A Grande Prairie woman has been chosen to inspire other Indigenous youth like herself. Dani-Lee Laviolette is one of 25 people from across Canada who applied and was picked to become a We Matter and National Ambassador of Hope.
Laviolette says the goal of the program is to train people so that they can go into their communities and let others know that there is hope.
“The campaign [was created] to inspire Indigenous youth and to just spread the word about hope and life promotion because suicide and mental health is a big problem in Indigenous Communities.”
National Ambassadors of Hope is a one-year mentorship program aimed at giving Indigenous youth the tools, skills, and knowledge to inspire others by working to break the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide and by promoting healthy communities.
Laviolette currently works with the Grande Prairie Catholic School District as an Indigenous Liason and because of that, believes she’ll be a good fit.
“The work that I’m doing already is very inspiring and I do want to help connect youth with other students like them and just involve them in culture so it gives them a better foundation of who they are in their identity.”
As part of the training, she will attend a week-long forum which will include workshops on mental health, leadership and organizing, Indigenous culture, storytelling and social media safety. She is hoping to take what she learns and bring it back to her students.
“I just hope that I can further inspire my students and kind of let them know that if they work hard and just follow their dreams, whatever they are, that they can really accomplish anything.”
The forum will be held in Winnipeg from May 27th to May 31st.