Latest / Community Champion of the Week / Mariah Henriksen - Blood Tribe Twin Rinks Skating Program

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Mariah Henriksen - Blood Tribe Twin Rinks Skating Program · Community Champion of the Week

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Voice Speaker Radio Network community to be all the week.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, um, this is Mariah Henrickson.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm starting, I am from the Blood Tribe community, and I am starting a new initiative for the youth here on the Blood Tribe.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_01: Mariah, congratulations.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_01: You're doing such an incredible thing for the youth.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: Tell me a little more about uh the skating program.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: So the skating program is something that I've envisioned since I was in high school.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: I've been a figure skater since I was four years old.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: I am now 29.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm executing this um program with a colleague of mine.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Her name is Mariah, her name is also Mariah, Mistaken Chief.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: And so basically, our vision is that we are two indigenous women from the Blood Tribe who both share a passion for creating meaningful opportunities for children in our community.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: So we are developing this Blood Tribe Community Learn to Skate program to give local children the opportunity to learn how to skate in a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment without the financial barrier of registration fees.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: Mariah, tell me why is it so important to you personally to create this initiative for your community and for others in the surrounding area?
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: It is very important to me because we have a new ice arena in standoff.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's called the Twin Rings.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: And so with that being all out and out now in the public, it's um kind of brings more vision to the community, gives us better opportunities.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: However, it is in the heart of standoff where a lot of the children don't have much opportunities to, you know, access it because there might be financial barriers of skating fees, of getting skates.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so what I want to do is just eliminate that for them and just let them come to the program, build confidence and just kind of, you know, make friends and yeah.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: Mara, I want to know how does it make you feel making an impact?
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_01: Because you are making a difference in the community.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's very um heartwarming because I have shared this um program proposal with a lot of my colleagues, and they have they're all like, oh my goodness, I'm gonna sign my child up.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, oh yay, that makes me feel very happy, very thankful because I am very proud of where I'm from, and I just want our future to have better opportunities opportunities in different avenues.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because with this Learn to Skate program, not every child wants to become a hockey player.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: Some may want to endeavor into figure skating or even just skate for leisure.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's what I'm hoping to bring.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: This has been the Windspeaker Radio Network Community Champion of the Week.