Our purpose is to create opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth to connect.

Purpose

We create opportunities for youth to build relationships and make connections with each other while serving others through initiatives that involve education, fitness, fine arts and more.

The #1 rule is to have fun!

Priority

  1. Building relationships and partnerships
  2. Promoting stewardship

Our Background

The Northern Lights Movement for Kids is contextualized by Canada’s largest class-action lawsuit, the Indian Residential School Agreement, and the resulting establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). In 2015 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada issued their final report which included 94 Calls to Action. The Calls to Action were intended for all Canadians to work together and begin the process of reconciliation. Section 63(iii) of the TRC Calls to Action states, “we call upon the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada to maintain an annual commitment to Aboriginal education issues, including: building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.”

A Call To Action

The Northern Lights Movement for Kids was inspired by Celeste Leray-Leicht’s reflection that since the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action in 2015, Saskatchewan continued to witness manifestations of disparity and hopelessness including the tragedy in the northern village of La Loche in 2016 and the ongoing youth suicide crisis in Saskatchewan.

In 2018, the Humboldt Broncos tragedy claimed the life of Celeste’s son, Jacob Leicht. It was in the days following that tragedy that Celeste’s personal Call to Action precipitated the Northern Lights Movement for Kids.

The
Movement

The intention of the Northern Lights Movement for Kids is to provide opportunities for youth from Indigenous and primarily non-Indigenous communities to build relationships, make connections and serve others.
Initially, it began with making connections to La Loche. A pen-pal relationship with students from a variety of classes from Ducharme Elementary School and Dene High School in La Loche emerged. Then students from Dene High School came to the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools’ Student Leadership Conference last fall and met with students from St. Dominic and St. Augustine Schools in Humboldt. The students then met virtually after the Student Leadership Conference and took a virtual tour of Saskatchewan together, especially the communities of La Loche and Humboldt. Ducharme Elementary School in La Loche has now joined in the ‘Great Prairie Race’; promoting it to as many schools as possible throughout the prairie provinces.