(Photo: Shannon Avison, FNUniv-INCA and Tenzin Pinay from Peepeekisis Cree Nation in Saskatchewan (but raised in Vancouver) visited Dwight Ballantyne at the new home of The Ballantyne Project.)
By: Shannon Avison, FNUniv-INCA
The Ballantyne Project is expanding opportunities for youth from remote communities at a new home-away-from-home in Maple Ridge, B.C.
The project is named after 30-year-old Dwight Ballentyne, who grew up on Montreal Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 6 in Saskatchewan.
Dwight left home when he was 21 and settled in Vancouver, where he struggled, until he found a life skills program that gave him skills to succeed in a big city.
He got work at a Walmart and then at a mill. And he started doing public speaking about his experiences.
In 2019, he decided to set up a program for youth like him. He called it, The Ballentyne Project.
“We provide resources and opportunities for youth living in remote communities. Right now we bring kids out from remote communities through an interview process and we bring them out here to show them trades, universities, colleges, tours, trade schools… go touch the ocean, Granville Island, a bunch of fun stuff.”
Through some very generous donations, Dwight and his team on The Ballentyne Project have been able to acquire a house in the Vancouver suburb of Maple Ridge.
The house sits on almost four acres of land, and has 8 bedrooms and six bathrooms for the youth, as well as rooms for staff.
“We just got a house where we can house kids coming from remote communities for three weeks to get basic life skills, to get a SIN number, bank account, fix their debt, financial literacy, show them a bunch of different job opportunities, all that kind of cool stuff,” said Ballentyne. “That’s the whole premise of the Ballentyne Project, show them the world.”
The grand opening for this new phase of the Ballantyne Project will be held on June 21, Indigenous Peoples Day, in Maple Ridge, BC.
If you want to learn more or you’re a youth who wants to apply to take advantage of this opportunity, contact Dwight Ballentyne at www.theballantyneproject.com