ONWA She is Wise Conference 2024 - Niagara Falls

One of my favourite events of the year is without a doubt, the ONWA She is Wise Conference. Usually it’s Toronto, but this time around they decided to have it in Niagara Falls. It ended up being the perfect location, for such a wonderful event.

For anyone looking to learn more about this event, I highly encourage you to head on over to the ONWA website. In a nutshell, this year’s theme was honouring the roles Grandmothers, Mothers, Aunties, and Daughters play in preserving and protecting Mother Earth. A variety of speakers, performers and workshops, made for a very memorable 3 day event.

ONWA She is Wise Conference - Marriott Downtown at CF Toronto Eaton Centre

ONWA held their second annual She is Wise Conference this past March at the Marriott Hotel in Downtown Toronto. It was also the second year in a row that I was invited to photograph it, and I was honoured to do so. For those of you who don’t know what this conference is all about, it’s easiest to just quote the mission statement for the event.

“The Nibwaakaa inaadiziwin (She is Wise in the Ways of Life) Conference captures the voices and perspectives of Indigenous women, fostering a discourse of strength, that seeks to change the narrative of violence, through collective cultural and gendered empowerment..”

It was 3 day conference filled with a lot of great speakers and exercises for everyone in attendance. Some of the notable speakers were:

Chief Stacey Laforme – Chief of the Mississauga’s of the Credit First Nation
Dr. Dawn Harvard – ONWA President
Cora Lee McGuire-Cyrette – ONWA Executive Director
Minister Caroline Mulroney – Minister of Attorney General
Kathy Abolson-King
Sandi Boucher)

The exercises ranged from KAIROS Blanket, Building our Bundles, Women as Medicine, Taking Care of Elders and Self Defence. Some of the key performances included a Hoop Dance by 14 year old Theland Kicknosoway and a Keynote Address and Performance by Susan Aglukark.

At least for me, the 3 days went by very fast, and even though I was hired to photograph, it’s hard to take in all the information while doing so. I feel very lucky to be a part of such an important event. I’m already looking forward to the next one!

ONWA - She is Wise Conference - Chelsea Hotel Toronto

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of photographing an amazing event for ONWA, at the Chelsea Hotel in Toronto. The conference was called 'She is Wise in the Ways of Life'. It focused on ending violence against women and girls. Along with photographing the event I also helped design all a lot of the marketing for it, so I knew everything that was going on. With that being said, I was still anxious to see how it all turned out, and I couldn't have imagined a better event.

Each day consisted of various speakers within the indigenous community and a variety of workshops throughout the day. Even though the conference was specifically aimed at women, I was able to learn a lot during the 3 day conference. There were so many great moments throughout the week and I think I was able to capture quite a few of them. Not only were there laughs. but there was also some crying too. Everyone in attendance was there to support one another however needed, and it was very special experience. 

The topic of ending violence against women is a very important one, and the She is Wise conference definitely helped bring a lot of awareness and education to the topic for all of those in attendance. I am so thankful I was able to cover such an important event but also that I was able to experience it as well. I look forward to continuing to work with ONWA on this subject and using my photography to help spread the word. If you would like to learn more about this issue, head on over to ONWA's website.