One day after the end of school, four of the MANS students featured by the CBC in May were back in the Leon Ingraham Industrial Arts/CTS Centre. This time, they were there as peer instructors.

Four dual credit carpentry students were among the six MANS students who successfully applied, interviewed, and landed summer jobs with Inspire Mamawi Leadership—Summer edition (IMLS).

With funds raised by the 2023 yearend “Confident Futures” Appeal to extend the Inspire Mamawi Leadership program, Chaplain Tsholo Sebetlela was able to collaborate with carpentry instructor Jonathan Belinsky in creating a new student work opportunity:  a three-day workshop open to all Maskwacis teens led by IMLS students open to any teen in the Maskwacis community.

But that was just the beginning for the IMLS group, which employed six MANS students in total. The next week, they helped run a soccer camp in Maskwacis. Then it was on to building a gazebo—the centrepiece of the outdoor classroom envisioned by the 2021-2022 Inspire Mamawi Leadership group.

Travel was also part of the work-leadership program. Next, the six leaders-in-training headed to Foothills Camp near Bowden. There many new experiences awaited them, including assisting the regular Maskwacis Summer Youth Team in preparing and serving Indian Tacos (served on Bannock instead of tortillas) and other taste treats at a Food Fair.

The IMLS group closed out the summer with a trip to Yellowknife, where they provided a week of summer programing for kids aged 4-14.

Photo caption:
Four members of the Dual Credit Carpentry track were successful in their applications for summer work with MANS’ Inspire Mamawi Leadership program. They advanced the community project voted by the 2021-2022 IML cohort—an outdoor classroom—making big strides on the gazebo.