week, along with some really beautiful perspective on culture and identity from local folk-punk band Zrada. They have a gig tonight at the West End Cultural Centre, if you’re looking for a party. I’ll be there, so feel free to come say hi.
Alright, now let’s move on… uh, to another story of mine.
This winter, The Edge indoor skatepark has been forced to drastically cut its hours, after too many staff and volunteers left in protest of parent organization Youth For Christ’s policies that limit open LGBTTQ+ identification. Readers had really strong feelings about this story; it’s good we’re convening the conversation.
When Maddy Nowosad and her friends started a zine for queer skaters, they were told they couldn’t openly share it in the YFC space. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press)
I want to emphasize something. Everyone I spoke to from the skate community expressed the same intention: they didn’t wish the story to be antagonistic. They did not want, as one person said, “a smear job” on YFC. This is also not a dispute against faith itself: one person I spoke to who’s part of the new skateboarding coalition said, and I quote, that he’s “still really stoked on Jesus,” which still makes me grin just to think about it. That’s love, right there.
What the skaters wanted, above all, was to celebrate the community they have, and make it known that they tried to engage YFC in conversation that would make the space welcoming. I’ve never been a skater, but I’ve been adjacent to that community long enough to know how beautiful it is: positive, supportive, self-organizing, and non-judgmental. It’s exactly the type of healthy social space people of all ages need, especially those who are working to heal from their own challenges. It’s unfortunate, I think, that YFC was not able to take the hand it was offered, in a way that would keep its physical space thriving.
What else went on this week? Well, no surprise to anyone, but there are too many sick kids in the hospitals, and too many sick kids missing school. Meanwhile, public health officials don’t seem to have much to say about what’s going on. I wonder why not.
My colleague Malak Abas got to report this week on a couple of hopeful new things. First, she got a sneak peek inside Assiniboine Park’s beautiful new indoor garden, The Leaf, finally close to completion after some delays. She also checked in on a low-barrier supported housing facility that’s almost ready to welcome its first residents. We desperately need more efforts like that in this city.
Finally: I get the sense most Winnipeggers would prefer to file the Blue Bombers’ Grey Cup loss under the category of “forget about it and move on.” If you wish to relive the frustration, Jeff Hamilton’s assessment has all you need. As far as what will happen in the future, Mike O’Shea isn’t tipping his hand about whether he’ll be back.
Until next week,
|
