Youth visit universities & Treaty 7 Nation
Youth in the youth program travelled to Alberta in July to visit Universities, learn about Treaty 7, and have some new experiences.
First, they stayed in Jasper where they got to see the beauty of the Provincial Park. The next day, they made their way to Edmonton and headed straight for the West Edmonton Mall and played in the world’s largest indoor wave pool.
After that, they had their first tour at MacEwan University. They have a large Indigenous Centre that hosts Bannock baking competitions and cultural events. They also have the ability to smudge anywhere on campus.
After the tour, the youth went to the World of Science and have some fun exploring all the different exhibits, including Art of the Brick where they had animals and famous artwork remade with Lego.
One visit to the West Edmonton Mall was not enough, so they headed back for some more shopping prior to going to the trampoline park.
Before they left Edmonton, the youth visited the University of Alberta, which holds 41,000 students every year and has an amazing “butter building”.
From there, the youth made their way to Calgary and stopped at the Zoo to see the animals including a Red Panda, Snow Leopard, and Gorillas. The next day, they attended the Calgary Stampede where they had rides, shopping, concerts, and interesting food to fill our day. The stampede had its own Pow Wow and an entire section called the Elbow River camp where the youth learned about Treaty 7 and the nations that make up the Treaty.
The last school they visited was the University of Calgary. They showed the youth that they have many avenues for Indigenous students to enroll in including upgrading and programs to enhance their learning before committing to a degree. They also have an Olympic Oval skating rink, where the Team Canada speed skating team was practicing during their visit.
Before the youth crossed the border back into B.C., they took a drive up to Lake Louise and saw the bright blue water and took some pretty amazing pictures. They ended the trip with a relaxing night at the hotel pool before making the drive back home.
Thank you to everyone who supported the fundraising to help make the trip truly amazing!
Youth completed interviews after the trip and indicated that the trip had made it more likely they would attend university in the future as it made it less intimidating. While preferences varied between the Universities, the cultural components at MacEwan seemed especially popular.