Noront Resources has printed and distributed hundreds of prize-winning t-shirts designed by two students from Long Lake #58 and Webequie.
“We had a t-shirt contest last year where we sent out to all the Ring of Fire communities the option for their students to create logos for our new t-shirts,” said Kaitlyn Ferris, Noront’s manager, corporate responsibility. “And we ended up with a tie between two designs. They won their design on the t-shirt for the next year. And then we also sent t-shirts to their schools so that their whole class would get their t-shirt.”
The t-shirts are also handed out “everywhere we go” by Ferris and the Noront staff. Noront is one of the mining companies working on developing mining operations in the Ring of Fire mineral exploration area in the James Bay Lowlands.
“If you look around the room, you will see hundreds of people are now wearing their designs,” Ferris said at the Working Together for Student Success student orientation, held Sept. 5 at the Victoria Inn in Thunder Bay. “We are really proud of them.”
Ferris said students at the orientation were “really impressed” with the winning t-shirt designs. The winning t-shirt design from Webequie was designed by a Grade 8 student. “We’ve had a lot of high school students say they are shocked that a young kid like that has such talent,” Ferris said. “And they are proud to be wearing designs by youth.”
Noront has also sponsored a number of programs for Matawa community members over the years, including the Aboriginal Outreach Mining Matters Youth program, DAREarts and the Mining Movie Making Youth Camp. In addition, Noront staff have also helped package and deliver wrapped Christmas presents to all Marten Falls and Webequie children aged 12 and under, both on and off reserve.