QNW presents the first Otehiminan Award to two recipients

Kahnawake, November 27, 2018 – Quebec Native Women (QNW) is proud to announce the success of the first edition of the QNW Otehiminan Award, which recognizes the outstanding contributions of young Indigenous women to their community. It was awarded to two inspiring young women at a conference dinner celebrating QNW’s 45 years.

It was thanks to an anonymous donation in appreciation of the quality of the work of the employees of QNW that the award was made possible. To submit an application, young Indigenous women had to be between 18 and 35 years old. FAQ would like to thank all the women who submitted their applications and demonstrated that many great inspiring projects continue to take root in communities. The first award was of $ 1,000 and the second of $ 500. The two recipients embody the values of QNW through their involvements towards improving the living conditions of Indigenous women and their engagement in their community. Here is a short description of the achievements of the recipients:

First recipient: Sandrine Filiatrault
A young Huron-Wendat woman, Sandrine Filiatrault currently lives in Montreal for her medical studies. In her first year of study, she decided to become a member of the GISA (Groupe d’intérêt en santé Autochtone) academic group. In addition to going to Uashat, Mingan, Natashquan and Pakua Shipi as part of this project, she decided by herself to set up the project with Pessamit, which took place in October, but this time involving Laval University to make this project more long-lasting. Through her participation in GISA, Sandrine also organized a conference on Indigenous Cultural Competence, which welcomes more than 150 people annually and covers topics ranging from Aboriginal law to medicinal plants.

Second recipient: Lisa-Marie Coocoo
Lisa-Marie grew up in Wemotaci and works at the Kiuna Institute as a student life animator for the cultural component. She develops activity programs to preserve the culture. She is a very involved and active woman in the society. She founded the Opoho Center, a housing and support service for the academic success of Atikamekw students in Trois-Rivières. Lisa-Marie also participates in a research project on language preservation with the University of Montreal, where she translates children’s books into Atikamekw to help preserve the language, an essential part of the identity.

Finally, we are pleased to confirm that there will be a second edition of the award next year! For more details visit our website at www.faq-qnw.org.