First Nation students from Northern Saskatchewan are invited once a year to participate in the Charles Knight youth mentorship program in Regina.  

This year, 32 students from Cumberland House, Dillon, La Loche, La Ronge, Hall Lake, Ile a La Crosse, Pelican Narrows, Stanley Mission and Wollaston Lake attended the program.

The students were excited to be at the Legislative building and were in awe of its beauty and structure and had an exciting two days of exploring the Capital city. 

Mia Thompson, a grade 12 student from the Nisto Awasisak memorial school in Cumberland House, is glad she got the opportunity to see the University of Regina, First Nation University of Canada and especially the Legislative building.  She has been inspired by this trip and plans to become a social worker in the future. 

“I’ve learned that there is so much to see in the world and there are a lot of possibilities that can happen and you don’t know what’s coming, you know in a positive way, it’s amazing,” Thompson said. 

As the students gathered into the Qu’Appelle room at the Legislative building, they had a chat with a few of the Minsters of the Legislative Assembly. Some students even got a couple of selfies with the MLAs. 

Buckley Belanger, one of the MLA’s, shared a story of a young boy from Ile a La Crosse who lost his parents and grew up in poverty.  He charmingly tells them the boy was him.  He never gave up in his education and it is through that education he was able to attain his goals.  He inspired and encouraged the students to never give up from achieving their goals. 

Gwen Jacobson, one of the committee members from the Provincial Capital Commission, said that Charles Knight believed there were not enough opportunities for students from the North to come to the Capital and it was his wish that they were given the opportunity. 

“It was his vision, his idea to bring students from the North.  And so there was a committee struck and the idea came that it would be great to bring Northern students to come learn about government, to visit their Legislative building, the government house, to learn about careers in public service and learn about their province and its history,” said Jacobson. 

Corrine Favel, a career education teacher from the Nisto Awasisak memorial school, says it’s their third time coming to the Charles Knight mentorship program.  She chooses the students she brings and works with the other teachers on which student would benefit from coming to the program. 

“It’s a way to give them incentive, because it only comes once a year. So to the best of my abilities, I rely on the teachers,” said Favel. 

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