For the Youth

Jessica is from the community of Janvier and have been a part of the Sekweha Youth Team since 2017. She enjoys being outdoors, travelling and being a mother.

What was your favourite thing as a kid?

I loved playing with my friends, being outdoors quadding and I always loved to learn new things.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was younger, I wanted to be a pediatric nurse.

Emily is part of the Youth Team at Sekweha. She is also a member of the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation and a mother to three children in Janvier. Emily grew up in Janvier, but attended Father Patrick Mercredi Community High School in Fort McMurray as a boarding student from grade 10 to 12, graduating in 2010.

Emily has a long history with Sekweha. She was hired in high school as the first Junior Youth Worker when the centre first opened. She served on the Sekweha board of directors before stepping down to work hands on in the centre. Over the years, she’s worked in many different areas around Janvier because she enjoys working within her community and is always willing to help. Emily has also been a member of the Janvier Fire Department for over two years.

What was your favourite thing as a kid?

As a child, my favourite thing to do was play baseball and spend time outdoors.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I also wanted to be an event planner and a business owner when I grew up.

Keisha is a member of the Clearwater River Dene Nation and can speak Dënë fluently. She moved to Chipewyan Prairie First Nation in 2017 and joined the Sekweha Youth Team shortly after.

What was your favourite thing as a kid?

As a child, I enjoyed spending time with my friends and playing outside all day. A highlight was berry picking with my late grandparents during the summer.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Growing up, I wanted to be in the health care field as a nurse.

Amber is the oldest sibling, and also the youngest; she has an Irish twin, but is technically an only child. Amber is the oldest of her mom’s kids, but the youngest of her dad’s, and is the only child they made together. With that said, all her half siblings are still her true siblings at heart.

What was your favourite thing as a kid?

My weekends with my dad were the best part of my childhood.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

 I wanted to be an astronaut, but I knew that that was a small target to hit, especially for someone afraid of heights; a part of me still wants to be one. Now that I’m older, I realize all I ever wanted to be was someone I wish I had growing up; someone sober, stable, genuine, humorous, and caring. I feel like I made the younger me proud on that one.

Karley is new to working with kids, but still feels like a child at heart. She is a part-time youth worker at Sekweha who helps plan activities and coordinate around the centre. Karley is 21 and has lived in Janvier for almost three years. She feels that everyone in the Janvier community is family, so contributing through the youth centre is important to her.

What was your favourite thing as a kid?

I was a quiet and timid girl, so I loved to read. I’ve always had a very active imagination and still very much live in my own world. I love music and anything that lets me express who I am.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I didn’t have a concrete occupation in mind when I was growing up, but I knew what schools I wanted to attend. Into my teens I wanted to be a psychologist because mental health and helping others is so important to me.

Haley is 27 years old and now a member of the youth team at Sekweha. She enjoys cooking and hanging out at home when she’s not at work. Her favourite thing about working at Sekweha is that she gets to be a kid again.

What was your favourite thing as a kid?
I was always playing outside, quadding and building things out of anything I could find.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Growing up, I wanted to be a lot of things. At one point I wanted to be a baker, but as I got older, I enjoyed cooking much more.

Titianna is a junior worker with the youth team at Sekweha. She’s an important part of keeping the centre clean and safe for the kids as well as cooking and coordinating for learning activities.

What was your favourite thing as a kid?

As a kid, I loved riding my bike and making friends. I also really loved to travel.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I did and still want to be a real estate agent. I’m great at building and decorating, and I know it would be an exciting and successful career.

Kaitlyn is originally from Clearwater River Dene Nation, but has spent her whole life living in Janvier. She is now 24 years old and a mother to one. She loves working with children and youth and loves to travel and explore.

What was your favourite thing as a kid?

I loved quadding, being outdoors and spending time with my younger siblings.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer.

Dustin is the president of the Janvier Sekweha Youth Centre. He is Dene, from the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation and was born in Fort McMurray. Growing up, Dustin lived in Fort McMurray and Janvier before settling down in Janvier following his high school graduation at Father Mercredi. Dustin went on to graduate as a Junior Process Operator at one of the SAGD facilities in the region, then moved on to operate a potable water treatment plant at another SAGD facility. Eventually, he opened a business that would provide internet services to the Chipewyan Prairie Commercial Park for a few years before business slowed down. He then took a job with TDN Contracting, a wholly owned entity of the Nation, as a Health and Safety Manager. Currently, Dustin works with NOHA, also owned by the Nation, focusing on Community Relations and joint venture businesses. Dustin focuses on his family first, but always has his community at heart.

What was your favourite thing as a kid?

I’ve always loved staying active through sports such as hockey, baseball, and golf. My love for sports started young and has continued through to adulthood.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

As a child, I dreamt of playing professional hockey, so I didn’t worry much about what I wanted to be when I grew up; as I got older though, I had to focus on working full time. I grew interested in becoming an electrician, a process operator or something in business management, inspired by my parents.

Sherri is a member of the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation, and grew up in the region, calling both Fort McMurray and Janvier home. Her traditional Dene values are important to her and her family. In 2005, Sherri founded Dene Sky Site Services, a privately owned First Nations business providing a wide range of skilled labour force and some of the largest heavy equipment in the oilsands. Sherri is a board member of the Janvier Sekweha Youth Centre and is now serving a third term on the NAABA Board of Directors. She is also a mother, a grandmother, and a dedicated supporter of the community.

What was your favourite thing as a kid?

I loved spending time with my family around Janvier, enjoying the outdoors and the traditional Dene teachings and exploring our beautiful land through quadding, camping, fishing, or hunting.

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up.

Candace is a proud First Nations woman who resides in the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation. She has five beautiful children, and five stepchildren. She’s always excited and happy to say she’s a step-grandmother to four gorgeous girls. It’s easy to tell how much Candace loves children. She believes children are our home fires who ignite the flame, bringing families close and communities together for brighter futures. Being on the board for the Janvier Sekweha Youth Centre is a valuable position Candace is so grateful for. It keeps her grounded and focused on our youth, as well as the future youth of the community.

What was your favourite thing as a kid?

When I was a little girl, I loved being outdoors, going swimming, playing at the park with my friends, and jumping on the trampoline. Growing up, I liked to mow lawns, play basketball, and hang out with friends!

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

My hopes, goals and dreams were to be working with oil in the oil patch, or to be a singer or songwriter. Today, I love to blast my music while I clean my home or drive my truck. I think I sound amazing, but I’m probably hurting the ears of those around me, but that doesn’t stop me because happiness is mine and I choose to keep myself positive and in a good mood!

What was your favourite thing as a kid?

As a kid, I loved to colour, tell Sakascha stories, and I loved fashion.

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

I loved to create, but I wanted to be a dentist when I grew up. I was also very interested in traditional medicine.

With five older brothers, Alice is the youngest of six. She grew up on a farm outside of Choiceland, SK. She graduated in 1990 from Nipawin LP Miller High School. Alice is married to a local Dene man named Edgar Fontaine. They have been together for 30 years and have six children between the ages of nine and 29; they also have eight grandchildren. Alice worked for over 20 years at Keyano College when the community had an adult learning centre. Now, she works at Father R. Perin School as a mental health worker. For 25 years, Alice volunteered in the community working with its youth. She is excited to be back on the Sekweha board after taking a break for personal reasons. She is passionate about the youth centre and loves that it brings the families and the community together through its events.

Alice’s passion is in the youth of her community. She loves being both a mother and a grandmother. She teaches her children and grandchildren to be kind and respectful to all. Her own motto is to treat people the way she wants to be treated.

What was your favourite thing as a kid?

When I was kid, I loved riding my bike, building forts and playing with my dolls. When I got older, I was into sports like volleyball and softball and even played football with my brothers at home.

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

As a kid, I wanted to be a vet or one day or own my own restaurant.

Amanda is a driven entrepreneur with a diversified career and more than 10 years’ experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Her small-town roots, values, determination, and work ethic— handed down from generations of farmers and business owners on both sides of her family—serve her well as the director of a growing company and a board of director with Sekweha. Amanda is well connected with a large network of companies, resources, and suppliers within the RMWB and greater Alberta area, and aims to assist Sekweha with long-term sustainable solutions.

After completing a degree in public relations, Amanda worked in business development and marketing for Alberta’s leading oil and gas service providers and completed her MBA in May 2016, followed by an additional semester in France specializing in innovation. She also gained several years of valuable non-profit experience when she worked for the Keyano College Foundation and was an active member of the Canadian Association of Fundraising Professionals.

What was your favourite thing as a kid?

I loved pretending to be an adult. I would dress up in high heels with my fake purse and cell phone and go grocery shopping in the kitchen, clothes shopping in my room, sit in a vehicle and pretend to drive it, and I made all my friends play store with me…I got to run the cash register!

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

I wanted to own my own business, which I thought would be a shoe store.

Keith is a blessed father of five handsome sons, five beautiful daughters and a grandpa to four wonderful granddaughters. He was born in Fort McMurray and has lived in Janvier most of his life. Growing up in Janvier was everything Keith could imagine—great school, kids playing sports together, connection to the land and wonderful gatherings that kept the community close. He feels he was taught many lessons growing up in Janvier that got him where he is today.

Keith enjoys the little things in life like fishing, hunting, quadding, and trapping. The activities he enjoys take both time and patience, virtues he values greatly when it comes to learning and teaching. The healing that comes with these activities keep him grounded and focused for his community and its youth.

Keith is proud to be on the board for Sekweha—it means a great deal to him. He believes if we continue to support our youth the way he was, today’s youth can achieve great things. Sekweha is a great experience for the youth to be part of—it is family more than a program.

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

When I was younger, I always wanted to be a helicopter pilot. I wanted to soar in the air and feel like the great eagle and see great things happen beneath me. I pictured being a pilot would be just like standing over a flower and watching it bloom. This is how I feel as a parent, grandparent, role model, community member and board member. Stand tall and watch everyone around you grow and offer support along the way!