TREE OF PEACE FRIENDSHIP CENTRE

In the early years, CYC (Company of Young Canadians), a non-profit organization, was formed which eventually became The Tree of Peace Friendship Centre.

The Tree of Peace Friendship Centre was incorporated in June 1970 with the founding members listed as Mrs. Ethel (Antoine) Lamothe, Ms. Phoebe Natenni (deceased), Mr. Albert Canadien, Ms. Addie Tobac (deceased), and Mr. Antoine (Barnaby) Mountain, who all held a vision in the early development of our Friendship Centre. They laid the path for those who came after them. In their wisdom, they built a solid foundation of an Aboriginal institution that in turn gathers strength from the people in the community.

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Phoebe introduced her ideas of The Tree of Peace to all who would listen. When Phoebe returned to university, she persuaded Georges Erasmus to carry on the vision she had, as he understood the importance of her concept. Georges took up the leadership challenge until he resigned as a Board Member in 1976.

The Tree of Peace has established itself and is recognized by the community as an institution serving the Indigenous peoples of Yellowknife and the surrounding communities of Dettah and Ndilǫ. Our ten-year strategic plan is to set priorities, strengthen operations, and to become self-sufficient.

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The Mandate/Mission Statement of The Tree of Peace Friendship Centre is to improve the quality of life for Aboriginal people in the community of Yellowknife (including Dettah and Ndilǫ) by facilitating self-determined social, health, education, employment, economic and cultural activities which respect Aboriginal peoples’ cultural distinctiveness.

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One of the key achievements we have reached is the structure of a new 15,000 square foot multi-purpose building which was constructed in 2006. Working towards a new building was a tremendous undertaking, but we managed after many years of raising funds and securing a loan through BDIC (Business Development Investment Corporation). The new building, which currently sits at 5011 51st Street, was a vision that was eventually reached.

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None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. As you can see from the ribbons, there have been many hardworking CYC Directors, Board Members, Executive Directors, and Honorary Members. Over the years we have had many people that offered their volunteer services and in doing so, they have played a fundamental role in establishing essential community services.

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Where do we go from here? We want to maintain our growth, striving towards self-reliance and economic independence from our traditional benefactor, the Government.