Operation Sole Helps Indigenous Youth Step Into the New School Year With Confidence

By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

(ANNews) – For Indigenous youth graduating from the Oskayak Police Academy, the end of their two-week journey with the Edmonton Police Service came with an unexpected celebration: a shopping trip with police officers.

Through Operation Sole, an Edmonton Police Foundation initiative, participants received the opportunity to select new shoes at Foot Locker, supported through the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign.

The youth were able to choose footwear that reflected their individual style and personality, giving them an opportunity to prepare for the new school year while celebrating the completion of their academy experience.

For Elisha Jackson, Executive Director of the Edmonton Police Foundation, the initiative demonstrates what can happen when businesses, families, community organizations and public institutions come together to support Indigenous youth.

“Altogether, with the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign, it’s allowing us to support EPS in ways that aren’t covered in their traditional policing budget,” Jackson said. “It helps connect EPS to these Indigenous youth in a positive, memorable way.”

Operation Sole began in 2022 and has supported Edmontonians through a variety of initiatives, including programs for seniors impacted by elder abuse, Indigenous women, Indigenous youth and newcomer youth.

Jackson said the Operation Sole experience for Indigenous youth gives participants a significant budget to choose at least one pair of shoes for themselves, with remaining funds available for other purchases, including gifts for family members or friends.

“What the Smile Cookie campaign allowed us to do was give these youth a fairly large budget so that they could really get into that store and choose something that reflects their style and their personality, where budget wouldn’t be an issue,” she said.

“They could choose anything that they want in there.”

Jackson said the program has supported nearly 500 Edmontonians since its launch.

For the Indigenous youth participating in the Oskayak Police Academy, however, the experience is about more than receiving a new pair of shoes.

The shopping trip gives young people an opportunity to interact with police officers in a setting they might not normally experience.

“I don’t think anybody expects to go on this amazing shopping spree with police officers,” Jackson said. “So it’s a really neat experience for them, and it helps humanize the police officers at the same time.”

That relationship-building is central to the success of the academy.

Over the course of two weeks, youth have an opportunity to learn more about policing while Edmonton police officers gain an opportunity to learn more about the young people they serve.

“The youth were able to learn more about policing, but then the police officers were able to learn more about the youth,” Jackson said.

The academy also provides opportunities for youth and officers to connect through Indigenous culture, creating space for mutual learning, respect and understanding.

Jackson said those relationships can extend beyond the academy and contribute to stronger connections throughout the community.

“When the community invests in these youth, we see stronger relationships between families and police, we see a safer, more connected Edmonton,” she said.

That community investment is made possible in part through the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign.

Funds raised through the campaign in Edmonton support the Edmonton Police Foundation, allowing the Foundation to invest in initiatives that create positive connections between police officers and community members.

For Anna Marshall, a Tim Hortons franchise owner in Edmonton, supporting the campaign reflects a responsibility she believes local businesses have to the communities they serve.

“We believe that businesses have a responsibility to give back to the communities that support them,” Marshall said. “If we can help even one young person to feel more supported and confident or hopeful about the future, that makes it all worth it.”

Marshall operates two Tim Hortons locations on Stony Plain Road in Edmonton. She said the Smile Cookie campaign provides an opportunity for customers, employees and the restaurant to work together to make a difference.

“The Smile Cookie campaign allows our guests and our team and our restaurant to come together to make a meaningful difference, and we’re proud to be part of that,” she said.

Her involvement has also given her a deeper appreciation for Indigenous youth and the importance of creating spaces where young people feel supported and included.

“I’m so proud to be able to help and volunteer with the Indigenous Foundation and the initiatives that they have with Indigenous youth,” Marshall said. “It’s really opened my eyes and my heart to who they are as a people and what they need – and what we all need, really, to feel like we have a place in this world.”

For Marshall, being involved is ultimately about giving back and being part of the community.

The Edmonton Police Foundation works with community partners to support initiatives outside the Edmonton Police Service’s operating budget, with much of its work focused on creating opportunities for officers and community members to connect in positive and meaningful ways.

For Jackson, those investments can help strengthen trust, belonging and safety across Edmonton.

The Oskayak Police Academy demonstrates how those investments can create relationships that extend beyond a single program.

For the graduates, the new shoes are a practical way to begin the school year with confidence. The experience also represents something less tangible: the opportunity to build relationships with police officers, learn about one another and develop greater mutual understanding.

And behind the experience is a community choosing to invest in Indigenous youth – one Smile Cookie at a time