Youth Fusion peers help First Nations youth achieve academic success

For Indigenous people, says André-Yanne Parent, “the experience of school has been very traumatic.”

That’s why Parent, of the group Youth Fusion, is working to ensure that schools reach out to parents. She wants schools to “go outside of their walls to be present and fully participate in their communities.”

Youth Fusion is a charity organization dedicated to creating ties between schools and the communities they serve, providing support to at-risk youth and lowering school dropout rates. Parent, the director of education programming for Indigenous communities, helps organize full-time programming 30 hours a week in schools from September to June across Quebec.

Youth Fusion has been present in Eeyou Istchee for six years. They have partnerships with the Cree Nation Justice Department, the Cree Nation Youth Council, Cree Nation Human Resources Department, the Cree Health Board and Social Services of James Bay and of course, the Cree School Board, that help finance school programs in media and cinema, video-game creation, leadership, academic support and more.

“We hire university graduates or [university] students in their field of expertise to bring experiential learning into the classroom and into the school,” relates Parent. “Our approach to school perseverance is having more peer-to-peer teaching and more concrete, hands-on activities.”

Parent, a Mi’kmaq, is very enthusiastic about the First Nations programming she’s been developing with the award-winning charity, known as Fusion Jeunesse in other areas of Quebec.

The students Youth Fusion hires receive training to prepare them for the community where they will be working, especially inter-cultural knowledge, she says. “For our team working in Eeyou Istchee we make sure that they have basic Cree language knowledge, that they’re able to meet with Elders and other people who can tell them more about the culture.”

For elementary students, Youth Fusion’s programs focus on student engagement. High school programs centre on leadership and healthy living. Each school year the programs culminate in extra-curricular activities that aim to take what the students have learned a step further, applying their lessons, challenging them to grow and creating networks amongst communities and nations.

Recently, Youth Fusion organized two events for young Crees – a leadership conference for high school students held in Waswanipi and a weekend camp in Eastmain for Grade 5 and 6 students from Chisasibi, Eastmain, Waskaganish and Nemaska. In order to participate in these special activities students need to be actively involved in their school and community.

“It’s really a question of whether or not you’ve been active and engaged with the school and the student council throughout the course of the year,” explained Parent. “It’s not necessarily a question of academic success.”

The leadership conference brought together youth from Waswanipi, Mistissini, Nemeska, Waskaganish, Eastmain, Chisasibi, Whapmagoostui and the Innuk community of Puvurnituq under the theme “Aspire to Inspire”.

Waswanipi Chief Marcel Happyjack shared his thoughts on what it means to be a leader and Maité Labecque spoke about her experience as a youth activist. Marie-Céline Charron, a Naskapi traditional powwow dancer, offered the students a dance workshop and Waswanipi drummers Washekun showcased traditional drumming.  

Other activities included a sexual education workshop with Shanice Yarde of Head and Hands, the creation of a mural in collaboration with Montreal’s First People Cultural and Artistic Embassy DestiNATIONS and group activities geared towards cultivating a sense of identity.

“There is a girl that I have never seen smile before and this weekend she was laughing and smiling. I want to thank you for that.”

Kimi Wapachee-McDougall, Secondary 4, École Voyageur Memorial School, Mistissini 

At the leadership camp in Eastmain, Grade 5 and 6 students from Chisasibi, Eastmain, Waskaganish and Nemeska split up into family groups – Caribou, Wolves and Nisk – based on the staff and coordinator’s knowledge of individuals and how they would work together as a group.

The family groups create their own code of conduct for interacting with each other throughout the weekend. They participated in a variety of activities including beading, button-making, canoeing, first aid and anti-bullying workshops. There were also sports activities, evening bonfires, singing and storytelling. At the end of the weekend, each group had to tackle special team challenges that stressed communication, problem solving and teamwork.

“My favourite part of participating in the secondary and elementary leadership camp was travelling, the challenges and meeting new people. I made new friends at both. The challenges I faced were mostly in the elementary leadership camp, leading a group that was full of energy. I learned some leadership skills, how to handle a group of kids and how to make grilled cheese using a hot dog bun!”

 Julianne Mark, Secondary 3, Wabannutao Eeyou School, Eastmain

Parent said that both the parents and the students involved in the Eastmain camp had to sign consent forms detailing all of the camp activities. “That’s something we’re trying to re-introduce to the communities,” Parent noted, “the idea of consent. They know what they’re participating in and they’re agreeing to be a part of it.”

She added, “It’s really all about self-esteem. This is the key element to be able to experience success at school. Another key component is teamwork – recognizing other people’s strength, being able to share your own vulnerabilities. We want them be able to express themselves and communicate in a group and also recognize and express their emotions. Let’s say they feel frustration or anger – they’re able to identify those emotions, share them with their team members and together find solutions on how to deal with them.”

In conclusion, Parent stressed that their efforts in the nations of Eeyou Istchee and Nunavik are about developing cultural pride, creating peer-to-peer connections and teaching youth to be positive role models for their younger friends.

“Our larger goal is for youth to be engaged with their school, their peers, and their community, to lead by example,” she said. “We’re trying to create networks between the different nations and also between the different communities.”