An Aboriginal youth leadership camp wound up Sunday afternoon in Saskatoon.
The five-day camp was put on by Next Up and included 11 participants from all over Saskatchewan.
Next Up facilitator Max Fine Day says the goal of the camp is to teach activist skills so First Nations and Métis youth can reach their full potential.
“There’s a deficit, a leadership deficit, in First Nations communities,” he says. “So often we hear of negative stories surrounding our leadership and we know that there are such crises in our communities. So, I was hoping with this leadership program to enable some growth of First Nations activists.”
Twenty-two-year-old Kara Sanderson of James Smith Cree Nation says the collective format of the camp allows youth to come together and discuss ways of making positive change.
“If we all come together as one, then I feel change can be created whereas if it’s one here and there that want change it makes it hard,” she says. “But if we’re all doing it together and all working together then there’s no stopping us.”
Twenty-four-year-old Wendy Mirasty of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band adds the program taught some basic organizational skills any on the ground activist should know.
“Being here helped me learn how to effectively organize and who my target should be,” she says. “Like, when I’m organizing, who do I want to participate in my events that I’m having?”
Janelle Pwapsconias, 28, of Little Pine First Nation says the program offers training in a number of different leadership skills she is interested in learning.
“They had a lot of training that I really wanted to attain,” she says. “Leadership development, being uncomfortable, learning to speak in public, drawing your story, using your story to I guess persuade people.”
Those taking part in the leadership program ranged in age from 18 to late 20’s.