OAKVILLE – Although the communities of Oakville and Attawapiskat are more than 1,000 kilometres apart, dozens of youths from both communities will come together to strengthen their bond and exercise their teamwork skill through their love of hockey.
Hockey Cares is a youth cultural exchange program which brings teenage boys and girls from these two communities together.
The participants will get to learn about each other’s cultures by building friendships while hitting the ice to practice their hockey skills and promote reconciliation between Canada’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
The teens will enjoy social events together, learn about educational opportunities and training in trades and participate in a health competition by playing a series of hockey games on teams mixed with players from both communities.
In addition, this year the teens will have the opportunity to be on the ice with Canadian Olympic Hockey Champion Sami Jo Small, as she runs a skills and drills session for the players.
The teens will be honoured at a special welcome dinner on July 1 in Oakville, with special guest speakers such as local Indigenous leaders, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, and Defense Minister and Oakville Member of Parliament Anita Anand.
Another interesting part of the Hockey Cares event is after the Attawapiskat First Nations teens return home, in November, the Oakville youth will travel to Attawapiskat for the second half of the exchange.
Once in Attawapiskat, the Oakville participants will reunite with their northern friends to participate in a cultural learning experience that includes a trip to a traditional hunting camp, a pow wow, ceremonies in a teepee and more hockey.
This project aims to benefit both groups of teenagers as they get to experience each other culture firsthand, not only through their passion for hockey but also through the friendship they will create and the lived experience as they tour each other’s communities.
Especially the Oakville youth, who will get the chance to learn about the Attawapiskat First Nation’s people and gain awareness about the day-to-day challenges of Indigenous people in Canada.
Two particular challenges are that only four in 10 Indigenous youth finish high school, and the suicide rates for Indigenous youth are five to seven times higher than those of non-Indigenous Canadian youth.
This knowledge can be a sight of empowerment for reconciliation between Indigenous and non-indigenous youths, as the Hockey Cares program can have a lasting impact on the youths through the cultural exchange and teamwork building through hockey.
Hockey Cares works with leaders at colleges and universities to not only show youth the opportunities available to them, but also the support networks that exist with Indigenous people already living in places like Oakville and the Greater Toronto area.
The event will begin on June 28 with a flag-raising ceremony before hitting the ice to show off their skills on July 1.
The final game will be held on July 3, followed by an awards ceremony.