‘It was inspirational’: Wab Kinew’s message to Indigenous youth resonates with students | CBC News
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Some Indigenous youth and students in Manitoba say they’re feeling inspired and motivated after the province’s first First Nations premier offered them an encouraging message following his party’s victory on Tuesday night.
Premier-designate Wab Kinew spoke directly to Indigenous youth after he was elected to be Manitoba’s next premier.
“I want to speak to the young neechies out there,” Kinew said to the crowd at the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg that night.
“I was given a second chance in life, and I would like to think that I’ve made good on that opportunity. And you can do the same — here’s how. My life became immeasurably better when I stopped making excuses and I started looking for a reason.
Featured VideoManitoba’s incoming premier spoke directly to young people after the NDP win. Wab Kinew offered words of encouragement to people of all ages but specifically Indigenous youth and his message resonated with students.
“And I found that reason in our family. I found that reason in our community. And I found that reason in our province and country.”
Kinew encouraged youth who want to change their lives for the better to take that first step.
But, he said, “you have to want it.”
That message left Joshua Dare, a Grade 12 student at St. John’s High School in Winnipeg, feeling inspired.
“It really focused on more of youth and how we can help the community, and then how the youth can help change the communities,” said Dare, who was part of a group of St. John’s students who spent part of Wednesday afternoon watching Kinew’s speech and talking about the provincial election with the school’s principal, Doug Taylor.
“We’re the next generation and that it’ll be our responsibility next to help watch the communities and see what happens next,” Dare said.
It also struck a chord with 15-year-old St. John’s student Kyree Barkman, who is from Sachigo Lake First Nation in northwestern Ontario but moved to Winnipeg about two years ago.
“It pretty much inspired me … to talk about the problems that we have to go through being Indigenous youth,” Barkman said, adding that making sure First Nations have clean drinking water is something she’d like to advocate for.
Second chances
Kinew’s message also resonated with some students upgrading their education.
For 28-year-old Donovan Parenteau, who is working on passing Grade 12 at the Neeginan Centre’s Aboriginal Community Campus on Higgins Avenue in Winnipeg, Kinew’s words made him feel heard.
“It was inspirational,” he said. “A lot of us Aboriginal people are either suffering with addiction or mental health issues and … we’re often looked past, like we’re not visible, almost like ghosts.”
Donna Daniels, who also studies at Aboriginal Community Campus, said she feels like she’s on the right path after listening to Kinew’s speech.
She said she was an addict for five years before deciding to get sober and further her education. She’s planning on helping others who have struggled with addictions once she finishes school.
“I decided like it wasn’t a life for me,” said Daniels, 31. “Like Wab Kinew said, like, there’s always second chances but you need to work for it yourself.”
Kayla Cook, 25, who is studying at the Aboriginal Community Campus, said Kinew can be a role model for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people looking to better themselves.
“It kind of shows like not only Indigenous people but other people that when you’re given a second chance, like, you can make … a beautiful life for yourself,” she said.
Cook said both her parents are residential school survivors and she wants to “be the change” for her family. She plans on going into social work.
“I’ve been through a lot and kind of want to be able to help our community,” she said.
Featured VideoWith the NDP’s majority win in Manitoba, Wab Kinew will become the province’s first First Nations premier. His win has excited and energized Indigenous Manitobans.
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