Photo used with permission from JRS photography.
In April, Madison Green, a project and research assistant at RFS energy consulting and a participant in the ImaGENation Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program, started a new Electric Vehicle (EV) project called Teionkwayenawà:kon (pronounced day-ohn-gway-ahn-ah-wah-gohn), to provide transportation and help Indigenous communities connect.
The project is still in its initial planning stages. Green started this project through the ImaGENation Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program, a program supporting Indigenous youth-led clean energy projects.
Her main objective with this project is to increase cultural connection. Green said her project addresses many aspects, such as connecting Indigenous communities, providing eco-friendly transportation services, breaking down transportation barriers, and decreasing emissions while inspiring other Indigenous youth to pursue their passions and projects.
Green’s project received support from various organizations, such as The Willow River Centre.
However, due to working on the project as an individual and not as an organization, Green is not eligible for many funding opportunities. The project funding she will receive from ImaGENation will end in September 2025. She says that transportation is a barrier to Indigenous wellness, and this inspired her to develop an electric shuttle so that Indigenous community members can connect with each other. With the help of a partnership, Green will be able to secure funding and further support that can bring Teionkwayenawà:ko to life.
Green will also host an awareness event for the urban Indigenous community to hear from industry experts and plans to share a final report outlining the steps of the project and address the challenges she faced.
“When we lose our sense of community, we often isolate ourselves and experience declines in mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional wellness,” Green said, explaining how it is important for Indigenous communities to stay connected through traditions and culture.
When she moved to Kitchener, Green felt disconnected and lost from her traditions. “I lost language, I lost my connection to land and tradition. Without connection, our people are here, but our spirits are lost,” Green said.
As Green became more established and could afford public transportation, she was able to reconnect with her community later in life. She hopes Indigenous youths will use her report to implement her project in their communities. “The City of Kitchener and the Region of Waterloo sit directly on the Haldimand Tract, and I feel that their support of my project would be an amazing opportunity to address various calls to action regarding the wellness of Indigenous people and to work toward reconciliation with Indigenous communities, as well as individuals that displaced from their home reserves,” she said.
“Willow River Center is literally sort of following alongside that ideology that we must be able to come together to gather for free, without a barrier on our lands,” said Amy Smoke, one of the co-founders of the Willow River Centre. Willow River Center is an open community space for Indigenous and Racialized Indigenous youth and grassroots members.
Smoke said Green’s project would benefit the centre by helping local Indigenous groups travel to Willow River when hosting ceremonies, such as moon ceremonies.
“One of the issues we have when bringing Indigenous communities together is transportation, funding, and access to space, especially for surrounding First Nations like Six Nations of the Grand River,” Smoke said.
Smoke said they like that the EV project uses sustainable resources that don’t support pipeline industries such as Shell, Encore and Suncor. According to Green, Teionkwayenawà:kon primarily focuses on shuttles, which are affordable and efficient and can help Indigenous groups travel to faraway destinations without financial problems.
“Currently, many Tri-Cities people have to pay $20+ each way to the ceremony, so even for a group of 10 people would mean $400 collectively spent to get to a ceremony and back home,” she said.
So far, Green hasn’t had any problems running her program thanks to the staff at ImaGENation. The organization is also helping her identify any mistakes in her project. “I would say that my biggest problem is receiving funding to purchase the vehicle,” Green said.
