Elders, military officials, dignitaries and guests gathered at a Canadian Forces base in Wainwright, Alberta Thursday for the 25th Annual Bold Eagle Graduation program.
The summer training program gives participants a taste of military life through a basic qualification course with the option to pursue a part-time or full-time career with the Canadian Armed Forces afterwards.
The program has been in operation within the 3rd Canadian Division since 1990.
Bold Eagle is a partnership between the Department of National Defence and Aboriginal organizations from across Western Canada, including the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.
FSIN Vice Chief Dutch Lerat says over 1,300 youth have graduated from the program over the years.
“This year we had 103 start-ups, 93 graduates, including 23 from Saskatchewan, 60 per cent were between the ages of 16 and 18 and 35 percent were female,” he says.
Lerat says a new memorandum of understanding has been signed to continue the Bold Eagle summer program for another five years.