T7 FNYES & YES National – Entrepreneurial conferences for Indigenous youth!

Oki, tansi dear readers,

It sure has been a minute since my last post, hasn’t it? I’ve been keeping busy, but felt I’ve been neglecting this part of my life – so I am going to change that and get back into it! I have been keeping busy networking however, and hope to bring you some new posts soon!

Today I bring you a quick post on two great conferences directed at Indigenous youth interested in entrepreneurship here in Alberta and Canada . I have had the great fortune to be a delegate at both of these conferences and want to encourage other Indigenous youth who are interested in entrepreneurship to keep an eye out for sign up information. In fact, the deadline for the first conference I’ll talk about in this post is at the end of July here in Treaty 7 – read on to find out about my experience last year and for sign up information/links. Also included in this post is information on a National conference for Indigenous youth interested in entrepreneurship that I also attended last year and in 2014…and had a great time at!

Treaty 7 First Nations Youth Entrepreneur Symposium 

Last summer, I was looking for things to keep me occupied after graduation, that would also contribute to my growth as a woman interested in the business world. I stumbled across the Treaty 7 First Nations Youth Entrepreneur Symposium on social media. I decided to sign up, wait and see what happens, not really knowing what I was signing up for. A really great thing about the conference I would mention too – you don’t need to be a member of any Treaty 7 bands (Bearspaw, Bloods/Kainai, Chiniki, Piikani, Siksika, Tsuu T’ina, or Wesley), you just need to meet the age requirements (ages 18-35 accepted) and be an Indigenous youth residing in the Treaty 7 area (basically anywhere south of Banff, Alberta – in beautiful Blackfoot Territory). The sign-up process took probably less than an hour, maybe even less than a half-hour. The conference will take place from August 20-25, 2017 this year and the deadline to sign up is fast approaching – applications close on July 31, 2017. You can find the application by following this link to their Facebook page. Just click on the SIGN UP button.

After I applied, a few weeks later, I was making arrangements to make my way out to the Stoney Nakoda Resort on the Stoney Nakoda Nation (home to the Bearspaw, Chiniki, and Wesley people), to take part in this week-long conference with 20 or so other youth from around the Treaty 7 area. The organizers (Community Futures Treaty 7) are great in that they provide this pick-up service; pick-up spots are available along the way from Southern Alberta in Cardston, all the way to Calgary, to get you out to Stoney Nakoda in Kananaskis country. The transportation is also free of charge and included in your delegation. You can also choose to make your own way out to the resort if you so wish. Here’s a picture of the resort I found online – it’s a beautiful place, too bad I didn’t snap a pic (picture credit: http://www.hotel-r.net):

Once you arrive at the resort, you will have some downtime, and you will also meet the rest of the delegates. Accommodations are shared, but included in your delegation as well. You will be placed into groups with your peers to work on projects throughout the week that will ultimately give you the confidence to present a business plan in a real-live “Dragon’s Den” type presentation at the end. The judges are all business professionals with years of experience, and they will give you great feedback once your presentation is done. It was sure nerve-wracking, and there were times during the week we struggled – but in the end, all of the groups were prepared and did a great job! Many of us were completely out of our comfort zones, but being with your peers from across Treaty 7 provides you with some comfort. The friendships you will make throughout the week will always be there, especially since the other youth are all from the same area you are from. That is what I really enjoyed about the program – connecting with other Indigenous youth from the place I call home that are inspired and interested in bettering our respective communities through entrepreneurship.

The workshops throughout the week will give you the skills required for the presentation at the end of the week, but will also provide guidance when creating your group’s business plan. These are skills that you can then carry with you for the rest of your life, applying them to your future business ideas to make them come to life. You are also provided with opportunities to refine your leadership skills; last year the N.A.P.I. (Native Ambassador Post-secondary Initiative) program joined us and provided us with a day-and-a-half-long workshop in personal leadership. We also heard from past delegates who were now running their own businesses. It was really inspiring to hear about what the past delegates are up to, and how the workshops/sessions we were going through had helped them in their successes.

The week wasn’t only about work though! We also had a ton of fun, by partaking in white-water rafting, playing a friendly game of “Fear Factor” in the resort’s pool (where I ate a few crickets :P), and of course by hearing from a number of great speakers from the business world. You are also fed really well the whole time you are there, and the Stoney Nakoda resort is a beautiful facility. Here are a few pictures from the week – I was having so much fun though, I didn’t have a chance to take many! These pictures are from part of the “Fear Factor” games held, our NAPI session on personal leadership and just before our white-water rafting trip :

 

I strongly encourage anyone who is wanting to learn more about the world of entrepreneurship who fits the requirements for the conference to sign up. The conference is in it’s 19^th year this year, and many of the youth who have attended in the past now own there own business – Melrene Eagle Speaker of Native Diva Creations (who we had a chance to sit down with) was a past delegate and business is booming for her! She just finished another great year at the Calgary Stampede. The link for the Facebook page of the conference can be found here; follow it to find the sign-up link on the Facebook page! And remember – deadline is July 31^st! All delegates receive a stipend upon completion as well, and a certificate for successful completion of the program – you can then use that stipend to invest in your business!

You can also find more information about Community Futures Treaty 7 here – they do many other entrepreneurship centered events throughout the year here in Calgary and Southern Alberta! Follow them on Facebook to stay tuned for future events, many of which are low-cost or free to the public, and always focused upon Indigenous entrepreneurship.

YES National – Young Entrepreneurs Symposium

The next conference I want to share with you readers is the National Young Entrepreneurship Symposium (YES) (find Facebook page by following link), open to Indigenous Youth across Kanata (Canada) who are 19-30 years of age. The conference is held in a different city each year by the New Relationship Trust, a B.C. organization, and brings together Indigenous youth interested in entrepreneurship from all over Turtle Island/Kanata. Last year, the conference was held in Tkaronto (Toronto), Ontario and I was lucky enough to be selected to attend; this was my second time attending the conference, which was held in Calgary, Alberta in 2014 the first time I attended. Here’s a picture I took of my moccasins in the Big Smoke, off the balcony of my hotel in Downtown and me participating in the largest group selfie on the first day of YES 2016 :P:

 

This conference is all about energy! You will compete with your team of 8-10 youth from various First Nations/settlements/villages around Kanata, and you will definitely be pushed out of your comfort zone through out the 4 days you are at the conference. Your team will compete for 3 cash prizes that can be used to further your entrepreneurial projects. The competitions change every year, which I think is the best part of this conference – it keeps on changing, therefore every year you go, you can expect to be exposed to something new. Here’s what I am talking about when I say energy – team spirit is especially important, and you will be awarded points on just how well your team does not only in competitions, but also in team spirit/team effort. Here we are, dancing away for points in 2016 (lol – it was actually a video initially), our daily team look in 2014 and our team photo for social media that we created in 2014 (go Dandy Lions!):

 

 

In addition to the competitions throughout the week, delegates also learn from various speakers – some of who are very well-known in the Indigenous community. The speakers include film actors, TV actors, activists, and others who are trail blazing for our communities, including past YES delegates. The speakers that I have had the pleasure of hearing from during the 2 times I have attended this conference have always inspired me to continue on my path while helping others, as they all have. Here’s a picture of me and my good friend with some of the cast from Blackstone (an Indigenous drama that aired on APTN) in 2014 as well as my team from 2014 looking snazzy for the banquet:

I think the best part of YES National is learning about the experiences of other Indigenous Youth from across Kanata, however. The friendships I have made at YES I know will last a lifetime and I am so thankful for the opportunity to have met some of these amazing youth, who are doing great things in their communities and for the Indigenous community at large. I really enjoyed learning more about the nuances between our cultures, as well as the similarities. The best part of YES is the connections you will make, and knowing that you have people who care about you from all four directions.

Many of the youth will attend YES over and over again, and the best part of attending in 2016 was being placed on the same team again as one of my team members from 2014! Re-connecting with other youth I met in 2014 was also a highlight, and I am so thankful for our paths having crossed again. I really hope that I will be able to attend this year’s conference as well, so fingers crossed! I am so very thankful for the opportunity however to be a 2x delegate, and hope that I can attend at least a few more times before I turn 30! Here are some shots from the week and from the banquet dinner that occurs on the last night when the winners are crowned:

 

There are several ways that you can be a delegate for YES – you can ask your Band to sponsor you, find a sponsor other than your band (such as an organization you are known to), or pay the delegation fees yourself (includes hotel, flight, meals and registration costs). While the cost can be pricey, it is so very worth the days you will spend participating in the conference; you will have many experiences throughout the week that you just can’t put a price on. There are also a number of wait-list spots for the conference, by which if a sponsorship becomes available, it will be given to those who are on the wait-list. However, delegates are encouraged to find their own sponsorship prior to attempting the wait-list. For more information you can find contact information for the conference here. You can also find the Facebook page for YES here.

This year’s conference will be held in November from the 27th to the 30th in the beautiful unceded Coast Salish Territory now known as Vancouver, British Columbia. If you are interested in sponsoring a deserving youth to go to the conference, but maybe not have an individual in mind, please follow this link to find out more information on sponsorship opportunities – please know that it will be greatly appreciated by the youth who will benefit from your sponsorship. Cost of sponsorship depends on province of travel origination and ranges from $1500 – $2500, but this includes:

• Sponsorship covers Travel Accomodations, Meals and Registration fee for one delegate
• Logo placement on YES 2016 Sponsor signage at event
• Logo included in YES 2016 program
• Opportunity to insert promotional material in delegate kits
• Website sponsor recognition

YES is forever indebted to the sponsors, and the youth who have attended YES always speak of it as a life-changing experience. I know for me, it has had that effect, and I encourage anyone who is looking for a way to give back to Indigenous youth to consider providing sponsorships for this unique gathering of bright, Indigenous minds. I truly believe that entrepreneurship is a way for our communities to begin to heal, and to reach sovereignty, and gatherings like this reaffirm that position. The talented youth I have met at these conferences also reaffirm that, and provide the need/demand for conferences like this. I am excited to see what this year will bring, and I am hopeful that I will be in attendance!

Thank you for reading my long over-due post. If you are interested in the above conferences, take a chance and sign up! You never know who you will meet, or what you will learn!

Again, thank you readers for sticking around. Look out for my next post – I had the great fortune of being able to travel to Tkaranto a few times after YES 2016, and I definitely made the most out of it! I visited a few Indigenous owned businesses I was recommended, and I wasn’t disappointed. My next blog post will talk about my adventures in the Big Smoke and the wonderfully authentic Indigenous businesses I visited there. Until next time – stay beautiful readers, and thank you for your never wavering support of this blog! Even when I don’t keep up with it! I’ll leave you with a little snapshot of some of these bannock/berry treats I got to eat there at the new restaurant in Tkaranto known as NishDish. Kitakitamaatsin (Until we meet again):

The Tastes and Sights of Vancouver

Oki, Tansi, my dear readers:

As you know, I recently had the good fortune to spend a few days in Vancouver and what a trip it was! In addition to enjoying the ocean, the seas, and that fresh salt-air, I was also lucky enough to meet some locals, enjoy some great Canadian Indigenous food at Salmon n’ Bannock, and learn more about the history of the city, particularly about the Eastside. This is a bit of a longer post – but I think you will enjoy it!

The highlight of my trip was getting the opportunity to sit down with one of the owners of Salmon n’ Bannock – a one of a kind restaurant in the city, located on West Broadway, serving traditional Indigenous cuisine in the heart of Vancouver. Salmon n’ Bannock takes traditional Indigenous ingredients from across Canada, and incorporates them into lovely dishes with a modern palate. Before enjoying a HUGE buffalo meat “Indian Taco” (a flat taco like dish on baked bannock with all of the taco fixings) and ending it off with a (shared :P) huckleberry pie and a bannock bread pudding, I tried a eulachon. It was prepared traditionally up in the far North – this small little fish is smoked for 14 hours, and meant to be eaten whole: bones, head and everything! If anyone knows me, you know I’m only really a fan of salmon (I grew up on the prairies, give me a break! :P) but this was so good I would definitely try again! No wonder they call it a delicacy! I think my dad and boyfriend were surprised I actually tried it and enjoyed it! Here’s the meal I had, along with those eulachons, some candied salmon (which was to die for and amazing, I can’t say better things about it!) and the desserts we ordered to share (minus a bite :P). By the way, all of Salmon n’ Bannock’s bannock is baked, not fried, for you health conscious readers wondering:

Sitting down with Inez, 51% owner of Salmon n’ Bannock, she told me a little background about her life and shared with me that she was adopted out of her culture at a young age (unfortunately, such stories can be common in FNMI communities, as this adopting out was once government policy and is still happening today. Here is a good article you can read on that topic, if you are interested). Through opening her business, Inez is not only breaking down cultural barriers between Indigenous and mainstream culture while blazing paths and creating opportunities for other First Nations, Métis and Inuit [FNMI] folks (her staff is all FNMI, and she even had a Blackfoot woman like me working there, from the same tribe!), but Inez has also been revisiting her roots and reconnecting to her culture through this endeavour. This aspect is so important and very respectable especially given that she was taken away from her culture and never fully got the chance to experience it growing up. However, as Inez shows us, it is never too late to reconnect and begin to decolonize through traditional resistance and practicing our cultural ways.

Picture source link

Not only has she created an opportunity for herself to get more in touch with her roots, she has also created opportunities for other Indigenous folks to reconnect to our food culture, as well as an opportunity for cross-cultural learning for non-Indigenous folks. Not to mention, she is giving our FNMI people within the culinary world an outlet and creating economical bases in many First Nations communities through her collaborative approach to her menu items. As someone who enjoys seeking out the traditional cuisine of visited countries, Inez was shocked that there was not such a place in one of the most bustling Canadian cities that catered towards an Indigenous menu for the original inhabitants of Turtle Island; I am so glad that her and her business partner took it upon themselves to share the diverse cuisine of our FNMI communities with the world –  I’m sure her many business connections that help build the menus are as well!

I really enjoyed the meal, seeing the friendly FNMI staff and people of all backgrounds and ethnicities enjoying our traditional meals, and of course, Inez’s dedication to her customers. I am very thankful for her sitting down with me and speaking to me; even though she is busy trying to manage a restaurant on the days that she is there and cater to other customers (either her or her business partner are there in body to give customers a more personalized experience, sometimes both), she still took the time to sit with me and give me her full attention, which was very refreshing. I gifted her with a small wreath of sweetgrass from my traditional territory to thank her for speaking with me (which is an important aspect when asking for favours in many FNMI communities).

As a woman who has studied business, it’s always great to see women in business, and even more so, due to my heritage, FNMI women in business. The structure of their business, a 51% ownership share for Inez and 49% for her non-Indigenous business partner Remi, is one way that this duo also shows us how we can build bridges between cultures while also promoting FNMI business ownership. I’m excited to see what the future holds for this business – Inez hopes for a second location, bigger space, and more customers, but is also looking forward to all things the Creator has in store. If you are in the area, make sure to book your reservation today! You won’t regret it – I only regret not going sooner when I’ve had the chance! Great prices, great food, and an overall great atmosphere! Here’s some photos of the meal my parent’s ordered – traditional game meat with all the fixings (looked soo good):

In addition to hanging around West Broadway, I also found myself in the East Van area a lot that weekend. I didn’t really expect to end up in East Vancouver, but maybe things happen for a reason. This area has gotten a bad rap in the public space for many reasons, some related to those reasons that are stealing some of our brothers and sisters from us. However, aside from the less than perfect reputation this side of town has, it has also been the site of many grassroots activism and you can really see the spirit of the neighbourhood in how people look out for each other there.

In the Eastside, I got the opportunity to attend a gathering happening at Shop Wrong with a bunch of up and coming FNMI youth artists blazing paths in their respective fields (drama, film, music) and even got to purchase a cool piece of art there as well that prompted me to learn more about the area. While they are not Aboriginal owned, they do participate in the East Van community very heavily, and also support young budding FNMI artists by hosting free workshops and putting their art on display in their shop for free, in addition to the many other services they provide to the community through their other endeavours. I didn’t even know such a place existed! Here is a blog post that speaks more to that and you can also visit their Facebook page here. After that night, a relative also brought us to visit the memorial for our Missing and Murdered Indigenous (and non-Indigenous!) Women and Men down by the docks (which is an issue I actively speak out against, due to the closeness that it hits home for me from having friends/family who have lost their loved ones due to senseless, colonial, and gendered violence or been subject to such violence themselves). We gave a moment of silence for those that we have lost, and I am thankful to my boyfriend’s cousin for bringing us to see it, as I was unaware there was such a marker. Although this side of town has gotten a bad rap, the stories and the history within that side of the city, in my opinion, show our true humanity – the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, and most importantly, the resiliency of the human spirit:

Now I am back in Calgary, and graduation has come and gone. I’m working on getting my own business established and keeping up the blog with more frequent posts; I’ve been seeking out Aboriginal businesses here in the city this past month along my travels and actually, once you start seeking things out, isn’t it funny how many opportunities come about? It’s been a good month, and I met a lot of artists in the Calgary community, as I finally put myself out there and submitted a piece in an art show. I’m really excited to show you dear readers just how diverse the Aboriginal business world really is! Look out for my next post on FNMI art in Calgary; I’ll be showcasing a few artists that have been in the art business for various years, working with mediums such as acrylics, oils, and more traditional materials/handmade crafts like hides and other useful tools made from animal parts, as per tradition.

Also – please excuse my interchanging with Aboriginal, Indigenous, and FNMI – sometimes I don’t like to use the term Aboriginal as it a colonial, government term so I sometimes use Indigenous in it’s place, or FNMI to be a little clearer of which Indigenous groups I am talking about, as the Indigenous world is very diverse and every country has Indigenous peoples! I still use the term Aboriginal in my posts, as usually people will search Aboriginal business instead of FNMI business or Indigenous business, when searching for FNMI businesses. Thank you for understanding, and sorry if it annoyed anyone. There is a method to my craziness! I’ll leave you now with a picture of my first painting I’ve ever entered into an art show (that wasn’t at my high school lol) – it address business success and structures that have been built upon colonialism; how fitting for my blog though and our next post about art :P! (Ps – it’s for sale, inquire if interested!):

Kitakitamaatsin (until we meet again),

Cheyenne