In September of this year, Ms.Renette Kurz and her students at the Entrepreneurship Academy were busy at the Mini Thni Mini Mart located at the Morley Community School. They were selling their Îyethka Trading Co. clothing line. As part of that line, they were selling orange shirts and preparing to be at the Community Market Day in Canmore. Renette Kurz says they enjoyed great success at that market and sold out of their merchandise.
The premise of the program sees the students help create, market, and sell the clothing that celebrates the Stoney Nakoda culture, and language and promotes community. Their motto is, “Community-minded ~ Locally made ~ Îyethka îam."
Grade 11 student, Theodore Mark explains the idea behind the clothing line. “We have all these designs and artwork in our culture and so what we thought we could put that on a shirt with the Stoney language on it and then have it be sold to the rest of the community and hopefully we see them wear it more often. It shows the people outside of Mini Thni that we are Stoney Nakoda.”
The quality clothing is designed with culture, language, and community in mind and features the art of Indigenous artist Tyson Crawler. Kurz says they are stocked with the latest additions to the line, “We have lots of the hats, we have lots of the purple shirts which are the newest of the teeshirts we have lots of the white hoodies.”
There is still time to purchase items before Christmas and for more information or to order email iamstoney@stoneyeducation.ca or visit the Mini Thni Mini Mart at the school.
Sat, Apr 20, 9:00 AM
Communications/Media, Professionals, Skilled Trades, Full-time, Hourly, Seasonal