It was history in the making for Aboriginal Youth and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Programme as, for the first time in PEI, thirteen Aboriginal Youth from across the Island received the Bronze Award. This achievement was possible due to the sponsorship and involvement of the Mawita’jik Program by the Aboriginal Women’s Association of PEI (AWA PEI). Essentially, the Aboriginal Women’s Association of PEI is committed to empowering Aboriginal Women and their families towards wellness and positive leadership within society. Thus, when the opportunity arose to work with the Duke of Edinburgh’s AWA PEI gave its total support and commitment. It must be noted that the Duke of Edinburgh’s Programme staff were very positive and helpful in guiding us through our first year with their program. The Mawita’jik Aboriginal Youth Program receives its funding from the National Crime Prevention Centre of Ottawa. This program also has the honor of partnering with many Aboriginal programs from across PEI and again, without their support, this would not have been possible: Native Council of PEI, Abegweit First Nations, Lennox Island First Nations and programs within the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of PEI.
The motto of Mawita’jik is “Whoever dares… wins.” In turn the vision statement of the Duke of Edinburgh’s is “To be the personal development Program of choice for young people and for the agencies that deal with young people in Canada, as reflected in quality, growth, and external perceptions.” Thus, in putting together these two statements, the paths of Mawita’jik and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Programme became one. Through a combination of volunteer service, skill development, physical recreation, and experience within outdoor education, each of the thirteen Aboriginal Youth earned their Bronze Award over a period of six months.
Some of the examples of activities involved the following: a) volunteer service included Native Council Youth teaching drumming to Abegweit Youth, thus, this also gave Abegweit Youth their skill development; b) physical recreation involved personal fitness programs and group fitness options; c) skill development was very specific to culture, involving regalia making, learning the Mi’kmaq language, and learning cultural teachings; d) finally, the adventurous journeys involved both a practice journey and actual Outdoor Education Weekend at Centre Goeland, PEI. The thirteen Aboriginal Youth who received the Bronze Award are as follows: Amethyst Knockwood, Alisha Knockwood, Dion Bernard, Melissa Peter Paul, Joseph Schurman Peters, Ebony Larkin, Parker Larkin, Bradley Cooper, Dana Panchuk, Denise Bernard, Dustin Bernard, Brett Bernard, Chance Banks.
In the end, many Aboriginal Youth talked about this being a “life changing experience”…. A real path to healthy personal development, i.e. “walking the red road.”