The past July, Tasha Mousseau, Chief Officer of Advancement and Tribal Relations at Friends of the Children – National, attended the Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring in Calgary, AB, Canada, curating two sessions to enhance the knowledge base of participants and fellows alike. Tasha participated in the four-day Summit as the only fellow from the United States. There was representation from various Indigenous nations from the US and Canada as well as the Metis people of Canada.

“I was such an honor to be chosen as a fellow for the Summit,” said Tasha (pictured above with Dr. Thomas Keller). “The experience was thought-provoking, and also so encouraging for me. I left the experience looking forward to deepening connections with my new Canadian and First-Nation relatives, in pursuit of supporting Indigenous youth.”

This year's Summit focused on Indigenous youth mentoring, and Tasha had the opportunity to engage with other mentoring programs large and small, including Mentor Canada, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, and Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program of the Tsuut’ina Nation.

The first session Tasha curated was called Systems Change Through Traditional Systems Reclamation, and it centered around the idea that for Indigenous people, reclaiming Indigenous world views and lifeways is in fact, systems change. It shared both the Friends of the Children model and also how cultural identity can be a foundational protective factor for Indigenous youth and families. Tasha’s second session was Mentoring is Medicine: Collaborating with Sovereign Tribal Nations, which highlighted best practices for partnering with sovereign tribal nations and collaborating with Indigenous communities.

Both sessions were well received, and Summit attendees were inspired by the Friends of the Children mentoring model. The Summer Institute is the brainchild of Dr. Thomas Keller, who also serves on the board of directors for Friends of the Children National.

Learning and connection continued after the Summit for Tasha. Tasha had the opportunity to visit the Siksika First Nation Reserve and their museum with one of her new Metis relatives, who also gave her a tour of his production warehouse for his ceremonial tobacco company.