The first Northern Shuswap Youth Conference takes place March 21-24 at The Hills Health Ranch at 108 Mile, with 150 First Nations youths from Northern Shuswap Bands expected to participate.
It's a group initiative put together by members of the Canim Lake, Soda Creek, Canoe Creek and Williams Lake bands, with help from the Three Corners Health Services Society in Williams Lake.
Lynn Dunford, Three Corners Holistic Wellness program manager, says the opportunity to bring youth together from the Northern Shuswap Bands doesn't happen very often and she's excited about it.
All of the facilitators will be First Nations people who will talk about Secwepemc history and offer a list of workshops that include youth harm reduction, healthy eating and fitness, Shuswap language, games and crafts and cyber bullying, she notes.
"It's all about youth leadership and empowering the participants to develop youth leadership skills. It's also about making youth aware of the resources available to them."
