Spirit North is providing kids a great opportunity
Tyren Boots is a transplanted member of the Ontario Mohawk Nation whose office is the snow-covered fields and forests high above the Okanagan Valley.
This time of year the tools of the trade for a 25-year old who now lives in Kelowna are a pair of cross country skis and a big smile.
One of the community program leaders for the national, non-profit Spirt North organization, his all-important clients are the children of families who have lived in this territory for centuries.
“Working with so many different First Nations students is just so much fun. I love it,” said Boots who played lacrosse and university hockey.
“Every program we have is land-based and having these kids out here in the wilderness and having this outlook is just so important for them. Something they can take with them for the rest of their lives.”
In partnership with schools and communi- ties, the Alberta-based Spirt North uses land- based activities to improve the health and well-being of Indigenous youth.
Because there is no cost to the student, all socio-economic groups can participate which is a key component of the Spirit North philosophy.
Nickel Plate Nordic Centre, southwest of Penticton, has has been home to the program since it expanded into B.C. in 2018.
Participating schools at Nickel Plate include the Penticton Indian Band’s Outma Sqilx’w Cultural School and Osoyoos Indian Band’s Sen ‘Pok’ Chin School.
Spirit North also provides lessons in conjunction with Telemark Nordic Club and the Westbank First Nation in West Kelowna for the students of Sənsisyustən House of Learning.
According to two-time Olympic medalist Beckie Scott, the organization’s CEO, it’s individuals, like Boots, who are the backbone of the organization.
“We have managed to attract a truly remarkable group who are the most caring and confident individuals that I could imagine on a team,” said Scott, an Officer of the Order or Canada. “Relationships are the cornerstone of our success and I think our leaders have really done an incredible job developing and establishing positive relationships with not only the kids, but the communities that we are working with.
“It warms my heart beyond … beyond anything. I had a very successful career as an Olympic athlete and this is easily as rewarding and inspiring, to be able to bring it to communities, to kids, who would not otherwise have this opportunity.”
Scott was the first North American woman to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing in 2002 in Salt Lake City.
She later served as chair of the World Anti Doping Agency’s Athlete Committee, being a strong advocate for drug-free sport.
For Perianne Jones, Spirit North’s Southern B.C. regional coordinator, also a former Olympic skier and World Cup medalist, the growth of the youth and the program locally have been immense.
“The students are getting faster and much more experienced,” she said. “I was out skiing with the kids this morning and I’m sweating trying to keep up with them.
“We can now go further, up bigger hills and down bigger hills and they can be a little bit goofy on their skis. It doesn’t matter if they have skis on their feet 100 per cent of the time as long as they’re enjoying being outside with their friends, building that comradery.”
On March 10 at Nickel Plate, following a a two-year absence due to the pandemic, the annual Spirit North end-of-season festival will be held. On that day hundreds of kids, parents, teachers and others will gather to celebrate their achievements and their culture. The Westbank festival at Telemark is scheduled for March 6.