Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
A 15-year-old girl from Northlands Denesuline First Nation says while she doesn’t go skating very often in her northern Manitoba community, she appreciated the opportunity to dress up next to former NHL players Ray Neufeld, Trevor Kidd and Gerard McDonald. Saturday Saturday Breakfast at an outdoor ice rink just outside of Winnipeg.
“I’m not that good, so when I try, I’m having fun because I’m practicing,” said Taylynn Tssessaze, who was among about 50 Indigenous youth from remote and northern communities in Manitoba doing took part in activities this weekend before the Winnipeg Jets’ annual Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Center Achievement Night on Sunday.
The weekend’s programming, hosted by Jets owner True True Sports and Entertainment, provides opportunities for Indigenous youth to get involved in sport through the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Outreach Centre.
Young skaters who hit the ice at Camp Manitou, just west of Winnipeg, on Saturday came from the northern communities of Pauingassi, Northlands Denesuline, Bunibonibee, Shamattawa and Minegoziibe Anishinabe (Pine Creek) First Nations and the Métis Bay Community.
Some practiced their licks while others, like Tssessaze, began to learn the basics.
She said the weekend activities gave her a chance to focus on experiencing different sports-related programs and meeting new people—and the chance to root for the Jets when they take on the Calgary Flames on Sunday night. .
It will be her third time watching the team play at the Life Canada Center with her peers through the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre.
“I’m looking forward to the most fun from the Jets game — that’s what I’m excited about,” Tssessaze said.
Neufeld, who played for the Jets between 1985 and 1988, said he enjoys teaching young people new skills, and being a role model for kids who are interested in hockey.
“You learn a little bit about their culture, which is nice. Just interacting with them, seeing the smiles on their faces and just the fun they have — that’s always the best part for me,” he said at the rink. .
Success stories, resistance
The youth also participated in a cooking and nutrition session at Camp Manitou, along with workshops focusing on mental health and health — learning opportunities they can take back to their communities, WASAC’s executive director said Friday. , Trevor Laforte.
The Sports Center has operated for about two decades in northern communities, he said. For the past seven years, she has partnered with True North for the annual WASAC night, including designing an Indigenous logo and jersey for the Jets.
“Those successes are very visible, but there are a lot of successes that are a little bit under the radar … but they carry a lot of weight,” Laforte said.
Winnipeg Jets Wasac jerseys will be auctioned at Sunday’s game in support of the center, True North said.
Representatives from the True North and Municipal and Provincial Governments presented a check for more than $45,000 to the Indigenous Sports Group, which will help fund programming for youth interested in sports.
While there are many stories of struggle and hardship within indigenous communities due to the lingering impacts of colonialism and residential schools, center co-founder Kevin Chief said it’s important for indigenous people, especially young people, to hear stories based on success. and resistance.
“You have to be able to show them role models who have struggled, who have gone through adversity, and they can see a reflection of themselves in that struggle,” Chief said.
Sunday’s game will include performances by North End band Métis Fiddle Players Morgan Grace and Jason Lepine, Métis country singer Catie St. Germain, Inuit throat singers Nikki Komaksiutiksak and her daughter Chasity Swan, and round dance singers Nathaniel Sinclair of the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation and Darryl Buck of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation.
Métis singer Krista Rey will perform the national anthem. Ball drop is at 5pm CT.
