Building Resiliency with Métis Youth

Métis are unique mixed-race Indigenous peoples in Canada, descendants of unions between French or Scottish fur traders and First Nations women. There are 8 self-governed Métis lands in the province of Alberta called  Métis Settlements .

In 2010, Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement and researchers from the Faculty of Extension at the  University of Alberta  began a partnership creating a culturally- and community-grounded life skills training program delivered to over 550 children ages 7-14 living in Métis Settlements across Alberta. The goal of the  Métis Settlement Life Skills Journey program  (MSLSJ) is to contribute to youth resiliency by learning life skills through play.

Participants learned about self­-esteem, communication, community and neighbourliness, kinship, grief & loss, hopes & dreams, spirituality, substance abuse, bullying, and respect through active play. These life skills were identified by an advisory committee and staff from Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement, honouring the culture and traditions of the participating Settlements. 

Seven of the eight Métis Settlements in Alberta partnered with the MSLSJ program to offer life skills programming to children and youth in their community.