Youth Ambassador Program aims to inspire change

By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on February 3, 2023.

The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF) will soon be accepting applications for its Youth Ambassador Program, a four-week virtual-program over the summer bringing Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth together to inspire change.

In partnership with the RBC Future Launch, the program will offer participants the opportunity to gain practical work experience, network, strengthen skills, and gain leadership experience towards Canada’s history with residential schools.

The program is designed to inspire youth to be ambassadors and perform “reconcili-action” in their own communities.

“It’s a leadership opportunity to engage with youth, between the ages of 16 and 25, providing a chance to empower youth to inspire change through online learning,” said Sarah Midanik, president and CEO for DWF. “We send out toolkits to all the youth so they are not sitting through webinars. It is interactive sessions, from beading to bannock making, it is a great opportunity to have culturally-based learning but also gaining leadership experiences. We educate the youth on topics, like residential schools, reconciliation, treaties, Indigenous rights, Indigenous ways of knowing. To prepare them to become ambassadors for ‘reconcili-actions’. Engaging their own schools to become legacy schools and ignite ‘reconcili-action’ in their own communities.”

The Youth Ambassador Program is heading into its third year since starting, hoping to recruit 100 Indigenous and non-Indigenous applicants this year with growing interest in the program.

“In our first year we almost doubled the amount of youth we expected to apply. We had to turn youth away, which we felt horrible about, but the willingness to participate was so high,” said Midanik. “We had 50 youth in the program and 50 completed it, which is really incredible because it’s virtual and in the midst of COVID. The second year we wanted to open it up so as many youth could apply, and we had just over 90 youth complete the program. This year we are going to open it up to 100 youth again.”

Coming together online from all across Canada, the program hopes to have lasting impact on participants as they take their skills forward into the world.

“The end of the program is not the end of the relationship with Downie and Wenjack. Youth continue to volunteer for our Youth Advisory Council, which helps guide our programming and champion our work. Plus, all youth participants receive an honorarium for their participation. Their time and contributions go to further reconciliation, because they are using this opportunity to volunteer to advance reconciliation, but also contributing to our work at Downie and Wenjack,” said Midanik.

Applications will open at the end of February, with interviews happening in early April.

Applicants can find more details at downiewenjack.ca/our-work/youth-ambassador-program/.

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