New paper a voice for youth

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Chris Tyrone Ross is one busy guy these days. At the ripe age of 24, he is the chief executive officer of his own company, Rez X Publications. After the company's launch in December, Ross' first order of business was to create a newspaper with the same name. The first issue was released in April, but the enterprising young man from Red Earth First Nation already has big plans to expand Rez X readership.

"It's been pretty successful so far. We've got a lot of good positive feedback from the community and a lot of people enjoy reading it," Ross said of the fledgling publication. "Our first issue was only about eight pages, black and white. We wanted to start off small. People see that. We want to show people that we can grow. Here at Rez X, at this stage, we hope to get bigger and hopefully go national in the next two, three years."

Through Rez X, Ross hopes to reach Native youth between the ages of 16 to 30 living in all of Saskatchewan's Aboriginal communities. Along with reaching high school and university students, Ross hopes that his paper will inspire inner city kids currently not attending school to live positive lifestyles.

"I'm just hoping to bring a stronger voice to young people in today's society. They definitely need something to voice their opinions," Ross said. "We'll have stories, like a 20- step guide on how to successfully transfer from the reserve to the city ... so I just hope to make it fun for young people to deal with these types of issues, but also being serious at the same time. I guess the main goal, what I hope to bring to Aboriginal youth, is to be able to educate them, entertain them, empower them and inform them about these types of issues."

In addition to the usual news, culture, sports and entertainment sections, Rez X will regularly feature a section called Eye on the Media that offers a critical look at the way mainstream media covers Aboriginal issues. Another section will be devoted to politics, reported from a youth perspective. Ross said that issues such as drugs, alcohol and peer pressure will be discussed in an engaging and entertaining way.

The editorial team consists of five young Aboriginal writers that keep the content fresh for their readers.

"It's young people who have a real passion for writing ... they're young and they're hungry and they're the ones that are going to bring you all the ideas. They're your ear to the street. Business wise, I have some colleagues of mine who are experienced that can guide me. I think you need a little mix of both," Ross said.

Other projects are already underway. Right now, Ross is planning to produce a documentary on the revival of the Goose Dance, a spiritual ceremony practiced by the Cree Plains people some 50 years ago. Ross may also publish a collection of poems by his late uncle, Russel Charles.

"He left behind with us 200 to 300 poems that are very exceptional, just excellent poetry. So hopefully we'll be able to get that out further this year with the help of the family," said Ross.

Ross is no newcomer to the world of publishing. At the age of 16, he started a newsletter at his high school. As enthusiasm over his project grew and many of his classmates expressed an interest in writing, Ross launched Gen X, a magazine that was aimed at his peers. In 1998, Ross received the SaskTel Aboriginal Youth Award for his achievements in publishing. Last March, he was elected as vice president of the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Youth Council, which works with Aboriginal friendship centres across the province.

For now, Ross remains focused on meeting the challenges that come with being a young entrepreneur.

"Anytime you start a business, you're doing almost everything because this is your life. This is the business, this is the life you choose to lead, and if you stop doing it then the business stops. So you can't sleep, you got to keep going every day."