b'YOUTH SUPPORTand change makers in their community, to remind them they are never alone with what they are experiencing and that theres always a way forward, explains We Matters We all supportsocial media and outreach coordinator Linnea Dick.each other; wereAs an organization, says Dick, we like to be really grassroots in our outreach so that were creating a sense of community all there to kind offor not only Indigenous young people, but Indigenous communities, Indigenous social workers and support workers and teachers, lift each other educators, facilitators. We like to create the sense that when we all work together, we are stronger. This is really what Indigenous up when we young people need.are having PROGRAM EXPANSIONWe Matter began with the We Matter Campaign, a national multi-media push that our ownencouraged Indigenous role models, youth and community members from across the country to submit short videos, as well as struggles written and artistic messages, about their own experiences overcoming hardships. Included in these videos was an underlying message that there is always a way forward, Danika Vessel no matter how hopeless life can feel.Ambassadorof Hope Since then, We Matter has expanded into other areas. We now have a number of resources such as our Toolkits, our lesson plans. We also have USB (flash drives) that we mail out to communities with low connectivity. We have the Ambassadors of Hope program, which launched in 2019 and [is] moving into year two, and now we also have a National Grants Program which just launched this year, says Dick, who was the first person hired at We Matter, in 2017. Im really proud to work for such an amazing organization and to see the growth over the years. One of Dicks favourite videos features Ava Crowe, a young girl from Sandy Lake First Nation in northwestern Ontario. When you watch her video, she has this very sweet energyyou can just really feel that she cares, Dick says. She is so young, and I think that makes it especially powerful We see those young people being the ones making such a huge impact in so few words.Also featured on the We Matter website, on its Arts and Stories page, is a space for blogs by Indigenous young people. So Indigenous young people are able to be the ones who are writing those articles and those educa-tional pieces about the needs of Indigenous young people, says Dick. As well, [it is] a way we can showcase the amazing things that Indigenous youth are doing. 48Fall/Winter 2020'