Daisy McKay
Rural Change Maker
My name is Daisy Mckay. I’m from a small community in Northern Ontario, Sachigo Lake First Nation. I’ve lived here my whole life. At the moment, I’m working as a Teacher's Escort at the elementary school here in Sachigo. I studied at Confederation College for a couple years during Covid, but I have yet to complete my diploma. After the Rural Change Makers program, working, and saving money, I’m hoping to move and go back to school to get my Aboriginal Community Advocacy diploma.
Before that though, I’m hoping to start something for my community while I’m in the Rural Change Makers program. I want to be able to do something for the youth in my community. I would like to give youth a chance to indulge in our lost indigenous culture, to give them a chance to explore our culture and possibly work with the Choose Life Program and other programs in my community to create a safe space for youth. A place where they feel safe, valued, respected, and free to be themselves.
Sachigo Lake Indigenous Youth Initiative
The Sachigo Lake Youth Initiative is a youth program geared to get the local indigenous youth in my remote First Nation aged 10 -16 to engage in various recreational and leisure activities while creating a safe space for them to build better relationships with peers. Youth will participate in various leisure activities, such as beading, baking, arts and crafts; and recreational activities such as volleyball, hockey, broomball, badminton, etc. that meant to teach them consistency, independence, team-work, etc. My initiative is also meant to give youth access to the right support systems, provide safe spaces, and help them find confidence in themselves before / during their high school years.
Through this project, I aim to create safe spaces and stronger relationships for youth in my community. I would like to work with the programs that are already in place in my community. Programs such as Choose Life, Jordan’s Principle, Family Well Being, and Community Well Being, have been doing a great job keeping the younger kids active, but I’m hoping to get more of the older youth to participate.
I hope one day to have a recreational building where youth can spend their free time doing things they enjoy, where they feel safe and have their voices heard. Also maybe I'll put together a youth council one day too.
