On April 23, 2025, we came together at SKG to express our gratitude and honour the sacredness of the water. We gathered around the fire, set up by firekeeper Clifford Waboose, as Dr. Chiblow led the ceremony. Around 25 people attended the ceremony and sharing circle, which was followed by an exploration of the Biinaagami giant floor map at the George Leach Centre. Many themes emerged from this event: gratitude for fresh and clean water - especially being at the heart of the Great Lakes; the preciousness and fragility of healthy ecosystems; the importance of taking care of the water together with all ages, for future generations; and the need to continue to take care of the water together.

Bawaating Clean up for Earth day on April 15, 2025 — Despite freezing temperatures and strong winds, we joined forces with the NORDIK Institute, bringing together around eight people to clean up Bellevue Park. We filled six garbage bags full with plastics, cigarette butts, cans, and even socks. By collecting this waste, we prevented it from being carried way down river and impacting our neighbouring communities.

On March 20, 2025, the event began with a ceremony inside the tipi and around the fire set up by the firekeeper Clifford Waboose behind the Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig (SKG) building. Led by Dr. Chiblow, about 25 participants gathered to express their connections and gratitude to water. After the ceremony, everyone got to tell their personal stories in a sharing circle. In the afternoon, we shared lunch and more stories, followed by an introduction to the Biinaagami giant floor map. The Biinaagami project is led by Swim Drink Fish and Canadian Geographic. Translated from Anishinaabemowin, Biinaagami means pure, clean water. Through Augmented Reality, you can immerse yourself in the watershed, hear stories from water walkers, some of whom have attended our events, explore the local languages of the region, and visualize the land's interconnected network of waterways and how they shape the landscape. This project aims to show how complementary Indigenous and non-Indigenous understandings can be. Overall, about 40 people attended the event.

In December 2024, we came together to celebrate water and decide next steps to bring people together to care for the water. We shared how water brings peace, joy, healing, and spiritual connection, reminding us of our ancestors and carrying memories from the past. We recognized that water gives us messages, both challenges and gratitude, and that it needs our respect, protection, and care. Together, we agreed to keep listening to water, to practice sustainability, to learn and teach through land-based knowledge, and to create community activities, ceremonies, and events that honour water. We also saw the importance of working with young people, building connections, and speaking up for water in our communities and with governments. Above all, we committed to a relationship of reciprocity, to care for water, as water cares for us.