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Peterborough Weekly

Youth connect to land and water through multi-day voyage

September 25, 2025 by Alex Karn

The sun sparkled off the surface of Little Lake on the morning of Sunday, August 24, as canoes were lined up outside the Canadian Canoe Museum. A group of teenagers and their families gathered by the water, the air filled with a mix of excitement and nerves. 

Once everyone had arrived, participants, volunteers and organizers formed a large circle. They were welcomed to Michi Saagiig Anishinaabeg territory by Grace King, who then introduced Curve Lake First Nation councillor Deborah Jacobs.

Jacobs stepped forward to offer a prayer before the trip began. “Give them strength, give them heart, and let them know how blessed they are to have the water,” she said. “Without water, there is no life.” 

She urged the youth to treat the waterways with respect, explaining that they were once the highways of her people, lined with burial grounds. “Every morning, before you go, make sure you bless that water and give thanks to the Creator that you’ve arrived safely for another day,” she told them.

After Jacobs’ words, the teens faced the trip’s first challenge: giving up their phones. One by one, they dropped their devices into a bag that would be kept safe by an organizer until the journey’s end. There were hesitant glances and nervous laughs, but the intention was clear. For six days, the youth would be connecting with each other and the natural world, not screens.

The “Adventure in Understanding” is a six-day, 100-kilometre canoe trip along the Trent-Severn Waterway from Peterborough to Curve Lake First Nation. Now in its 10th year, the program was developed by the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha in partnership with Curve Lake First Nation, Camp Kawartha and the Canadian Canoe Museum. It brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth, aged 16 to 18, to share an immersive experience on the land and water. Along the way, they take part in teachings from Elders, visit sacred sites, and camp under the stars.

Glenn Caradus, on-water coordinator with Camp Kawartha, said the program grew from one canoe in its first year to three 26-foot voyageur canoes today. “It was really Don Watkins, from the Rotary Club, who in 2014 said, ‘We send kids around the world. Why aren’t we doing something around reconciliation here at home?’” Caradus recalled. “He approached the camp and the Canoe Museum, and of course we were all very excited. So we started with just one canoe, and now we’re in our 10th year.” More than 100 youth have now taken part in the program.

“At night the Elders do teachings. We visit the Petroglyphs, we plant a tree, and we finish at Curve Lake on the powwow grounds,” Caradus explained. “The emphasis is really on connecting with the land and the water, and bringing youth together from different backgrounds. Because when you spend time together and get to know each other, good things happen.”

For many of the youth, the trip was their first time in a canoe, let alone on a multi-day paddle. “I don’t have a background,” said 16-year-old Rami Rosa, a participant from Kingston. “I’m new to canoeing. I just want to know things about canoeing and more about the culture of the land.” Rosa, who recently moved to Canada, said the program was a way to connect with the country’s history and its original peoples. “Since I’m new to Canada, I want to know more about what Canada really has, like the original people here,” he said.

Another participant, Jamie Findlay of Hastings, said he was drawn to the opportunity through a friend who had taken part the previous year. “I hope to learn more about the area and Indigenous culture and kind of have fun, meet people, travel on the waterway,” Findlay said. He prepared by practising his paddling strokes and packing as light as possible. “Six days, that’s a lot of stuff. But I managed to get it all in one dry bag.”

Along with their paddles and packs, the group also carried a tree. It was dug up at GreenUP Ecology Park near the Canoe Museum before the launch, and travelled in one of the canoes throughout the week. On Friday, August 29, after arriving at Curve Lake the evening before, the youth planted the tree together on the powwow grounds as part of a final celebration that included games, teachings, ceremony and a feast. 

Caradus said the tree was both a gift and a responsibility. “Twelve years ago, Chief Keith Knott gave us a pouch of tobacco, and we were told to lay tobacco down on the water each morning in gratitude,” he said. “Carrying the tree is another way of honouring the land and water, and leaving something living in the community when we’re done.”

The program draws inspiration from the Anishinaabe Seven Grandfather Teachings –  wisdom, love, respect, bravery, honesty, humility and truth. Organizers hope the trip sparks a deeper awareness in participants that will carry forward into their lives. 

Caradus said his most meaningful memories come from listening to the youth share with each other. “I remember one young Michi Saagiig participant, before we went into the Petroglyphs, he stopped us and said, ‘This is our Sistine Chapel so be respectful,’” Caradus recalled. “That’s so powerful, to hear the kids put it in their own words.”

Rosa said what he was most looking forward to was connection. “I expect this to be more like friendship, like an experience,” he said. “Since there’s no phones and stuff like that, we will be connected to each other more and more.”

For Jacobs, who offered the opening prayer, that connection to land, water and community is at the heart of the journey. “This trip will certainly open your eyes,” she told the circle at the water’s edge. “It will be something each of you will take away. Give thanks every day for that water.”

APTN News

22 youth embark on 100 km canoe journey in Ontario

August 26, 2024 by Annette Francis
Over the weekend, 22 youth embarked on a 100 km canoe journey on the Trent-Severn Waterway. APTN’s Annette Francis met up with them as they set out from Peterborough, Ontario.

Watch the video Here