Following 12 weeks of carpentry skills training provided by MCSC-affiliated trainers, nine Indigenous youth in Manto Sipi Cree Nation (Gods River) have completed the course and are now job-ready with new opportunities in their communities, several of them are pictured above. Graduates will find employment with Sigfusson Northern to build an arena and with Northern Lites Contracting Ltd. to build 15 homes in their community. To celebrate their remarkable success, graduates prepared a meal for their graduation celebration, giving back to all the people in their communities that unconditionally supported them during their training. With funding for training provided by the Province of Manitoba, the youth graduates applied their carpentry learning to  build a church.

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To see images of the projects worked on by the students during their training, click here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjB3qaH

The sense of pride and confidence was evident on graduation day, at a special ceremony on Nov. 10 in Gods River. Over the 12 weeks, the youth were committed to their training with the support of their community, the Red Seal Indigenous carpenter instructor, and MCSC’s Indigenous Liaison, William Kirkness. There was so much growth beyond the technical training. Challenges with depression and addiction were replaced by a sense of belonging, empowerment, identity, and a feeling of gratitude. Congratulations to all the grads, and MCSC looks forward to sharing your success in future newsletters!