EYES ON MILITARY CAREER
“It was really uplifting for myself, and hearing the instructors also cheer me on, and compliment me and saying they knew I could do it, and all my hard work would pay up. It just made me feel really good about myself.” She said the end of the course was kind of a sad day. “It started to become more like a family to you,” she said with a bittersweet laugh. “It was like, blood, sweat, tears between each other! It was a great experience.” Vanessa said before the course started it was hard to let her daughter go, but she was ultimately glad Dylan had the experience. “I was really proud as a parent to watch her go through that experience, and gain a lot of confidence, and new skills. I thought she can carry that forward in her future. A lot of proud-mama moments.” As explained on the Canadian Army website, the first Bold Eagle program was created in 1989, and launched in the summer of 1990 at Dundurn, Sask., with 15 young First Nations people from the Prince Albert Tribal Council area. Coinciding with the Oka crisis in the summer of 1990 — which involved tensions between the Mohawk community of Kanesatake and the town of Oka in Quebec — the first goal of the Saskatchewan program was to build a stronger relationship between the military and law enforcement agencies and Indigenous communities. The second goal was to attract more Indigenous people and add diversity to the Canadian Armed Forces. Over the next few years, the program grew, operating in Dundurn and then Shilo, Man. In 1998, Bold Eagle was moved to the Canadian Army training area in Wainwright, Alta., where it remains today. Over the years, Bold Eagle graduates have been found to be much more likely to complete high school, and more likely to go on to meaningful employment. (There are also opportunities following successful completion of the course to continue as reservists or to join the regular force). Dylan’s experience in the program has clarified her career goals. First, of course, she will complete her final year of high school. After that, “I’m looking toward joining the military, and either become a medic, or even join the artillery. If I don’t get to any of those, I’d probably join the RCMP.” But whatever route she takes, “Overall, (Bold Eagle) was a lifechanging experience for me.”