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Dream Catcher Project

Every year as part of their annual competition, the Cercles de Fermières have a project for young people aged 8 to 14. This gives them an opportunity to organize activities aimed at passing on skills and fostering inter-generational exchange, and it also allows the young people to exhibit their creations at the conference. Alice would have loved to participate when she was a child, but she never had the opportunity.

For 2018-2019, members were asked to help young people make a dream catcher. It was a challenge, since none of the Fermières in Saint-Eustache had ever made one. Despite this, for Hélène Lamouche, president of the Cercle de Saint-Eustache, and her daughter, Élizabeth-Ann Cabana, a teacher who works with students with autism spectrum disorder, it was an opportunity to initiate an exceptional project.

Dream catcher project (01) (subtitles available in EN and FR). Watch the video with the transcript (EN).

So, one weekday evening, a few Fermières who had answered the call, along with Élizabeth-Anne Cabana and her colleague, learned how to make dream catchers. As skilled craftswomen, it didn’t take them long to master the technique. Soon afterwards, the Fermières were invited to two  classrooms to lead a creative project and take part in a unique social event.

Students were paired with a participant, who helped them make their dream catcher over the course of two sessions. For some of the students, it was like spending time with an aunt or a grandma. Some of the Fermières, like Normande Gaudreau, made a very special connection with their students.

Dream catcher project (02) (subtitles available in EN and FR). Watch the video with the transcript (EN).

When they were finished, the dream catchers were taken to the regional exhibition put on by the Fédération des Laurentides, in which all the Cercles in the area take part. The students were officially invited to go and see the exhibition, much to their delight. The project provided a wonderful opportunity for interaction and sharing.

Dream catcher project (03) (subtitles available in EN and FR). Watch the video with the transcript (EN)

A number of children and a few smiling adults are gathered in two rows in front of a white board in a classroom. Each of the children is holding a dream catcher.

Participants in the dream catcher project

Helping in a Host of Ways Long live the Fermières de Saint-Eustache !