Every day in the communities we serve, young people are learning how to be leaders: with their peers, in their communities, and to the kids coming up behind them. This year, one of the partnerships helping make that possible celebrates a milestone of its own.
Spirit North’s Edmonton team members with Karen Blair, COO of Canada’s Great Kitchen Party (centre).
This year marks Canada's Great Kitchen Party's (CGKP) 20th anniversary. Two decades of giving back that began by contributing $15 million to Canadian Olympic athletes, has taken on a broader mission: closing gaps in access to healthy food, sport, and music for young Canadians. In recent years, CGKP has directed close to $5 million toward youth programs, with Spirit North standing as one of two national charities (the other being MusiCounts) that they currently partner with directly.
For the past four of those years, Spirit North has been proud to be one of the causes CGKP carries forward, with their support aiming toward our Youth Leadership program.
“I’ve been to a few Kitchen Party events now, and it always catches me off guard how much it feels like we’re cut from the same cloth. You’ve got chefs and musicians bringing a real sense of play and creativity to their work, pushing limits and exploring possibilities. And it’s the same energy we’re seeing out on the trails or on the water with the kids. Different spaces, same excitement. It’s part of why I think this partnership makes so much sense.”
Youth leadership in action
Twelve-year-old Taylen Holloway, from Mînî Thnî in Stoney Nakoda Nation, is exactly the kind of young person this support is invested in. An energetic Grade 7 student at Exshaw School, Taylen has thrown himself into nearly every activity Spirit North offers — lacrosse, biking, paddleboarding, canoeing, skiing — always looking for the next thing to try.
Ask him what a perfect day looks like, and the answer is simple: "playing sports [and] being outdoors." His favourite moments come at summer camp, "hanging around with my friends, skiing with them, meeting new people."
That enthusiasm hasn't gone unnoticed. Community Program Leader Robi Fish has watched Taylen grow into a leader on the ski team, someone teammates turn to when they're unsure what to do next.
"Taylen is someone who has enthusiastically participated in all kinds of Spirit North programs," says Fish. "He loves to challenge himself to try new things while exploring the outdoors and he shows determination, resilience and skill in his approach to sports. We have seen him grow into a confident leader on the ski team and he is interested in becoming a Spirit North youth leader in the future."
This year's Youth Leadership program was made possible through the continued support of Canada's Great Kitchen Party, who have contributed $1.1 million toward building pathways young people like Taylen are just beginning to walk.
As CGKP celebrates 20 years of bringing people together, Spirit North is grateful to be one of the causes they've chosen to support. We look forward to continuing this partnership, and to watching where kids like Taylen, future youth leaders in the making, choose to go next.
