Programable & Inclusive
Participatory Cities…
The Mi’kmaq Native Friendship Centre (MNFC) has been searching for a new facility since 2002.
Foremost among site location criteria is to have an iconic, culturally-relevant building to provide services to urban Indigenous persons, and to provide visibility to Indigenous culture in a way that instills pride in our people and welcomes everyone.
An important aspect of this vision is the opportunity in terms of interactions with the broader community, visitors to Nova Scotia, and symbolism that this new site adjacent Citadel Hill will afford.
To coincide with plans to relocate to a new home, and to better reflect the journey we wish to take with the entire community, the MNFC introduced the campaign: Wije’winen, meaning Come With Us.
Advanced by our Elders, this term expresses the sense of moving forward together that reflects input received throughout the engagement undertaken to define our new home.
This message informed the architectural concepts of the proposed design and function of the new Centre and the interactive spaces that are to be created in this vision.
The overall vision for the new MNFC will be developed in phases. Early phases address all of the critical space needs of the MNFC and affords the continuation of its programming for a growing urban indigenous population, while at the same time creating programmable space that will welcome the whole community.
The MNFC relocation is an exciting development, taking place at a time when governments and Indigenous leaders alike are working hard to bridge the gap between Indigenous communities and the mainstream of economic activity that have been, for so long, out of reach for Indigenous people.
The socio-economic aspects of the proposed new MNFC are significant and offer the potential to create a positive socio-economic impact for the entire Region.
Most importantly, this new development will enable the MNFC to address the evolving needs and exponential growth of the urban Indigenous population, and create greater engagement of the general public and visitors alike on our Indigenous cultures, an important element in the Call for Action in reconciliation.
Viewed more globally, the new MNFC will be a welcoming Atlantic Regional Centre for all Indigenous peoples with an assurance of culturally relevant services and experiences.
A new Centre is also an opportunity to showcase Indigenous history and cultures for all to see and experience.
The new MNFC will:
Honor the contribution of Indigenous peoples to the Region’s heritage and culture.
Develop the building/program in a financially sustainable manner through innovation, partnership and social enterprise.
Provide an architectural legacy for Centre clients and the Halifax Region.
Create a hub of activity for Indigenous communities and visitors.
Provide Indigenous (and non-Indigenous) communities with a place to gather to learn and participate in cultural activities, the arts and events.
Become the gateway for non-Indigenous peoples and tourists visiting Halifax and Indigenous communities and interpretation centres throughout Nova Scotia; and
Become a center for cultural collaboration – promoting Indigenous communities, cultural events and the arts.
Perhaps, most importantly, this site will remind Nova Scotians, all Canadians and visitors of the important history and contribution of Indigenous peoples to the Province, the Atlantic Region, all of Canada and North America.
The vision for the building concepts will support the current requirements of the facility, while considering additional imperatives of future program demand and space requirements and how to transform the new MNFC into an iconic, architecturally significant structure that will inspire and educate Haligonians and visitors alike on Indigenous cultures.
At the heart of this vision is collaborative and meaningful participation – of the indigenous community, of the non-indigenous community, of business leaders, of Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments, and of visitors to this region of Canada – with its welcoming indoor and outdoor spaces deliberately designed to be programable and inclusive, and with selected sacred spaces that are intended for Community, Elders, Youth and Healing, and for those that are ready to be invited into these spaces.