Young Indigenous Women are empowered at Circle of Leadership summer programs

by Regan Treewater-Lipes

(ANNews) – For the past two years, Dr. Trudy Cardinal, professor of Elementary Education in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Education, has been coordinating a program designed to empower young Indigenous women through culture and community. “We learn together,” she explained in a recent phone interview with Alberta Native News. “Growing up, I didn’t always have access to the knowledge that participants in the Young Indigenous Women’s Circle of Leadership (YIWCL) receive today, and we want to close that gap for the next generation.”

The name might be a mouthful, but the programming they offer is nothing short of exceptional. Housed through the University of Alberta, and coordinated by Dr. Cardinal, young Indigenous women are able to access a robust knowledge resource year-round. Every summer though, the YIWCL team facilitate a spectacular one-week program for Indigenous youth. Girls ages 10 to 17 with a spectrum of cultural awareness come together for a uniting identity-affirming experience. “This year, we even had an 8-year-old join us,” Dr. Cardinal offered, clearly impressed. “She was very capable and mature, but she also attended with family members. That is the intergenerational learning we encourage.”

The summer program began over two decades ago as part of the Canadian Indigenous Language and Literacy Development Institute at the U of A under the guidance of Dr. Heather Blair. The original aim was to inspire young Indigenous women to discover additional layers of their Indigenous culture and language, with an intergenerational consideration for learning. “We wanted to take the same foundational concept and bring the learning into the communities,” Cardinal explained. “Instead of running the camp on campus, we felt it was important to engage with the spaces and surroundings where the participants live.”

With generous support from the U of A’s Sustaining Indigenous Language Revitalization initiative and the BHP Foundation, the YIWCL team hosted two camps this summer: one at the Alberta Avenue Community League in Edmonton and another in Wetaskiwin.

Each camp was co‑created with local participants, so the two experiences complemented rather than duplicated each other. Co‑ordinating two sites is a massive undertaking, Cardinal acknowledges, “but urban and semi‑rural settings present different realities. Running both lets us tailor the experience and keep travel barriers low. Eventually, we hope to add transportation for youth in remote areas and welcome even more participants.”

Early versions of the program centred on language acquisition. The program has grown to honour the everyday Indigenous language and culture including sewing, singing, cooking, and other cultural practices. “Some participants arrive with extensive knowledge of their culture while others only know that they have Indigenous roots,” Cardinal explains. “So we invite mothers, aunties, and kohkoms to pass teachings from one generation to the next. Our aim is to strengthen each girl’s bond to her Nation and kin while showing how our cultures resonate with one another. By sharing knowledge, they solidify their identities and form lasting friendships.”

Elders, skilled craftswomen, and other knowledge keepers animate the camps. Cardinal describes how young women learned to sing rattle songs, guided by older generations, a practice echoed across many Nations. “The girls even made their own ribbon skirts and held a fashion show,” she shared joyfully.

The young women, in addition to crafting magnificent ribbon skirts, also make their own medicine bags. “The locations we are in are more urban, but this is also something meaningful because there’s an ability to walk in both worlds. We engage with the urban world but also learn about the natural world and what grows around us.” For the time being, the herbs and plants for the medicine bundles are brought in for the young women to learn about, but Dr. Cardinal and her team ensure that a strong connection to the land is paramount when accessing Indigenous knowledge.

“I’m so grateful for this work I get to do,” she explained with touching sincerity. “I really do learn so much. Running these camps each year contributes so much to my research at the University. It’s not something separate from my career as a professor but something that makes me better at my job.”  As a professor, Dr. Cardinal is responsible for research and service in addition to her teaching practice.  She does not see her work with the Young Indigenous Women’s Circle of Learning as belonging to any one of these areas. “It enhances my teaching, it’s meaningful service, and it inspires my research.”

The programming is free of charge and welcomes young women who identify as Indigenous regardless of their prior knowledge or experience. Throughout the year, the Circle also offers shorter “Pop‑Up” sessions.

To learn more, sign up for updates, or get involved, visit the program’s website. 

Regan Treewater-Lipes is a local Journalism Initiative Reporter.