Métis Youth Leader Tracie Léost Supports the Rise of Indigenous Youth
At 22 years young, Tracie Léost is a full-time student in her last semester of her Bachelor of Social Work at the University of Regina (Saskatchewan, Canada). She is a trailblazer who has won numerous national awards for her athletics, academics, and commitment to her people and her community.
She is the founder of Waanishka Movement Inc., a not-for-profit organization that exists to support the rise of Indigenous young people. So why, at such a young age, did she decide to embark on this venture? Because she’s been overcoming obstacles her whole life—fighting stereotypes and bullying as a child and never really feeling like she fit in. Waanishka, in Michif, is a command to get up and rise. Having been raised in a predominantly white neighbourhood in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and in an education system that didn’t support her heritage or her identity, Léost wishes there had been an organization like this to turn to when she was growing up.
“As the fastest, and youngest, growing demographic in Canada—the power is in the hands of Indigenous youth,” said Léost. As a young adult, she recognized the need for her peers to see themselves represented in an organization that creates a safe space for them to connect and have conversations about things that matter to them. This is particularly important on social media platforms. “They need to see themselves represented in places where they frequent,” she explained. Waanishka Movement Inc. creates virtual spaces for youth to connect, but they also host a Book Club and run a Sweetgrass leadership program. The leadership program— designed by Elders, knowledge-keepers and community members—uses the Seven Sacred Grandfather Teachings to share cultural teachings while developing life and social skills.
Léost’s perseverance comes from a deep love for her family and culture. Raised by strong hardworking parents, she was immersed in her family’s Métis culture and spent a lot of time with her Kokum and cousins in St. Laurent, Manitoba.
Once she graduates this coming spring, Léost will be a first-generation university graduate on her mother’s side and a second-generation graduate on her father’s side. When asked what the driving force is behind her interest in social work, she explained that she never really understood that going to university was an option for her, partly due to the discrimination she faced as a child, but also because she didn’t see others in her family pursuing higher education. It wasn’t until grade eleven that Léost made the connection. “I really started to delve into the history of systemic racism with Indigenous people. I didn’t realize how big of a deal it was, and is, for Indigenous youth to even just graduate from high school and not come into contact with child welfare or end up in a youth incarceration facility.”
Once Léost felt more connected to her past, she became more active and involved as an advocate for her people—the driving force behind her pursuit of social work and all that she does as a leader and activist.
After graduating from university, Léost plans to do whatever she can to bridge the gap in social services as a frontline worker and in influencing policy. She’s not sure what city she will end up in, but she plans to continue to work directly with children and youth, empowering them to embrace their generational resilience and supporting them on their journey to get up and rise.
In 2014, Léost won three bronze medals under the Métis flag at the North American Indigenous Games in Regina, Saskatchewan. She is the recipient of the Manitoba Aboriginal Youth Achievement Award and the YWCA Women of Distinction, Gerrie Hammond Memorial Award of Promise. In 2016, Léost was the recipient of the Young Humanitarian Award and the Manitoba Hero Award, and, in 2018, she was the recipient of the Indspire Youth Métis Award. In February, Léost was inducted into the Order of Gabriel Dumont, receiving the bronze medal, one of the Métis Nation’s highest civilian honours.