A Commitment to Inclusion

“This work is deeply important and personal to me,” said Delgado, whose accomplishments also include co-founding  Pawaatamihk: Journal of Métis Thinkers and  Mamawi Project . “I have been involved in Métis community organizing for years, and I want to ensure that Métis women and 2S/IQ people feel welcome, supported, and able to be all parts of themselves. This research will help us better understand how to create spaces that are safe, supportive, and culturally sustaining.”

The project aims to develop a Framework of Métis Gathering Design (FMGD) and implement it through three gatherings across the Métis homeland—Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Edmonton—in partnership with Métis educational institutions such as the Louis Riel Institute and Rupertsland Institute.

Meaningful goals

Delgado will aim to identify cultural markers that contribute to culturally sustaining spaces, create a framework for gathering design, and assess the impact of these gatherings on health outcomes. “Through this work, we hope to provide clear directives for public institutions—such as universities, hospitals, and schools—on how to create and support Métis-specific spaces,” Delgado explained.

More about Lucy Delgato and Research Collaborators

The historic grant adds to Delgado’s impressive body of work, which has consistently focused on Métis-specific initiatives and advocacy for Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer communities.  Delgado can also be seen featured in the new City of Winnipeg video series From Time Immemorial to Tomorrow: Indigenous Perspectives on Winnipeg 150

Regarding the work ahead, Delgado will collaborate with Co-Principal Applicant Dr. Laura Forsythe (UWinnipeg), Co-Investigator Dr. Michelle S. Driedger (UManitoba, Community Health Sciences), and Co-Investigator Dr. Heather Foulds (University of Saskatchewan).

Learn more about CIHR (Canadian Institutes of Health Research) Project Grant here.

“This event is a chance to gather to recognize Métis people, history and culture as well as acknowledge the life, accomplishments and sacrifices of Louis Riel and the importance of his leadership, vision and contributions to the creation of Manitoba,” says Vanessa Lillie, Director of Cultural Integration. “It’s inspiring to see future young leaders embracing and celebrating their pride in being Métis.”

Louis Riel Day is named for Métis leader Louis Riel who is recognized for his leadership during the Red River and North-West Resistances, which were pivotal in defending Métis rights and land against the Canadian government. In 2023, he was recognized by the Manitoba government as the province’s honourary first premier.

“We have a history of celebrating this day at UM and like other years, there will be delicious food, live music, a chance to play trivia and a time to continue our ongoing relationship building,” says Lillie.

“This is a great time to join the Métis community on campus and to connect with supports for Métis students. Resource tables will be in attendance where you can meet community resources like the Two-Spirit Michif Local, Bison Local, Métis University Student Association (MUSA), UM Indigenous Birding Club, student advisors from the Indigenous Student Centre and Jessica Burzuik, the Métis Inclusion Coordinator with the Manitoba Métis Federation who is hosted here at UM to provide supports to Métis students.

“If it’s your first time joining us, we are looking forward to welcoming new and returning guests.”

What: Louis Riel Day Celebrations
Where: Marshall McLuhan Hall – Room 204, UMSU University Centre
When: Friday, February 14, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Please register in advance for the lunch order.

“For all of us in Manitoba and across Canada, it’s acknowledging the true history of our province and re-centring the truth of our shared stories,” says Vanessa Lillie, director of cultural integration at UM, who is Cree and Métis with roots in Peguis First Nation.  

“Métis people have known for a long time that Riel was the father of our province,” says Lucy Fowler, a Two-Spirit Métis woman from Winnipeg, Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) citizen and assistant professor in UM’s Faculty of Education. “He was a passionate leader aiming for a better future for his people—[this] reinforces what we understood about him.” 

“It shows we were legitimate and still are, as the precursor of the provincial government we know today,” adds Indigenous studies master’s student Lydia Gork from the Red River Métis Nation. “It’s an acknowledgement of Métis sovereignty.” 

For Gork, the bill also holds a personal connection. One of her ancestors, François Dauphinais, was the vice-president of Riel’s provisional government and jailed by the Wolseley expedition, a military force authorized to confront Riel and the Métis. “By acknowledging Riel and the provisional government, this bill is helping to give my ancestor the honour he deserved,” she says. 

UM’s connection to the Métis Nation 

According to UM’s Office of Institutional Analysis, more than half of the 2,735 Indigenous UM students self-declare as Métis. Recognizing the dynamic contributions of the Métis community contributes to a sense of belonging while honouring UM’s history, which is deeply intertwined with the Métis people. 

UM campuses are on the National Homeland of the Red River Métis; specifically, “the [Fort Garry] campus itself is located on former river lots that Métis people owned,” says Gork. UM’s first-ever planned gift also holds a special connection. In 1883, Métis scholar, educator, lawyer and author Alexander Kennedy Isbister bestowed $83,000 and nearly 5,000 books to UM, a gift that still benefits students today. 

“Recognizing Riel and Métis governance helps re-centre some of these histories that UM is situated within,” says Gork. “I’d like to continue to see the historical narrative demonstrate intersections between Métis history and the university… it would help the community draw a deeper appreciation of the contributions Métis people made so UM could exist today and so Métis students can feel more comfortable on campus.” 

Join in the Louis Riel Day celebrations at UM 

The UM community is invited to a celebration of Métis culture at the annual Louis Riel Day event on Friday, Feb. 16.  

“People can expect lots of food, music, activities and opportunities to learn more about the incredible contributions of the Métis people to the community and to Manitoba,” says Lillie. “It’s a celebration and the event will reflect that.” It will also host representatives from the Métis community and MMF. 

Other opportunities to learn and connect  

There are plenty of opportunities for the UM community to learn about Métis history and culture year-round, including courses in the department of Indigenous studies and events on campus and through the MMF Bison Local. In September, Fowler is also co-hosting Mawachihitotaak: Métis Studies Symposium, bringing Métis scholars from across the homeland to UM’s Fort Garry campus.  

In addition to academic opportunities, Gork encourages fellow Métis students to attend social gatherings to connect with their culture and community. 

“UM can be an academically intense space but historically, Métis people have always taken the time to enjoy one another’s company after a hard day’s work,” she says. “It’s important to have those [academic] initiatives but also moments of cultural gathering so people can build relationships with each other. 

“I think Elders and youth are a big part of our culture, so the more we can connect with them, the more our culture and nation can thrive,” she continues. “Sitting down with Elder Norman Meade [at the Indigenous Student Centre] or other Métis Elders can create kinship ties with other Métis people.”  

Looking to the future 

As the Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair once stated, education is the key to Reconciliation. Initiatives like the introduction of the Riel bill help “tell the truth of our stories,” says Lillie. “It’s not only educating within an academic setting but educating Manitobans and Canada as a whole.” 

Fowler also emphasizes the importance of including contemporary examples of Métis representation along with the historical.  

“History shapes who we are as a nation, but Métis people exist today, building the future Riel was dreaming of,” she says. “We need to not only think about Riel but also the other powerful Métis people who have shaped the Métis Nation: all of the grandmas, aunties, cousins and community members who are the backbone and heart of the nation.” 

Everyone is welcome to attend the Louis Riel Day celebration on Feb. 16 at UM’s Fort Garry campus. Please register for the free event to help with catering planning. For more Indigenous events, visit the Indigenous events calendar. 

But for the majority of her education, Forsythe – who is Red River Métis – found the achievements of her fellow Métis scholars were notably absent.

“Despite my bachelor of arts in First Nations studies, a bachelor of education in Indigenous perspectives, and a master’s in native studies, I had read very few texts by Métis women,” she explains. “I heard very few lectures by Métis women. I was wholly unaware of the magnitude of the contributions of Métis women theorists and academics to scholarship. It took me years to uncover the truth about other Métis women and our shared experience in the academy.”

Her efforts have garnered a University of Manitoba Distinguished Dissertation award for her research as a graduate student which identified 11 points of erasure experienced by Métis women during their time in academia.

Forsythe spoke to 13 grandmothers and aunties of Métis scholarship born between 1949 and 1969 who navigated and persisted in academic environments that did not acknowledge them. Of the 11 erasures, three themes emerged: colonial attempts at erasure; attempts to make Métisness invisible; and power structures’ attempts to silence Métis voices.

An example of these are the obstacles Métis scholars have faced when attempting to publish their Métis-specific work. For some, Forsythe explains, they faced rejection, loss of creative control, undermining of their voices and misrepresentation through the editing process.

She quotes from the experience of Dr. Jeannine Carrière, whose research focuses on child welfare, and her efforts to publish. Carrière said: “If I am publishing on something Métis-specific, that’s when it becomes challenging, and that’s when there is a bit of eye-rolling around whether it is credible, authentic, useful, will-it-sell kind of thoughts that go through the publisher’s minds … there is still a lot of ignorance around who we are.”

The result of decades of erasure is that Métis scholarship is often unheard of, as Forsythe experienced during her own time in academia.

“One of the perceptions is that there is a lack of Métis research – and that is absolutely unfounded and untrue. The grandmothers and aunties I spoke with have been in the academy writing and publishing for the last 40 years.

One of the things we find with Métis scholars is that we are put under an Indigenous umbrella, which is First Nations centric. And most of the research that’s done around Indigenous administration, Indigenous faculty, Indigenous students doesn’t actually speak to or reach the Métis community. Because we do have our own methodologies, our own ways of being and knowing through research.”

In fact, Forsythe intertwined both Métis-specific methodologies and approaches from Indigenous studies —Keeoukaywin, Lii Taab di Faam Michif, and Kishkeeyihtamaaniwan Kaa-natohtamihk— as a theoretical framework for her dissertation.

She hopes that her work will not only raise awareness of Métis contributions and impact in academia, but also help future scholars thrive. To this end, Pawaatamihk: Journal of Métis Thinkers, has published a collection of advice from the grandmothers and aunties that Forsythe interviewed.

She continues to advocate for Métis voices in academia and is currently an assistant professor. This past fall, she co-hosted the Métis Research Symposium, noting: “My research identified that we needed to get people together, that we needed to have this kind of energy and momentum and know of each other to be able to lift up each other’s ideas.”

University of Manitoba Distinguished Dissertation Awards are given to graduating doctoral students who have been nominated by their faculty/college/school for a dissertation that represents a ground-breaking piece of original work. Each year, one award is offered in each of the following categories: applied sciences, health sciences, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. Awardees receive a $3,000 prize.

Curious about graduate studies? Check out all of UM’s graduate programs.

The Indigenous Initiatives Fund (IIF) is open to faculties, schools, colleges, libraries administrative units and, new to 2022, student groups. These funds support unit-based projects that advance the Indigenous achievement and engagement goals as stated in Our Shared Future: Building on our Strategic Plan. 

With the addition of student groups to those eligible to apply, the IIF selection committee selected 13 new projects with a total of $430, 491.20 in funds. 

Mawachihitotaak (Let’s Get Together): Métis Studies Symposium that was held virtually from May 3-6, 2022 was one of the 13 funded projects. This virtual gathering had 55 sessions, 118 presenters (95% Métis) and 900 people attended throughout the four-day event.  

The idea came from recognizing that Métis are not often recognized as distinct in academic spaces. Co-organizers Lucy Fowler (Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education) and Laura Forsythe (Ph.D. candidate) and 30 other interested parties took the lead and set the stage for Métis scholars to discuss Métis topics and issues. The symposium was given the name “Mawachihitotaak” which is Michif for “let’s get together.” It created a space for Métis scholars, art makers, knowledge holders, students, language speakers, organizers, writers, and other community leaders to share knowledge and engage in conversation. Although virtual, this academic event did not feel like any other. Although virtual, this academic event captured the sense of community coming together. It felt very much like visiting with family and having good discussions where everyone could learn from each other. It was about building relationships while leveraging Métis knowledge.  

“The ability to gather and hold space together with so many incredibly talented Métis artists, community organizers, and scholars was so energizing and generative. It was great to hear about all of the beautiful work being done across the homelands and throughout the diaspora. Sometimes academia focuses on citing the same scholars over and over again, but this gathering was a terrific reminder of the breadth and depth of knowledge within our community. I loved hearing from community members and artists who work outside of academic spaces – so much of the nation building work happens on the ground with grassroots organizing and Métis folks building and rebuilding kinship ties with each other, and I think it’s really important that we highlight those stories too.” Lucy Fowler says. 

“Having spent the symposium with 900 others wanting to know more about the Métis from a Métis perspective I saw promise for the future of Métis Studies as a discipline but also as a way forward for our people. Settler scholars have for far too long been the experts in who and what is Métis – this symposium stands as a demonstration that we can speak for ourselves.” Laura Forsythe says.  

This event was also a partnership with Winnipeg Art Gallery’s KWAATA-NIHTAAWAKIHK – A Hard Birth. This exhibit will run until September 3, 2022. Participants have 30 days after the event to listen to recordings of sessions they missed or were not able to attend. Lucy and Laura, along with their colleagues, will continue to create space for Métis people in the academy with the hope of hosting Mawachihitotaak 2.0 in Saskatchewan next year. Their wish is to host a hybrid program to allow for accessibility. 

“Because of that funding and other funding we were able to obtain, we were able to offer the conference free of charge to anyone who wanted to attend – this was incredibly important to us as we wanted this space to be accessible to community members and graduate students as well as academics! Since the symposium, we’ve had gatherings of Métis graduate students for writing workshops, and the community of organizers for the 2023 Symposium (to take place in Saskatchewan) has been growing exponentially. We’re really excited for the continued presence of Métis spaces for scholars, artists, and community members alike!” Lucy says. 

The Métis Symposium received $15,000 in funding from the 2022 Indigenous Initiatives Fund. For more information on the other 12 projects funded, please visit the IIF webpage.  

As one of three distinct Indigenous groups in Canada, the Métis people face a specific set of challenges that are unique to them. With a history of lack of recognition and support on a governmental level, combined with the attempted erasure of the Métis culture and lineage, the problems they face are unlike any other.

A leather Sac à Feu

My grandma and her sister have always known that they were Métis, but only decided to apply for their Métis citizenship well into their lives. They watched their mother who, as a farmer, wore long sleeves even on the hottest days of the year to avoid tanning out of fear of being discriminated against if she had brown skin.

Internalized fear of discrimination and shame of belonging to the Métis Nation is prevalent but, in my family, has slowly dissipated into a sense of strength and belonging. My sister and I are learning Métis beadwork and my dad has started cooking Métis food. While it may not be easy to reverse the attempted erasure of the Métis culture, it certainly is possible.

Disadvantages faced by Métis people

The Government of Canada is known for its mistreatment of Indigenous people, namely their theft of land and the destructive legacy of residential schools. As much as those events may feel distant in Canada’s history, their impacts are still prevalent today.

For example, the Government of Canada denied the Métis Nation as being a distinct Indigenous group until 1982 in the Constitution Act. More recently, it was shown that 33.1 per cent of women in federal prisons were Indigenous between the years of 2007 and 2008. While incarcerated, support programs give preference to First Nations women over Métis women and often neglect the specific needs of Métis people.

Loss of culture and identity

Cultural and social support is often a source of strength for those who may face discrimination or other challenges due to their race. ‘The Forgotten Years’ between 1885 and 1960 were a tumultuous time period in which Métis people were neither accepted by the “Canadian mainstream,” nor given status in the Indian Act.

After creating the Province of Manitoba, Métis people were left without recognition, without belonging and without the land that they once called home. This, and many other challenges faced by Métis people, puts them at a risk for facing mental health issues.

Dealing with stereotypes

It is important to recognize the stereotyped image of an Indigenous person and its impact on Indigenous peoples’ sense of identity. Many Métis people struggle with their identity because they do not fit the stereotyped image of an Indigenous person.

Not knowing family history

While being Métis may feel isolating for some, it truly is an issue that connects many Canadians in an unconventional way. According to a 2016 Government of Canada census, the Métis population grew by nearly 51.2 per cent since 2006. This was largely due to newly identifying Métis people.

Ways to reconnect with Métis culture

Traditional leather Moccasins

What are the next steps for those who feel disconnected from their Métis heritage?

• Do some research: Find out the history of the Métis people, what it means to be Métis and how this group of people came to be.
  • Information on the Manitoba Métis Federation – the national government of the Red River Métis
  • Information on the Red River Métis
  • Information on the history of the Métis
  • Information on Métis identity
• Ask questions: Are there people in your family, community or friends who could provide you with information on the Métis culture?
• Get to know the culture: Find out about what it was like to be Métis in the past. Learn about some of the modes of transportation they used:
  • The Red River Cart
  • The York Boat
• Actively participate: There are many ways to connect with the Métis culture that are available online. Below are fun ways to get started.
  • Food: Try this Pemmican recipe. This is a very challenging recipe but if you are up for the challenge, it could be very fun!
  • Music and dancing:
    • Learn how to jig!
    • Listen to Métis fiddlers
  • Beading:
    • Learn to bead
    • Learn about Manitoba’s Flower Beadwork Circle
    • Participate in one of Melanie Gamache’s virtual beadwork sessions
  • Language: @federationmetissedumanitoba on Instagram posts “Mot Michif du Jour” (translation: Michif word of the day)

This is an edited version of a piece that was previously published on the Healthy U website.

There will be lots of ways to celebrate. At UM, in lieu of the annual celebration held at Migizii Agamik – Bald Eagle Lodge, everyone is encouraged to participate in the #MétisTakeover on social media on Friday, Feb. 18.

How can you participate? On Feb. 18, on your Instagram or Facebook, share through photo(s) or video how you would like to honour and celebrate Louis Riel Day.

• Strike a pose with your Métis sash
• Show us your best jig
• Serenade us with a beautiful Métis tune
• Read us a poem
• Tell us a story about your ancestors
• Tell us how proud you are to be Métis
• Share anything you want to honour Louis Riel and his legacy

Make sure to tag @UMIndigenous and use the hashtag #MétisTakeover on Facebook and Instagram.

“As a Métis person, I find it exciting to see the Métis community, especially young leaders on campus, celebrating what it is to be Métis and raising awareness of our shared history. We take this day to learn more about the contributions of Louis Riel and the Métis to this province. I encourage the UM community to reflect on this day and celebrate with us.” – Dr. Catherine Cook

“UM is committed to honouring Métis history, and Louis Riel Day is an important opportunity to honour that commitment,” says Michael Benarroch, UM President and Vice-Chancellor. “Louis Riel was a true visionary who dreamt of a province that embraced all cultures, and it is important for all Manitobans to know the history of our province and recognize Riel’s leadership. I encourage our community to pursue opportunities to learn more about Riel and the Red River Métis Nation.” – Michael Benarroch, President and Vice-Chancellor

Consider checking out some of the upcoming events, organized by the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), Métis locals and others:

• Saturdays from Feb. 12-26 – 7 – 8 p.m. – Michif Storytelling Series hosted by the Gabriel Dumont Local 11. Register for the Zoom session.
• Saturday, Feb. 19 – 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. & Sunday, Feb. 20 – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. – A virtual Red River Métis Youth Conference on Identity hosted by the MMF. The conference is open to all Red River Métis Youth between 15 to 29 years old. Register online.
• Monday, Feb. 21, 1 – 4 p.m. – Louis Riel Family Day at FortWhyte Alive, hosted by the Winnipeg Regional Youth Advisory Committee, will have hot chocolate and tea, a bonfire hot dog roast, voyageur games, a scavenger hunt and more! Must register by Feb. 17. Limited spots available.
• Monday, Feb. 21, 1 – 3 p.m. – The Two-Spirit Local is hosting a Beginner Michif Language workshop with Laura Forsythe for Two-Spirit Local members. Deadline to register is 12 p.m. on Feb. 18.
• Monday, Feb. 21, 1 – 6 p.m. – The Northwest Métis Council Inc. is hosting a virtual concert series to celebrate Louis Riel Day and will have fireworks in Dauphin, MB.
• Monday, Feb. 21, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. – The Richer Métis Local is hosting a Louis Riel Day Celebration at the Dawson Trail Park in Richer, MB that includes traditional dance, song, fiddle music, ice skating, hayrides and a nice hot meal with stew and galette.

Want to research your Métis family history? Check out the Métis Nation Historical Database.

As they begin their first year of medical school, two Métis women have aspirations of helping Indigenous people access better and more equitable health care in the province.  

Kirsten Fleury, 24, and Caitlin Wachal, 32, took part in the White Coat Ceremony on Wednesday, as the Max Rady College of Medicine welcomed its largest cohort of Indigenous students ever, with 17 out of 110 students self-identifying as Indigenous. 

Read the full CBC story here.

Jayme Menzies always knew she was Métis, but she didn’t fully understand her heritage at a young age. 

Growing up in Dauphin, it just wasn’t something talked about in her family home. But as she entered adulthood, and began to make a name for herself in volleyball, Menzies starting asking more and more questions, exploring what her culture is truly all about. She didn’t move on after getting some answers, though.

Menzies, a former setter for the University of Winnipeg Wesmen volleyball team (2004-09, 2015), has proudly embraced her Métis identity and has spent years giving back to the Indigenous community through sport. Her time and effort haven’t gone unnoticed, as on Tuesday, Menzies was one of several coaches to be recognized with a Sport Manitoba Coaching Award. Menzies, 35, won the Peter Williamson Memorial Award for her contributions in coaching competitive volleyball and she was also named the Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council’s Indigenous Female Coach of the Decade. This year’s Sport Manitoba award winners were recognized for their achievements over their entire careers.

Menzies coached Manitoba at the 2017 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Toronto, and at the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg, where she helped guide the women’s volleyball team to a gold medal. But arguably her biggest impact has come through Agoojin Volleyball Club, which she co-founded in 2018. Agoojin is based in Winnipeg and designed to make elite volleyball accessible to young female Indigenous volleyball players across Manitoba while mentoring athletes spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. The program has helped several players move on to play university volleyball.

“I believe that I’m the one that’s benefited from Indigenous sport,” Menzies told the Free Press.

“Obviously, there’s some mutual benefit, but I have found that the Indigenous ways of knowing, ways of being, allows for one’s whole self to be present in a space and it’s just more of a holistic worldview than what mainstream sport allows for sometimes. In mainstream sport, winning is really important and sometimes sports can put too much pressure on that. I found that in Indigenous communities, the more significant benefits speak equal volumes to winning or medals or whatever. I feel like I’ve benefited because the benefits of sport have expanded and have just become innumerable in Indigenous contexts for me.”

Read the full story on the Winnipeg Free Press story here.

“Knowing that promoting healthy movement could help our community, I decided to brainstorm with Antonina Kandurin and Taylor Tutkaluke, both Métis students in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, to help me actualize a movement initiative,” says Forsythe, the Métis inclusion coordinator at the Indigenous Student Centre at the University of Manitoba.

The first campaign, called Maaschiitak – or “let’s move” in Michif, launched in November and saw high participation.

Participant entry for Maaschiitak (Let’s Move) challenge.

“Over 130 participants sent in hundreds of posts over the course of the four-week campaign,” says Forsythe. “I was truly inspired by people sharing posts of themselves walking, running, skating, riding horseback, skiing, spinning, practicing yoga and lifting weights,” she says. “We were thrilled to launch the Maaschiitak (Let’s Move) campaign for the second time.”

Launched in late February, the campaign is supported by the Indigenous Student Centre at UM, Manitoba Metis Federation Bison Local, Métis University Students’ Association (MUSA) and Physical Education Recreational Kinesiology Student Council (PERKS)..  

Maaschiitak (Let’s Move) is open to anyone in the community who is eager to participate until March 22. The rules are simple: capture yourself immersed in some form of movement, and tag the UM Métis community on social media  (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter). Participants are entered into weekly draws for a chance to win great prizes!

Below are a few testimonials from past participants.

“The atmosphere of the movement challenge was very uplifting and positive, which is why I believe so many folks participated! I think it was also a great way to create good habits by getting up and moving every day, which I have tried to upkeep over the winter break and beyond. I’m looking forward for the second movement challenge!””
– Claire Risbey, participant, Faculty of Science

“Participating in the first Maaschiitak (Let’s Move) movement challenge during the 2020 quarantine gave me the motivation to get up off the couch after a long quarantine rest. I set an ambitious goal to get active a few times a week using a jump rope and my home space. I soon realized how much I missed being physically active regularly. During the first challenge, I was taking a heavy course load and was buried in studies. The inviting and fun atmosphere created by the hosts allowed me to fit exercise into my life again. Moving my body regularly helped to create a balance between the physical and mental exercises I was immersed in.”
– Jessica Lagimodiere, participant and contest winner

“Throughout the challenge, I was able to host three live workouts for challenge participants to attend. These were such a great way to connect with participants and earn our movement challenge entry together! Any fitness instructor will agree that the positive praise for our program from participants and the impact it had on their ability to keep active is better than any monetary reward we could have received for our efforts. Looking forward to the  Movement Challenge 2.0!”
–Taylor Tutkaluke, executive coordinator – MUSA council and Indigenous representative – PERKS