About - N'we Jinan

About N’we Jinan

N’we Jinan is committed to amplifying the voices and stories of Indigenous youth by providing the tools for transformative creative communication. Our programs and approach validate the narratives and experiences of young people and supplies a platform through which they can share with and further relate to their greater community.

N’we Jinan offers a dynamic approach to music education

Participants learn about sound recording, music production, songwriting, voice and performance. Within the studios’ residency, original songs are created containing messages that focus on cultural identity, language, struggle, love and self acceptance. The tour also gives participating youth an opportunity to create a music video to support the songs they’ve created. This process allows youth to emerge even more out of their shells and gives space for collaborating, teamwork, encouragement, confidence building and community empowerment.

Our Mission

to build confidence in creative expression through the development of tangible skills in the interest of empowering youth and strengthening a sense of community belonging.

Our Goals

Build Confidence

To create a space where participants can develop a stronger selfesteem, identify their personal voice and to break down social barriers and fears that may exist within them.

Sense of Belonging

To create a sharing environment where all participants feel safe, accepted and respected for their thoughts and ideas

Empowerment

To grant opportunities for participants to feel encouraged and celebrated by their peers and community.

Skill Development

To foster participants creative interests & abilities by establishing an educational setting that will allow for training, workshop facilitation and hands on experience in the field of music and art.

Expression

To create an openness for creative expression and to nurture artistic techniques through interactive tools that will help flourish participants ability to express.

Our Story

David Hodges

David Hodges is a visible hiphop producer and youth worker from Montreal, Quebec. Joshua Iserhoff was the Youth Grand Chief of the Cree Nation Youth Council in Quebec. Both individuals have been actively working and mobilizing youth in several educational and creative capacities in hopes to inspire and uplift communities.

One day, David heard great stories about Joshua’s work and believed his influence and experience could meet his own vision for the youth of Quebec. Over coffee, they shared stories of their losses and triumphs, but most importantly agreed that musical opportunities were not always granted to youth in Northern communities. It was decided that David would travel to the Northern Cree communities in Quebec to uplift the youth through music and education. This is where the N’we Jinan was born.

Bringing joy and empowerment to the entire nation, the N’we Jinan Tour in 2014, visited 10 communities throughout the province of Quebec to discover talented Cree artists who had a desire for music. Receiving over 100,000 plays on the Tour’s official soundcloud page, the N’we Jinan Tour compiled 19 original songs with over 70 youths and had such an impact that it was featured on CBC The National. The project later hit the Itunes charts and landed at Number 1 in the country in the HipHop Category in May 2014. Since its conception, N’we Jinan has travelled to 21 First Nation and Native American communities, has compiled over 60 original songs, produced 17 music videos, worked with over 300 youths, has been featured in national news articles & magazines, birthed a curriculumbased arts concentration program, has signed and managed two musical groups, placed music in TV shows & commercials and has built bridges with entities such as First Nations Caring Society, Cree School Board, YMCA, United Church of Canada, Canada Council, Right To Play, CBC, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, Assembly for First Nations and more.