Future Leaders winds up for the year

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A summer program in Alberta's Aboriginal communities continues to have an impact on people at the grassroots level, providing opportunities to take part in activities from baseball and swimming to art and drama. Sponsored by Alberta Sport, Recereation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation and assisted by corporate sponsors, the Future Leaders Program uses sport and recreation as an intervention initiative to provide healthy lifestyle choices for children and youth.

This year's success is owed to the summer staff and organizers, said MLA Pearl Calahasen, who attended a Sept. 9 wind-up supper and golf tournament for the program at the Westridge Golf Club near Devon.

This year was no different from others as young summer staff members rose to the occasion bringing remote and semi-remote Native communities loads of activity and joy.

"It's been a summer of sharing and giving," claimed Jacqueline Richards from Kikino. "It's been inspiring to see the potential, talent and creativity."

Up at Tall Cree, about 650 km north of Edmonton, worker Monica Gostafson said the school principal at Fort Vermilion was "so excited we were there, he gave us the key to the gym."

Future Leaders does great things for kids, explained Elaine Partaker from the Kikino Metis Settlement. She related how two young people came to her three years ago to help as volunteers and the effect they had on the settlement was "amazing."

It continues to amaze even more youth. Take Andrea White, for example. Partaker said White struggled through many a lean time, and put in a lot of volunteer hours with youth and had the confidence to get on stage before her peers and community. She applied herself at school, got a scholarship, is almost finished her high school and plans to move on to college.

When she returned from Blue Lake summer camp, located about 25 km north of Hinton, White said she didn't want to return home though it was her first time away from home. She also claimed she came back "a new person." She's taking swimming lessons even though she's never liked water.

Recreation for youth is good for the community, according to Woodland Cree councillor Bill Cardinal. "It's a big prevention thing." Like the saying goes, "if they're not stealing second base, they're stealing a car."

Sunchild First Nation Chief Harry Goodrunning heaped praise on the program which he said he's "grown to appreciate" and he then presented a few plaques to some of those involved.

"It is for kids," was a recurring message from most of the speakers. One of whom that particularly warranted mention was Karla Moir who worked at Janvier.

Moir explained that they saw more than 60 kids a day in a community that only has about 100 in school. They had baseball, football, art, drama, youth and Elder camps, a fish derby and a slo-pitch tournament at the Alexis Reserve.

But, it's more than fun and games.

"This program is a vehicle for personal development," Moir expressed. "Four years ago, Janvier had 60 people on probation. Now they credit recreation and youth development for a drop in that number to six," she boasted.