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The fourth annual Pikangikum Youth Hockey challenge is all ready to go on December 18, 19 and 20. Featured in this year's tournament is the all new ladies broomball challenge. Both events are still accepting entries. To date we have 7 confirmed teams. We are still hoping to have a couple more teams. Along with the tournament we have a couple of concerts, featuring "Metallica" and "Freebird" and a local band opening for the both of these headlinders. To top things off a "much music" dance for the community, and a couple of monster bingo sessions will be held. There will be other events going on around the community throughout the tournament. For more information or if you would like to make a financial contribution to this worthwhile cause, feel free to email me or call me (calling is better) @ 807-773-5578 (band office) or @ 807-773-5491 (home) after 4 pm. thank you Samson Keeper

On November 30, DFC ThunderHawks Hockey team were scheduled to play at the Pelican Falls First Nation's High School. But a traffic accident happened along highway 11/17 closing the highway and prevented the team from DFC to reach Sioux Lookout. Another date for this hockey game will be set up later.

The series of Smart Community Planning workshops for North Spirit Lake got underway this week. The weather and other happenings provided the North Spirit Lake staff with several challenges. The Monday evening planning and introductory session had to be done using video conferencing because none of the Keewaytinook Okimakanak staff could fly into North Spirit Lake. KO staff in Balmertown and Sioux Lookout were able to connect with community members in North Spirit Lake to provide everyone with an overview of what was to happen over this week. Day one of our workshops were very promising. Community members participated in workshop activities such as discussions, exchanging ideas, and asking questions about the SMART project. Click here to see the pictures of the workshops from Day's 1, 2 and 3.

Well, yesterday was our first senior and junior volleyball games over at our neighbour's gym (Churchill). I'll start with the junior's because they did very well and I'm, as a senior, pretty much happy for their victories over their opponents. They won three games straight and it leaves them with their three points. Their Captain Vietta Morris, congrats for taking them to their wins. As for the us, the seniors, we did good although we had ONLY the two weeks practice and the getting use to positions. We won the first game with a few girls that we completely nervous. Their hands shaking, their faces going red from shyness and the butterflies in their stomach's, all because of wearing shorts. But girls, we're up for a long season of volleyball and we have to show what we got as legs. Just kidding! But we have to get use to the topic of wearing shorts everygame. My Captain, who is also the smallest girl on the team, Stacey Fiddler, congrats for the one win. But we'll get back on top and we'll take back the games we lost, right? But anyways that should be all for now. Our next game is tomorrow and please people that go to school here in Thunder Bay, come and cheer for us. We need fans. Haha! For the rest of you not here in the area to come and watch us play ball, wish us luck.

The K-Net local and out of town staff got together with the people of Deer Lake to talk strategy for economic development. Community members who were present had a lot of ideas on how the SMART project would be able to make a difference in the development of new opportunities. The day's agenda was introduced. Ricardo Ramirez and Galin Kora of Telecommons Development group started off the workshop by developing charts, spray diagrams and showing a slide presentation. We talked about visions for new initiatives, and how SMART could change the face of existing ones. Ricardo showed a presentation of how other learning centers are doing in other countries. He showed us slides of Peru and other improvished countries, and how technology has changes lives. The slides showed what they are doing with ICTs and about it. Deer Lake community members from different sectors gave a lot of input on potential strategies for developing our economy. The presentations and workshop brought out ideas for new Economic Development planning. Check out the pictures

Education and training was the topic for the day, with local and out-of town Kuh-ke-nah staff on hand to help with the workshop. The entire school staff attended the SMART Project Planning Workshop (made possible due to rumours of a hydro power outage). Teachers, Teacher Aides, Tutor Escorts and many others were all able to add their ideas and concepts for what SMART could do for their communities. Following the format of the previous day, everyone offered their input and information was collected for a spray diagram displaying everyone's suggestions. This information was then used to organize and group common themes together. The staff of the David Meekis Memorial School has had broadband access for awhile, and so has already learned some of the ways that technology can benefit them. New ideas for traditional cultural programming through the Internet and Video Conferencing came up as one of the priorities. The K-Net Internet High School is also one area that the school and community see as an area of opportunity. The community of Deer Lake is progressive and understands how SMART can benefit them, but the vision has grown and broadened after yesterday’s workshop. The Community Feast, hosted by the Deer Lake Smart Project staff and all their helpers, was a great way to finish off a very business day.

Deer Lake's "Focus On Health Day" began in the David Meekis Memorial School's Computer Lab. The Kuh-ke-nah Smart Program staff started off the workshop with opening remarks from Les Meekis. Ricardo made a presentation to the Deer Lake health team and interested community members about what the new technology can do to help implement the goals and expectations for local health services in Deer Lake. Keewaytinook Okimakanak staff were on hand to both provide assistance and gather community input. A spray diagram created on a flip chart paper detailed what community members felt was good health with ideas on how to get there (programs). Health staff in Deer Lake had a lot of ideas for programs and services they felt were necessary for community members. At four in the afternoon, we went online for a video conference with the KO First Nation Health Director and the Telehealth Program staff. Everyone was able to see how these new communication technologies will be able to affect their lives. Next week, be sure that you check out the Deer Lake SMART Planning Workshop Website. There you'll be able to find a detailed account of all our activities. For today, check out the pictures.

Thunder Voice News - an aboriginal newspaper is in your area! Our goal in delivering to Northwestern Ontario First Nation Communities is to share positive news about First Nation & Metis peoples. Thunder Voice is published monthly in Winnipeg, Manitoba and delivered to Northwestern Ontario through Bearskin Airlines. Do you have an interesting story? The Editor, Phillip Paul-Martin is interested in hearing about positive community events and stories from your areas. To contact the Editor, call 1 (204) 774-5630 Interested in setting up an ad to send our readership? Our Sales Representatives, For business ads, can be reached by phoning; Alex Reid: 1 (204) 774-6665 Lucien Spence: 1 (204) 774-5628 Crystal Kakekagumick: 1(204) 774-5547 E-MAIL: thundervoice@mb.sympatico.ca

If you are interested in becoming a K to 6 qualified teacher, why not consider the Sioux Lookout District Native Teacher Education Program? Successful completion of this two-year on-the-job program will guarantee you a good job, acceptance into the Ontario College of Teachers, and a chance to become an important role model for the children in your community.

Admission requirements

• Grade 12 OR
• Academic preparation equivalent to Grade 12 For example, completion of a post-secondary program such as the Native Classroom Assistant Program, Native Language Instructor's Program, Tutor Escort Program, or the Social Counsellor Program Applicants who achieve scores of 12.9 or higher in Math and Language on the Canadian Adult Achievement Test (CAAT) are also encouraged to apply.
• Experience working with children in your community (full-time or volunteer)
• Native language skills (Oji-Cree, Ojibway, or Cree)

For anyone interested in the NTEP who does not have the above qualifications, you have time to upgrade your skills before the next admission of new students. You can get ready now by completing high school, taking Wahsa courses in Math and English to prepare for the CAAT, or by completing a post-secondary program.

Don't delay! A teaching career waits for you in your community.

Do you have questions about the Native Teacher Education Program? Call Brian (NTEP Coordinator) toll free at 1-877-636-0667, extension 25 or call the Wahsa Distance Education Centre toll free at 1-800-667-3703.

We opened the conference with an opening prayer and asked the Creator to bless our time together and to give us the wisdom to learn from each other this week. Oscar Meekis, the E-Centre Manager, began with Introductions of all the attendees for the community meeting on Monday night. Les Meekis, Community Manager for the SMART Project, did a summary of the week's events. Les talked about our primary purpose in hosting this conference, which is to inventory existing programs and discuss with community members how the SMART Project will enhance these services. We also want to discuss how the SMART Project will enable new programs to begin in our communities. Dan Pellerin, Network Manager, joined us from Sioux Lookout via video conferencing for the evening session. He talked with us about the recent developments involving broadband Internet access for homes, and how our connections will be improved. Brian Beaton discussed some of the history of K-Net. There are many reasons that K-Net was successful in becoming the Demonstration project for the SMART program. The KO communities have been preparing for these types of developments already. Beginning with the original BBS system that was put in place, our eyes were already on what could be accomplished, and we had built the foundation for what would become the SMART project. Broadband access for the KO communities was already being planned for with projects such as TeleHealth and the K-Net Internet High School. We were able to look at the direction we want for the future of our community using these communication technologies. The workshop helped us to better understand the technology that is out there and how we might use it to better ourselves. Before the community meeting, people had a vague idea of what the SMART Project was. Now, they are thinking about how the SMART Project will affect their daily lives. The workshop helped explain what the SMART Project can do, and how we will take our place in this new world of information technology. See the pictures