The College of New Caledonia, including the campus in Quesnel, is welcoming people to take a stand against violence towards women and girls today (Thursday) during Moose Hide Campaign Day.
In Canada, Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people are victims of gender-based violence at a much higher rate than non-Indigenous people.
The Moose Hide Campaign aims to put and end to gender-based violence, honour victims and their families, and provide a platform for Indigenous voices and stories.
The Quesnel campus will be hosting art and cultural activities and an awareness walk to the Quesnel Tillicum Native Friendship Centre between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m.
The Moose Hide Campaign was founded in 2011 by Paul and Raven Lacerte who were hunting moose near the Highway of Tears, where dozens of women have gone missing or been found murdered.
As they were skinning the moose, Raven’s father started thinking about the sorrow that the highway had brought to so many families and communities, and the challenges that many girls and women face.
They decided to dedicate the moose hide as a symbol of taking a stand against violence and undoing the effects of Residential Schools.
Together with other family members, they cut up the moose hide into 25,000 small squares.
The Moose Hide pin serves as a symbol of unity, empathy, and support for those affected by violence.
The campaign has since grown into a nationwide movement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians from local communities, First Nations, governments, schools, colleges/universities, police forces and many other organizations.
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