Set big goals and chase them: Indspire laureates
Josh Butcher said he had one important message to pass along to the young people at the Indspire Youth Laureates Cross Canada Tour stop at the University of Saskatchewan: “dream big.”
“Take the biggest and best thing that you want to be and you think you can be, and go do it,” he said. “We’re all behind you.”
The Indspire Awards honour extraordinary indigenous people in Canada who have achieved great success in their lives and careers, and can be strong role models for indigenous youth.
Butcher, a member of the Metis Nation of Alberta, currently enrolled in the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, was one of this year’s three youth laureates.
He started his education at the U of S in the College of Kinesiology, where he achieved a 4.0 grade point average while playing as a walk-on for the Huskies football team. He also volunteered with the Student Wellness Initiative Towards Community Health clinic, which services mostly indigenous people, and created the Athlete Allies program to raise awareness for the obstacles LGBTQ-2 athletes face.
His initiative and dedication make Butcher “an outstanding role model for indigenous and non-indigenous youth across the country,” the Indspire website notes.
“I just remember being really shocked but so, so honoured to be selected,” Butcher said, adding it was incredible for him to be mentioned as an award winner alongside Senator Murray Sinclair, Indspire’s 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award winner and the chair of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Speaking alongside Butcher at the event were other former youth laureates, Fauna Kingdon and Andrea Dykstra. Both emphasized how important it is for youth to know about the opportunities available to them.
“I want to help demonstrate to young people how essential they are to the future of Canada, both culturally and economically,” Dykstra said.
The Youth Laureates Cross Canada Tour is a special event for Indspire as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary. Laureates from around the country will speak at events in different Canadian cities.
“We really just want to inspire indigenous youth to get involved in their country, and to really just know that there are organizations there to help you,” Kingdon said.