Pathways to Rural Alberta

Blog 4: June 16-July 31

Throughout May and June, I collaborated with Kayla Matthew and curators from the Unsettling Pioneer Museums in Alberta project to complete the Main Gallery at the Camrose and District Centennial Museum. In this blog post, I will outline how the displays relate to one another, mirroring ideas and creating conversations that result in an underlying shared narrative that informs the gallery. Our displays are informational in isolation, and provocative in collaboration.

The Western Canadian Landscapes as Souvenirs Display, which I curated, describes the commodification of land and the environmental impacts of separating monetary gains from the actual ecosystems that support various species necessary for biodiversity and sustaining life on earth. In my display, I decided not to mention Indigenous peoples since I am a settler, but the Indigenous displays we do have in the gallery work with my display to emphasize that this land and the money made from it have never properly belonged to the Canadian government. The Sunny Boy Display, for example, describes how stereotyped images of Indigenous peoples were used as stamps for prizes found in Sunny Boy cereal boxes, and ultimately brought in profits that were never seen by the Indigenous peoples stereotyped.

Neither the profits from Sunny Boy nor tourism originally benefited Indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples had to source their own income from tourism. During the 19th and 20th centuries, increases in tourism at Niagara Falls created an independent source of income for Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe women. These resourceful women created souvenirs using traditional beadwork to cater to the tastes of Victorian visitors to the Falls. The Souvenir display exhibits these objects, preserved by the tourists who bought them. The Niagara Falls tourism booklet placed in the case alongside the souvenirs shows how landscapes, sourced from Indigenous land, were also commodified and sold to tourists as souvenirs. These cultural artifacts remind us of how crafting and making are important to preserving and also shaping culture as practices are adapted for new audiences.

Métis, Haudenosaunee, and Anishinaabe beading, along with Norwegian crafts, are all artifacts that emphasize how making is an integral part of preserving culture. While the genocide of Indigenous peoples is completely different from the experience of cultural loss after emigration, settlers in Canada also used crafts to preserve and adapt their cultures under challenging circumstances. The Norwegian rosemåling that decorates the bowls we have on display is an example of settlers preserving culture through traditional folk art. Curating is also a type of craft that can be used to preserve culture and influence the types of stories we tell about cultural histories. Crafted items from curators can be used to highlight certain artifacts or cultural representations.

The arrowhead display, curated by Heather Caverhill and Skye Haggerty, utilizes cyanotypes to showcase the shapes and details of arrowheads in the Museum’s collection. Alongside the display case is an example of how cyanotype was used to make blueprints. There is an interesting tension between the old use of this process to plan settler developments on Indigenous land and the contemporary usage to showcase the technology and skill of Indigenous Peoples. Haggerty also plans on adding additional crafted items to the display. Functional applications of making are also seen in the 19th and 20th-century settler crafting display. While the embroidery and other embellishments may draw most of your attention, do not forget that these items all have functional purposes. The table runner and crocheted trivet protected the surfaces of tables. The floral bag was used to store objects, and the rag rug kept floors dry. The embellishments and colourful fabrics were added to the making of these objects and emphasize the time and detail put into them, just as the cyanotype works to showcase the skill used to make the arrowheads. By showcasing their outlines and calling attention to the details of the objects, the skill required to make them is made obvious.

The preserved crafted items alongside the crafts of curators show how narratives are continuously made and adapted. How we choose to display artifacts dictates what narratives we are presenting. The gallery we have created tells a complex narrative about ownership, making, preserving, culture, and colonization, which invites visitors to ask themselves how they fit into this narrative. Through the diverse voices and expertise of the curators, we have created a dynamic gallery that provokes thought and reflection.

Creating a Path of Least Resistance to an Organic Perspective – The Intro: Part I/IV

“I come to realize that the mind is nothing other than rivers and mountains and the great wide Earth, the Sun and the Moon and the Stars” -Dogen Zenji

When lightning zigs and zags through the great Albertan sky, though impacted by a myriad of external variables, it still travels in a pattern. The path it travels – is that of least resistance.

Somewhat serendipitously, this electric behavior appears to also be an organic, fundamental quality to how Life exists and develops at all scales. Think of ants forming neat efficient lines to get a breadcrumb, bears opting for berry scavenging over hunting during harvest season, humans choosing cars over bikes, or planes over cars – examples of this pattern permeate the Tree of Life.

I reflected on this deeply in my first few weeks working and becoming more familiar with the various Canadian Northern Society (CNS) locations, as well as the great folks who help upkeep and run them (the Heritage Station Gardens in Camrose, and the Heritage Station Grasslands at Meeting Creek). My team leader – Glenys Smith – is one of the main reasons I applied to be placed with CNS and have her as my mentor. Having volunteered at the gardens before, both as a student and on my own time as an individual – I got to know just how immensely knowledgeable and proficient she was at organic gardening and land management practices, particularly ones which have been proven to work in the uniquely extreme climate of Alberta’s Prairies (that Camrose County is within).

Having time to speak with her at length as I worked under her lead – was incredibly illuminating, and helped me gain a much deeper understanding of the general landscape in the successes and struggles that the Canadian Northern, as well as the gardeners and farmers in the area, experienced and dealt with on a daily basis. Invasive weeds stood out as a prime problem in need of an effective and efficient solution.
Though many can be named, the following trio are arguably the most infamous culprits in the area: Quack grass, Brome grass, and particularly Canadian Thistle (which is very prickly and no fun to deal with).

What do these three have in common that they are so successful at persistently causing trouble you may ask?

That was my question too, and after some botanical research, it became obvious they indeed shared a pattern – these weeds were all rhizomal. Without getting too technical, that means the true roots of the plants are formed as systems and spread horizontally deep below the ground – so when you pull the weed that you see aboveground – it does not significantly impact the core root systems underground. As a rough metaphor, akin to pulling an apple off an apple tree… though perhaps a more accurate analogy would be cutting a whole branch – seeing as while mildly damaging, it has little impact on the core roots of the tree itself or its ability to propagate further.

So… pulling them out doesn’t get rid of them permanently, neither does spraying with chemicals (like roundup or other phospho-glyphosates and non-organics) – all that does is merely push the problem to a later date, while the rhizomal roots can keep spreading freely deep underground, and the weeds return in ever greater force.

The current path of least resistance for the majority of Albertans is to use these non-organic chemicals, seeing as manual pulling requires far more work for no ‘obvious’ benefit to the individual. Of course that is just it, the benefits may not be obvious, yet artificial chemical formulations, particularly glyphosate based ones (Roundup is a widely known and used example) – beyond disrupting and debilitating entire ecosystems, have been directly and repeatedly linked to carcinogenic effects in humans, and have shown to be a major risk factor in causing a type of cancer called Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34052177/).

(more on this in the following entries)

As I got into the flow of things a bit, ideas I have been pondering for a while were merging and distilling into something uniquely and entirely new.

Weeding and pruning the gardens in Camrose, prepping the food garden beds at Meeting Creek, getting to know how it all happens, as well as the people who made it so – it was educational, fascinating, and incredibly engaging. I began to realize how I could apply my skills and potential to help even more…

The original request from the Canadian Northern Society was that I create a pamphlet or brochure of sorts – combining useful information such as local organic gardening practices and pest management methods into an easy to read and distribute format. Being quite friendly with computers, I proposed the idea of going beyond the base task – and creating a local knowledge database, as well as a user interface for it – a central repository of all organic and natural management practices. I envisioned it as a local Wiki of sorts – a way to bridge the knowledge gap – to reach even those who may not care! A means to forge Organic Paths of Least Resistance – a return to the Polar opposite of the artificial practices we have been driven toward and accustomed to in the past century.

Thus, my work on p.o.l.a.r. began – the Organic Paths of Least Resistance Archive, a knowledge Hub to serve as a means to instantly connect anyone who seeks a more natural path forward – with the knowledge and wisdom of those who have tread that path already.

A phrase that stuck with me and I like to say often: it is the Team work – that makes the Dream work.

For the more you share, the more your bowl will be plentiful =)

It has been a truly awesome journey getting to know the various communities and natural areas here. As someone who grew up in a city and became oversaturated with artificiality from a young age, I ended up progressively moving to more rural places in search of real experience and connection… Having discovered here that uniquely organic experience of belonging – the feeling of being Home, being a part of and connected to a greater whole – a Community. As incredible as I have found getting to know the people and becoming part of the community here – so have I fallen deeply in love with the endless skies, boundless fields, and infinite horizons of Alberta. Camping and backpacking in these parts has been one of the greatest joys of my life (and has now likely become a lifelong pursuit). The Nature here has held a hypnotic sway over me since I first arrived, and now it is my sincere joy to be able to answer the call and contribute how I can.

“To see a World in a grain of sand
And a Heaven in a wildflower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.”
-William Blake

(to be continued in The Blueprint: Part II/IV)

Blog 3: June 2nd-June 14th

Kayla and I have successfully planned and designated displays for all of our cases. Our partners at the Chuck Macleans Arts Centre, Tanya Pattullo and Jayla Calon, who run the museum, wanted the gallery to centre around “Canada in Camrose.” I proposed my displays in a meeting with them and they approved of my ideas. The displays I will be working on are: “Local Sports Teams: Sport and Community”, “Landscapes as Souvenirs: The Environmental Impact,” and “Canada Day at the Camrose Museum Since 1967.” Dr. Andrea Korda, a professor at Augustana also came in recently and reassembled three displays that were curated by team members of the “Unsettling Pioneer Museums in Alberta” project. These displays were created before the renovation and showcase important Indigenous histories and narratives. It was essential for these displays to be put back up. The Niagra Falls Souvenir display explains how Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe women utilized their beadwork to bring income to their families by selling souvenirs to tourists in the area throughout the 19th century. The Métis Display exhibits important cultural artifacts and educates visitors about Métis culture, values, history and way of life. Finally, the Sunny Boy display shows how racist stereotypes were extremely commonplace in Canada, and also how these stereotypes about Indigenous peoples were commodified and used to sell products. Team members from the “Unsettling Pioneer Museums in Alberta” project, Skye Haggerty (MA) and Dr. Heather Caverhill came down Sunday the 15th to finish an arrowhead display they have been planning since before the renovation. I was able to ask Skye and Heather questions about my displays and receive feedback and ideas from them. The arrowhead display will feature arrowheads from the archives along with cyanotype prints of the arrowheads on fabric. I look forward to sharing the end result in my next blog!

Now back to my displays! For the “Local Sports Teams: Sport and Community” I have already displayed a Bawlf Baseball team uniform and beside it, included a 1907 photograph of the team. Bawlf is a small town just 27 kilometres southeast of Camrose. There is also a women’s baseball uniform I found and displayed. The team is “Eliot’s” but I have not yet been able to research the origins of this team. I also plan to display sports artifacts from our archives such as baseball equipment and other sports important to our area such as cross-country skiing and skating. I would like to add additional interpretive text which speaks to the importance of small-town community sports teams as they foster connections and relationships.

The “Landscapes as Souvenirs: The Environmental Impact,” display will showcase a collage I created with postcards from our archives showing Western Canadian Landscapes. I want to draw attention to the commodification of these landscapes by objectifying them and turning them into souvenirs to be purchased and collected. None of these postcards were used as a form of written communication, but rather as a way to detach aesthetic from land. Through other ways of commodifying land and its resources, climate change has negatively impacted our landscapes through wildfires. I want to emphasize to the readers that we do not want these landscapes to only be viewed in museums, as relics of the past pre-climate change. Through this interpretation, I hope to encourage our visitors to consider how they view the land, and how changing these perspectives can contribute to environmental sustainability.

Display case which will house physical post cards,travel guides and other souvenirs

Finally my “Canada Day at the Camrose Museum Since 1967” display will be housed in the front counter display case and will consist of newspaper clippings and photographs from earlier Canada Day celebrations at the museum. The Camrose and District Centennial Museum was opened through a centennial grant from the Canadian Government to celebrate Canada’s 100th birthday. Therefore, the museum opened on July 1st, 1967 and since then the museum has continued its relationship to Canada Day. The newspaper clippings I have found have been very interesting. My favourite so far is an advertisement for the “Side Whiskers Contest” on the museum’s opening day, where the winner took home $500 value in prizes! The free cake newspaper clipping from 1982 is also interesting as we still continue that tradition at the museum by handing out free cupcakes!

I have also contacted the Camrose Library and asked them to supply a collection of Canadian and Indigenous-authored children’s books for our front “Parlour” vignette. My contact at the museum, Louis Ducsharm, has informed me that it is completely possible!

My colleague Kayla is also planning an art display which will showcase landscape paintings from an artist named Theodore Schintz. We have also invited a group from Dr. Korda’s Museums project-based course from Fall 2024 to continue their proposed work to the “Kamifurano: Camrose’s Sister City” display. They were unable to complete this work because of the renovations. We are currently awaiting their response, and if they are unable to return, both Kayla and I will work to put the display back together and follow their project plans.

The above picture is what our current gallery setup is. There is still so much work to do before Canada Day but I am optimistic that we will complete all of our tasks, and the finished gallery will be the result of a wonderful collaborative effort, and a space with diverse perspectives!

Blog 2: May 20th-May 30th

This blog will be shorter as there are fewer individual tasks to outline because they took a significant amount of time.

Kayla and I’s first job after the long weekend was to move all the newly boxed artifacts from old displays into the storage shelves we cleared the week before. We moved all the carriages, strollers, bicycles, and tricycles (among other artifacts) into storage. They were housed above our old cases in the main gallery prior to the renovation. We also cleared a space for all of our Kamifurano (Camrose’s sister city in Japan) artifacts to be housed together. We moved some items to the Old Timer’s Hut to be displayed as I discussed in my last post, and moved three wagons into the RCMP building for storage. As always this included creating a detailed list of accession numbers and new locations. The gallery is almost empty, save for our display cases, and ready for us to begin planning displays.

We also gave our first school tour! I did not take any pictures for privacy reasons but I truly had so much fun teaching the kids about the past and seeing them interact with our displays in the outer buildings. Their curiosity and joy were contagious and I look forward to giving more school tours throughout the summer! Their love of the museum inspires me even more as I continue my work here to create an exciting learning environment for all ages.

On Friday the 28th, we had employees from the Chuck Maclean Arts Centre to help us with preparing for Canada Day. They were a great help and we were able to finish cleaning out the RCMP building, checking supplies for Canada Day and touching up our international games picnic tables. These tables depict games from different countries for kids to play on our opening day.

Camrose & District Centennial Museum 2025-Post 1-Faith Adam

April 28th-May 16th

Background

During the summer of 2025, I am working at the Camrose and District Centennial Museum. The main building of the Museum has been refloored and painted. Due to these renovations, all the displays have been taken down and moved into storage. This summer I will be focusing on putting the main exhibits back together, organizing artifacts, creating a reading nook, and other general organization and day-to-day facilitation of the Museum. I am working with Kayla-Mae Matthew; one of last year’s Pathways interns, who is back at the Museum and now funded through an external grant.

Camrose & District Centennial Museum Main Gallery Building

Museum Clean on April 28

It was rewarding to clean the outer buildings of dust, dirt, and fly corpses. We had lots of help from volunteers so it went by quite quickly. I was happy to see how much cleaner each of the buildings looked once we were done. I had no idea how much dirt could accumulate in just a few months of being closed. I worked on the Chapel, Grue House and Fire Hall buildings

Stairs of the Grue House Now Fly Corpse Free

Church Ladies’ Group and Jane’s Walk on April 30

Kayla and I opened the Chapel up for a Church Ladies’ group service. The ladies in this group were very kind and interested in the Museum. The Chapel is an original building moved onto our grounds and I think it is so wonderful that the building is still able to serve the community as both a historical and educational space, as well as a place for worship. We then planned to tour a group of people around the outer buildings as part of a community event called “Jane’s Walk” but unfortunately nobody showed up. It was nice to meet the event organizer, Emily Sangster, and speak with her about the community group, Walkable Camrose. Our conversation gave me hope that the Museum could continue to support this organization and others in the community.

Week 1 (May 5-10)

We have already taken all the painter’s tape down, organized the office, set up a postal office display and began organizing artifacts into four piles: outer building storage, outer building display, main building display, and main building storage. The postal office display was my initiative and I am pleased with how it turned out.

New Post Office Display

There is a slight overflow of artifacts and limited storage, so we have to be very conscious of space. These artifacts cannot just simply be thrown away, if we did want to get rid of them, we would have to go through a process called deaccessioning and neither of us is qualified to do so. We have planned to go through our storage room and organize it to make more room for the artifacts that we will not be able to display. July 1st will be our deadline to have the main building displays completed as the museum’s grand opening will take place on Canada Day.

Week 2 (May 12-16)

This week I have been focusing on organizing the storage room, which is a timely process. Each time I move an artifact to another location I have to write down the accession number and its new location to put into our system. In two days I cleared twelve shelves and condensed the artifacts onto a wooden organizational system that was not being used. This clear space allowed us to store our containers of negatives here, which made room in the back for more artifacts that currently have no home due to the renovations. This work was very rewarding. When the renovations happened, everything that was on display was haphazardly thrown into boxes or put into storage. Now, I must work on placing the artifacts we do not wish to display into boxes, and writing down their accession numbers and new home in storage. With the new layout of the museum, we are being more thoughtful with which artifacts we display and the narrative we wish to create within the main gallery, and overall museum. I have also found many prescription bottles and bandages to be put into our pharmacy display outside of the main building in the Old Timer’s Hut. This work is tedious but once we move the boxes into storage it will be wonderful to see how much space we have in the gallery again.

Process of organizing the storage room and creating additional shelf space for other artifacts

Organizing the gallery artifacts

YMM: Final Project Presentations

Over my last two weeks with Young Medical Minds, I spent my time writing reports, creating visuals, and preparing for presentations.

The reports I wrote included four documents that encompassed the work I did over the summer. These reports included a Project Summary Report, Study Report, Alumni Event Handbook, and revisions to the YMM Handbook. The Project Summary Report included descriptions and instructions for all my tasks this summer including the Young Medical Minds website, recruitment material, alumni event, protocol changes, and the study. The Study Report and Alumni Event Handbook are more extensive details of the study responses and cost analysis for the Alumni Event. As for the Young Medical Minds Handbook, it is a document which is updated continuously to reflect changes in the program. I slightly modified the handbook to include new roles in the program, practices for storing information, and instructions on how to contact participants.

Possibly the most exciting part of my summer was making the presentations to showcase my project! Last week, I participated in the University of Alberta, Augustana Campus, Three-Minute Thesis Competition which allowed me to showcase my study to the campus community. For a Three-Minute Thesis, I get a single slide and a maximum of three minutes to motivate my research, introduce it, provide results, and discuss the impacts and implications of the results – it is lots of fun! For my single slide, I used engaging Young Medical Minds pictures and my favourite statistics on the impacts of the program. I was very proud to stand up in front of my faculty and showcase the fantastic work that Young Medical Minds does for its participants. After my presentation, I was also asked to present my project at the Camrose City Council!

My last presentation is for Young Medical Minds and my supervisors over the summer which allows me to go more in-depth into my project. Having less of a time constraint, I will discuss more of the little things I did this summer and my favourite parts of my experience.

A sample slide from my presentation showcasing Young Medical Minds.

In conclusion, as my project finishes today and I reflect on the past four months, I have had a fantastic summer filled with successful projects, the Roadshow Tour, study responses, and presenting my work to the community. Overall, I was very proud to report the successes of Young Medical Minds, its impacts on its participants, and its contribution to healthcare, rural communities, and rural institutions. Young Medical Minds is a fantastic program and I look forward to seeing it continue to grow and influence people’s lives.

Hideaway Adventure Grounds

Last week the youth programming got to spend two beautiful days with our youth at Hideaway Adventure Grounds located in Kikino Metis Settlement. Founded in 2018, Hideaway Adventure Grounds provides campers with just what the name suggests- a place to hide away in nature. Metis knowledge keeper and founder, John Ritchie, provided our youth with two full days of immersion into Metis culture.

Day One

Our first day at the site consisted of a few activities. We started out on a tour of the site and amenities and a trail walk guided by John. We set up shop in one of John’s canvas tents for our main activity of the day- leather work. We spent the first part of the activity learning about the history of leatherwork and different techniques. Then we got to work on making our own leather pouches!

These pouches have many uses. Some kids used them as berry holders to carry the saskatoons picked on the grounds. It was shared with me that traditionally, these types of pouches are attached to clothes to carry sacred tobacco for offerings and ceremonies.

Each participant was able to trace and hand-cut the material straight from the main piece of tanned hide and pick out their leather lacing. We learned about different leather sewing techniques, lacing patterns, and drawstring mechanisms. We spent the next few hours working on our pouches and enjoying each other’s company. John used this time to share his life experiences as an Indigenous entrepreneur with us as well as his tricks and tips for crafting leather. Youth were able to craft and colour a leather bracelet along with their pouch. We learned about different Indigenous leather crafts and John got to work crafting a powwow belt for one of our youth’s Fancy Dance Powwow Regalia.

With our pouches finished, we set out to explore the grounds with another trail walk. The Friendship Centre provided me with books to bring along detailing native plant species that are edible/medicinal and documented by Indigenous sources. Our walk became a search for plants and an educational venture as we shared information on the plants we found.

Day Two

Our second day at Hideaway Adventure Grounds had us immersed in the life of a Voyageur. Voyageurs were young and sturdy men hired by big fur trading companies in Canada to transport goods in the 17th century. Many Voyageurs were Metis.

First, we learned about the physical requirements fur trading companies looked for. Young men with short and stocky builds (low centre of mass) who could keep up with the rigorous demands of transporting heavy goods through Canada’s river systems. John had set up a series of fitness tests for us to give us a little taste of the conditions voyageurs worked through. This testing started with a race- a snowshoe race! The kids strapped on their snowshoes and at the mark, competed in a short race. This represented the tough winter conditions the voyageurs had to brave to transport goods. Then, we were lined up for a second race. This time carrying a bundle of firewood to mimic how heavy the Voyageurs’ bundles were. (more challenging than I expected!).

Next, John provided us with a short demonstration on how to set up a shelter. We all got a chance to then build our own! After shelters were built, fire starting was the next important skill to learn. Using Ferro rods and cotton balls, we practised striking techniques to create sparks for fires. After a bit of practice, we learned how to properly stoke a fire so we can cook our hotdog lunch!

After the completion of our taste of Voyageur life, we spent the day foraging for Saskatoon berries! When our cups were full, we went back to the canvas tent and enjoyed some stories and Indigenous myths shared by John. The youth (and I) hope to return to Hideaway Adventure Grounds in late September for the Friendship Centre’s Cree Literacy Camp!

Lac La Biche Summer Days 2024

The end of July had the Centre staff working hard to plan and prepare the Lac La Biche Native Friendship Centre’s float for the annual Lac La Biche Summer Days kick-off parade. After joining the float design committee, I got to see the Centre’s creative side! Our float’s planning involved symbolic elements meaningful to Lac la Biche’s history, our Indigenous community, and some aspects of the complex history of the two combined.

We started with a canoe to represent the Hamlet of Lac La Biche’s historic connection to the fur trade. Historic explorer and mapmaker David Thompson was the first European to come across Lac La Biche Lake, guided by Metis Voyageurs. This addition to our floats is a parade replication of Thompson’s statue which resides on the same shore of the lake as our centre. We erected a teepee that was crafted and painted by the staff as a tribute to the strong commitment to Indigenous culture and identity in the community and centre. The float sported waves hand painted by the staff to represent the lake upon which our community was built with blue streamers to finish the look. A hand-painted Indigenous Medicine Wheel with a corresponding balloon arch was erected on the front and back of our float. The Medicine Wheel has important cultural and spiritual significance with 4 colours representing 4 pieces of many aspects of life. For our purposes, the four colours (white, yellow, red, and blue) represented respective stages of life (Elder, Baby, Youth, Adult).

My contribution to the float posed quite a challenge. Unsurprisingly, I have never built a beaver lodge before. The day before the parade as we were making our final preparations of all the different elements, I got busy building a lodge to go along with our collection of furs to represent Lac La Biche’s ties to the historic fur trade which played a monumental part in the community’s establishment with the government of Canada.

What started as a cardboard box and a pile of sticks and grass became quite the miniature rodent establishment. Although I don’t foresee any beavers moving in soon, I was told maybe a muskrat would appreciate it! All jokes aside, our symbols and elements came together in time for the annual parade. The kids from the youth programming, some dawning traditional regalia, represented the final touch on our float- the youth- and we walked and rode through the town handing out goodies to the enthusiastic parade crowd!

The Starr Of The Show

As I mentioned briefly in my previous blog post, my July schedule was primarily filled with planning.

After my coworker, Larissa heard my idea about bringing in coaches for sports camps, she presented me with a coach she had seen on social media promoting his camps he calls ‘Volleyball Life Lessons’. Her idea had me intrigued when I saw his volleyball resume. Hailing from Star Blanket Cree Nation, Saskatchewan, Kendall Starr has amassed an impressive career. A brief list of Starr’s highlights as an Indigenous athlete starts with his participation on an Indigenous volleyball team in Saskatchewan where they not only became the first-ever First Nations team to compete in a Volleyball Canada tournament in Moncton, New Brunswick, but also brought home a bronze medal at the Saskatchewan Volleyball Provincial Championships. After high school, Starr’s success in volleyball brought him to the Alberta Collegiate Athletics Association as a member of the Keyano College men’s volleyball team.

Furthermore, Starr went back to his home province to represent Team Saskatchewan at the North American Indigenous Games in the state of Colorado, USA. In 2012, Starr represented Team Saskatchewan again when the Aboriginal National Invitational Volleyball was hosted in Akwesasne, Ontario. In this tournament, his team brought home their first national-level volleyball title. Since then, Kendall has become a voice and role model in Indigenous volleyball. Starr has lots of experience hitting the road to host his camps at various Indigenous communities around Canada. We were very excited to confirm that Starr would be hosting his 22nd volleyball camp with us at the Bold Centre in Lac La Biche.

The planning for Lac La Biche’s version of Starr’s Volleyball Life Lessons had begun. Our two-day camp would be hosted over the weekend on the 27th and 28th of July and would include a morning and afternoon session on both days. This co-ed camp targeted youth ages 10-18 and the players would be split into two categories. The youth with no experience would be participating in the morning sessions and after a lunch break open to both cohorts, we would begin with the afternoon session for youth with some experience.

We were relieved to hear that he was able to fit us into his busy schedule for two days at the end of July, but we were stumped at how we were going to fund this camp on such short notice (it isn’t cheap to host a coach with so much experience!). It was then that we decided to reach out beyond the Centre to Lac La Biche’s surrounding Indigenous communities. After compiling a list of our respective contacts in each community, I got busy making phone calls. As we had just over 2 weeks to plan this camp, we had to work fast. Our goal was to have 5 Indigenous communities help cover part of the cost and in exchange, they would be able to send up to a certain number of youths to participate in a 4-session weekend day camp at no cost to the youth. After days of phone calls, extensive networking and many emails, it was clear that our original plan of action wasn’t feasible. With such short notice, some of the communities already had plans for their youth programs on the weekend of our camp. That prompted us to open the camp to the public for a fee. It was then that I put my digital design skills (that I had learned in Augustana’s AUIDS 401 class) to use.

After we had our target audience confirmed, I went down the list of the “nitty-gritty” details. Everything from transportation/chaperones to food and permission slips that include everything we would need. We arranged for the participating communities to provide their own transportation and send one adult chaperone to support their youth (as well as participate in a drill or two). Permission slips turned out to be a task I had underestimated. As someone who has only taken permission slips home to be signed, I hadn’t given them much thought. Winston was a huge asset as he provided me with 6 different forms and documents that I was able to pull bits and pieces to create the final form that I sent out. Food was also a factor that was considered only the week before when I confirmed the viability of this camp. Through previous connections I had made in Lac La Biche, I was able to arrange an extremely charitable (and delicious) donation of a pizza lunch for both days by an Indigenous-owned local restaurant, Lee’s Burger Baron.

As the details were being ironed out, phone calls and emails were coming in for sign-ups! This was the most exciting part of the planning stage for me as every name meant one more youth being introduced to the sport through my camp. As the first day of the camp approached, small hurdles had me reaching out to Centre staff, old teachers of mine, as well as old friends from Lac La Biche to figure out the best course of action.

Finally, after many phone calls, emails, and charts, the day had arrived. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend the first day in person due to a previous commitment out of province, but I was kept up to speed by the staff in attendance. The first day had been an incredible success. The attendance was slightly lower than originally expected but that meant more one-on-one time for Coach Kendall to pass on his extensive knowledge of the sport.

The kids had so much fun and so did the staff chaperones who watched and participated. Parents approached the Friendship Centre staff to let them know how happy they are with how the camp went and expressed their hopes for another one next summer! On Sunday, I woke up early to make the drive from Saskatoon to Lac La Biche and was able to make it for the entire afternoon session. We had a blast! I participated in the majority of the drills and got to be a coach/captain for the scrimmage at the end.

The difference I saw in confidence and effort in the kids from the start to the end of this camp can only be attributed to the welcoming and encouraging atmosphere of the camp. Kids from different communities began to mingle and make new friends which added to the fun we were having. Kids who were too shy to answer questions at the start were jumping at the opportunity to add something to the conversation at the end.

I got to share my love and experience in the sport and connect with the players in the Sunday afternoon session. We discussed game tactics, opportunities volleyball can present hard-working athletes, and sportsmanship. Witnessing the young players express their passion for the sport and enjoy each other’s company made the stress of the previous two weeks well worth it.

Creating a space where the kids were able to be introduced (or reintroduced) to a sport (in this case, volleyball) through an Indigenous lens was one of the most fulfilling parts of my work this summer. We were able to fill almost 30 spots over the weekend and hearing the positive feedback from the kids, parents, and chaperones confirmed that the camp had been a success. I can’t thank the Friendship Centre staff enough for their support in this incredibly large and short-notice project.

I would like to thank Donna for her direction, encouragement and help in venue arrangements. Liz, for her wisdom, guidance, and budgeting advice. Kathy, for her help in the sign-up process as well as her constant reassurance. Finally, I would like to thank Larissa for her constant enthusiasm for the project and for sharing with me some of her contacts in the surrounding Indigenous communities.

I can’t thank the Friendship Centre staff enough for their support! Because of the success we have found in this first camp, we are looking towards a similar (but BIGGER) project for next summer.

Brief July Recap: LLB CNFC

My third month at the Lac La Biche Canadian Native Centre was packed! To give you all some proper insight into the events of month, I’ll be publishing multiple blog posts.

Community Elder’s Dinner

July started with the Friendship Centre’s Elder’s Dinner wellness event. Along with my fellow Friendship Centre staff and youth volunteers, I served refreshments to the Elders in attendance and helped to serve food for those with mobility challenges. The Friendship Centre hosts this free dinner to honour our community’s Elders and promote wellness through social connection. The event was complete with traditional foods, desserts, and a local Indigenous music artist. It was a delightful (and HOT) evening full of delicious food, laughs, and even some dancing! When the evening was winding down, us volunteers went around the room to each elder and sent them home with a wellness related gift.

Picture with the stars of the evening- the chefs!

Regular Programming Update

As for our youth centre’s regular programming throughout the month, we had a very relaxed July. Our youth programming had to be paused due to extreme weather conditions for a week in July. Otherwise, our activities consisted of relaxing days by the lake, practice reading out loud with some Indigenous Myths and Legends, and playing sports.

What’s In Store For The Rest Of July?

Due to illness, our hockey session planned for the end of the month was unfortunately cancelled. However, with the enthusiasm and support of my coworker, Larissa Heather, I got very busy very quickly planning a volleyball camp with a special guest coach for the end of July. This month was full of planning, phone calls, networking, and included a weekend with an awesome volleyball camp.

Stay tuned for more!