Montreal Lake role models return to encourage youth

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A common thread ran through the messages of all nine speakers at Montreal Lake Cree Nation's Role Model Conference and Career Fair held on April 22. At half hour intervals throughout the day, students in grades 7 to 12 from Timber Bay, Montreal Lake and Weyakwin heard about how hard work and sacrifice are the keys to achieving goals and overcoming obstacles.

Spanning a wide range of professions, each presenter had roots in Montreal Lake. Conference organizers Jean Ross and Alice Lavallee, who work in the community's post-secondary division, felt it was necessary for local students to come face-to-face with some homegrown success stories.

"There are lots of Grade 12 grads here," said Lavallee, "But not enough of them are going out, even though we have the resources to send them anywhere, to take any training they want."

Providing inspiration to the Class of 2004, as well as to younger students and those who've quit school, were role models such as 3D animator Jackie Fortin, First Nations consultant and entrepreneur Irma Murdock, and Charlotte Ross, who works as co-ordinator of academic programming for Aboriginal students at the University of Saskatchewan.

Other presenters included registered nurse Shirley Nelson and licensed practical nurse Alice Bird; Randy Nelson and Gordon Beatty, who spoke about firefighting, silviculture and logging; Myrna Sanderson, who spoke about managment studies and accounting;, and Ivy Bell, who has her master's of social work.

In addition to the presentations, students were able to browse more than 20 education- and career-related displays set up in the school gym. During the lunch break, the girls at the conference had an opportunity to participate in a fashion show where they modelled apparel by Linda Lavallee, a Montreal Lake band member and designer who is co-owner and of Cree Nis'ga, a B.C.-based clothing company. Prince Albert hairdresser and Montreal Lake school graduate Jana Bonaise coifed the models for the show.

An afternoon presentation by the Batoche Native Theatre Company kept the mood light with a comedic skit about staying in school, during which Indian and Northern Affairs Canada's Roy Bird, director general for the Manitoba region, (who attended the conference as a presenter) was on the receiving end of a few one-liners.

Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Chief Alphonse Bird,a member of Montreal Lake Cree Nation who returned home to take part in the conference, said he thought the event was well organized and he observed that before the day was over, planning was already underway for next year.

"It was a very enlightening conference," Bird said. "It's needed in every community. In my closing remarks to the students, I wanted to encourage them to be willing to accept the challenges in the world and bring home the opportunities they find."

Charlotte Ross said that when she was earning her master's degree in continuing education, she was one of only a few from her community who had gone on to university. She's glad that's changing, and was glad to be back home to lend support to future scholars.

"This is a really good time to acknowledge the accomplishments of those who have achieved success in post-secondary studies and to encourage others to try it," she said. "When you see people from you family and your community succeed, it gives you hope."