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Common Unity: Perseverance and Growth

Posted by Kevin Kilbrei  •  Monday, November 4, 2019 @ 4:31 PM

Every November for the last four years, the Menno Simons College Student Association (MSCSA) has organized and hosted an evening at Menno Simons College (MSC) with a diverse group of inspirational speakers from throughout the community.

2019 Common Unity event poster

The MSCSA, a group of 10 students who represent the MSC student body, recognizes that much of the work and learning done at the college can be quite heavy 'heart work', and students often take this weight home with them. The Perseverance and Growth event was chosen as this year's theme to ignite the belief that all of us can persevere through adversity; if we come together to support one another, each of us can carry the weight of sometimes heavy topics in our fields of study.

In keeping with the theme of Perseverance and Growth, each speaker will receive a braid of sweetgrass as an additional gesture of gratitude. Sweetgrass is significant not only as a sacred medicine in the physical sense, but also because it brings strength and positivity and is often used at the end of circles to bring calm. Each section of the braided sweetgrass is known to symbolize mind, body, and spirit, as well as that the sweetgrass, once braided, is much stronger than any strand on its own, embodying community and unity.

The speakers chosen this year include Ryan Beardy, Zelalem Kasse, Lena Andres, Katherine Boyer, Desiree McIvor, and videos from Rachel Crowspreadingwings and Awdah Hathaleen. On November 8 from 6:00–8:00 PM, the community will gather to learn, share, and grow with each other, enjoy food, and debrief. Everyone is welcome to join (and bring a friend or two) and, although the event is free, we encourage attendees to donate to the MSCSA Scholarship fund, as well as bring a feminine hygiene or shower hygiene product to be donated to a local organization.  

All are welcome.

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