How the Wake the Giant Music Festival welcomes Indigenous high school students to Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay's Wake the Giant Music Festival has wrapped up for another year after welcoming hundreds of youth from northern communities who have moved to the city to attend high school. 

Wake the Giant began in 2019 as a movement to make Thunder Bay more inclusive for Indigenous youth, in recognition of the challenges they face leaving their families behind to complete their high school education.

Headliners at this year's festival included Walk Off the Earth, Galantis and Arkells.

Before the festival, students were invited to attend workshops at Dennis Franklin Cromarty (DFC), the city's all-Indigenous high school, and participated in a scavenger hunt called the DFC Amazing Race to become more familiar with the city.

"It's meant to provide basically a community connection to say that, 'Hey, all these people are in support of you guys being here and getting an education,' and how important it is to provide that safe space for them when coming to the city by themselves," said Bess Legarde, a Fort William First Nation councillor.

More than 300 businesses and organizations in Thunder Bay have completed Wake the Giant Indigenous Culture and Inclusivity Training, in order to become more inclusive and practice anti-racism. Those that complete the course are given a 'Wake the Giant' decal for their window, to signify being a safe space for Indigenous people.

Breanne Meekis says people are surprised when they learn she had to move from Deer Lake First Nation — almost 600 kilometres away — to Thunder Bay to complete high school.

"They just aren't aware, and that's not their fault," said Meekis, a jingle dress dancer at Wake the Giant. "I feel like this festival is just really about making people aware of the sacrifices that these students have to go through."

Meekis has just started the Indigenous Transition Year Program at Lakehead University. She says the festival is one of her favourite events of the year, and she encourages those that are new to the city to be easy on themselves.

"Don't be shy. Don't be scared. People are here to help you," she said. "There's a lot of supports. Don't be afraid to reach out to them and use them."

Betty Carpick, a multi-disciplinary artist with Cree and Eastern European roots, said she understands how hard it is to settle into a place like Thunder Bay.

"I'm also from a northern community, and when you come from somewhere else into a bigger city, you really feel alienated and alone," said Carpick.

She ran an art station at the festival, where participants used ink made from wild blueberries, mixed with soda ash and vinegar, to create chemical reactions on paper.

"I think it's important to have people around the students and to help them know that there's friends here that they can reach out to," Carpick said. "We can all make a better effort to make Thunder Bay a safer, friendlier, kinder town."