Jeremy Thompson takes a photo with people at the expo on Tuesday. Photo by Chelsea Laskowski.
More than a thousand youths from across the province had a chance to meet an Indigenous Saskatchewan Rush player this week.
Jeremy Thompson is originally from the Onondaga Nation in Upstate New York, and excelled at lacrosse early on in life.
He was one of the keynote speakers at “The Future is Yours” Career Expo on Tuesday.
In an interview, Thompson said it’s important to him to empower young First Nations people.
“I know how it works on reservation and the outside world, with higher government, how Native Americans and how First Nations people are treated throughout the world. It’s just a tough world out there for us to live and go out and succeed,” he said.
“If a kid needs to talk or wants help with something else, that’s the least I know for myself that I can do is give kids that time.”
Thompson lives in Ontario now, and flies in for his games. He said when he is in Saskatoon, First Nations people have made him feel right at home. Earlier this week he attended a sweat and met four troubled kids.
“So they were in a program where they’re trying to show these kids culture because that is a part of us, it’s a part of our identity, it’s a part of who you are and the more you know and understand that I feel like you have a better understanding of yourself and you’re not so jumpy into getting into drugs and alcohol,” he said.
Thompson is a transition defence player with the Rush. They’re in action on Saturday in an away game.