Earning While Learning: A Can’t-Miss Summer Program for Indigenous Youth

Sabre-Anne Elkins, then 17, was scrolling through her Facebook feed in the summer of 2021 when she spotted an ad, encouraging her to join a summer program and get paid.

The only requirement? She needed to identify as an Indigenous youth. A proud member of the Williams Lake First Nation band, she immediately signed up along with her 16-year-old brother.

“A paid training experience with certification – that’s what caught my eye. Plus, I get to be somewhere new,” Elkins said.

Dexterra Community Initiatives’ Outland Youth Employment Program (OYEP) delivers this annual six-week summer program for Indigenous youth in British Columbia and across Canada. The program provides a variety of certifiable training experience like first aid, chainsaw operation, trail building, and forest fire suppression.

Elkins achieved her certifications after her first year in the program.

“It's empowering,” she says. “My brother and I came from poverty and have faced many struggles in our lives. So being able to graduate from that program, knowing that we worked hard and accomplished something, was really rewarding.”

Besides earning while learning, participants also get high school credits and a chance to build lasting friendships with their peers.

“Everybody becomes a family out there. They talk to each other all year long—both the participants and the staff,” says Brittany McCoy, OYEP Western Program Manager. “Other than the quantifiable outcomes, we see a huge development in the youth’s confidence levels, which is a big plus.”

Elkins returned to the program the next two summers. Up to 95% of participants also join the following year’s program, mainly because it’s not only providing a summer camp-like experience but a chance to get a full-time job. Participants are full-time employees, working five to eight hours with pay, plus a pay increase for the next year they come back to the program. In addition to free room and board, each participant can earn approximately $3,000 over the six-week program.

“This allows youth to get those first-job jitters out in a comfortable, healthy, and safe setting. We hope to set them up for the best possible success when they enter the workforce and take those first steps toward their careers,” McCoy adds.

This year, OYEP is hosting its BC summer program in Quesnel from July 16 through Aug. 24. On Aug. 7, Enbridge will host a day of training, career talks and a site visit at a Westcoast Energy compressor station, located south of Quesnel. The company is a proud partner of this national program, contributing $50,000 through a Fueling Futures grant.

Applications for the summer program is available through the OYEP website. However, all applications from June 1 are waitlisted, pending funding availability.

This summer, Elkins will skip the summer program for a good reason.

“I’m a full-time cook now, thanks to my previous experience as a kitchen assistant at OYEP. Being there opened up doors for me—and my employer recognized my breadth of experience and training from the program.”