Opened in 2012 near the mighty Yukon River, the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre (KDCC) is a vibrant testament to the Kwanlin Dün First Nation’s (KDFN) culture, history, and traditions. Dedicated to the long-term preservation and celebration of Kwanlin Dün heritage, the Centre fosters the intergenerational transfer of knowledge, ensuring that the community's languages and cultural teachings not only survive, but flourish.

Through our diverse collections and programs, the KDCC plays a vital role in nurturing the identity and resilience of the Kwanlin Dün people.

A Digital Story is a video project made by weaving photographs, voice, music and text together into a movie about the self.

A chance to think about who we are, where we belong and what is important to us, when we become the storyteller, we shift from passive consumers of media, to active creators. Instead of watching Youtube or Tiktok videos, we are the ones telling and sharing our stories.

Led by Jessie Curell of Hands On Media Education, this Intergenerational 5-Day workshop took place early August 2024 at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, with the support of the New Frontiers Grant.

The workshop began with seeing examples from previous workshops and learning how these projects are made. Next, we were introduced to “Pre-Production”, which includes the project planning, Storyboarding, and photo collection. We also learned Photography Composition Tips and Tricks, getting outside to try our hand at Portrait , Landscape, Action, Selfies, Food and Macro Photography.

We then began “Production” where our voices were recorded using iPads, which was then followed by matching our words to photos that we took ourselves, or had permission to use.

And finally, we moved into “Post-Production” exploring music options for our projects: music we recorded ourselves, had permission to use, or found online from royalty-free & copyright-free websites. A title and credits were added to each project, and after a 1 hour Peer Review Screening, our projects were complete.

Elders were then invited to create their own, with the assistance of Youth to help them complete their Digital Stories. In total, 14 Digital Stories were completed.

The Workshop Series concluded with a Community Feast and Screening Tuesday August 12th 2024, with many families and guests in attendance in the Multipurpose Room at KDCC. Thank you to Shirley and her son for the delicious Moose Stew and bannock!

You can learn more about the project from the CBC News article here, or you can listen to the CBC North Radio Piece about the project below.