Brantford/Six Nations, ON – In 2021, Woodland Cultural Centre (WCC) received a $150,000 Resilient Communities Fund grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to adapt its programming for digital delivery. With the support of this grant, WCC is adapting nine workshops to a digital format and producing a guided virtual tour of WCC’s museums and galleries. The grant also supports the development of the Driftscape app, which lets visitors access narrated, self-guided tours of the museum on their personal devices.

“It is great to see the innovation of the Woodland Cultural Centre to pivot to digital services and maintain and grow their offerings to the people”, said Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma. “I will always advocate for important endeavours such as this OTF grant, and I congratulate the Woodland Cultural Centre for the good work they do each and every day.”

COVID-19 restrictions have limited WCC’s ability to offer in-person programming and education. This pivot to digital programming has helped WCC respond to the impacts of COVID-19 and extend its reach to audiences beyond local boundaries. WCC is grateful for OTF’s support in executing such an important project and sends many Nya:węh to the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

“Woodland Cultural Centre, along with many other organizations, had to make the shift to a digital platform to remain relevant in these ever-changing times,” said Janis Monture, Executive Director of Woodland Cultural Centre. “The funding received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation allowed our organization to meet our current visitors’ needs while also expanding our footprint in the virtual world.”

The digital workshop series is named Dedwadadrihǫnya:ni​ (Cayuga) (day-dwa-da-dree-hoon-ya-nee)​ –“We Are Teaching Each Other”​ – and will include interviews with knowledge keepers, videos of youth demonstrating lacrosse techniques, songs and dances, and interactive media that capture the experience of on-site educational programming. These digital workshops will teach today and to future generations. Dedwadadrihǫnya:ni​ also allows WCC to bring these topics coast-to-coast on Turtle Island and – as the name says – teach each other.

The project is set for completion in 2022. Subscribe to WCC’s e-newsletter to stay up-to-date on announcements. For more information on booking tours and workshops, please contact tours@woodlandculturalcentre.ca.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. Last year, nearly $112M was invested into 1,384 community projects and partnerships to build healthy and vibrant communities and strengthen the impact of Ontario’s non‐profit sector. In 2020/21, OTF supported Ontario’s economic recovery by helping non‐profit organizations rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID‐19. Visit otf.ca to learn more.

-30-

Media Contact:

Layla Black | Programming & Marketing Supervisor

marketing@woodlandculturalcentre.ca | 519-756-2650