CONNECT with Sheila Botelho Podcast

#WeSeeYou: Indigenous First Nations Youth in Canada - with Dwight Ballantyne - Episode 137

Sheila Botelho

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“Youth living in remote Indigenous communities deserve the same choices as every other Canadian. We believe our connection and sharing #WeSeeYou with these youth helps them believe in more than just words in a text book.” -Dwight Ballantyne


Dwight Ballantyne grew up in Montreal Lake Cree Nation, a remote north Saskatchewan First Nation, until the age of 21. He always felt like he was invisible to the rest of the world. When a once in a lifetime opportunity to move to BC presented itself in 2016, he took a leap of faith and left everything he knew behind.  

Upon adjusting to his new lifestyle, he realized that many of the new people he met did not even know what a reserve was. This realization instilled a desire to find a way to bridge the gap between remote Indigenous communities and the rest of Canada.  

In 2019, Dwight founded The Ballantyne Project with the goal of raising awareness about what it was like to grow up in a remote First Nation.

As part of this goal, Dwight has created three unique and impactful presentations sharing Canadian Indigenous history and the challenges and barriers that he faced growing up.  He is in the extremely rare position to offer his audience an opportunity to understand a segment of Canada’s population that rarely makes it into textbooks, popular media or social conversation. 

Since January 2020, thousands of students have attended Dwight’s live presentations.  He offers these presentations at School District Professional Days and at other organizations who seek to gain a deeper understanding of Canada’s history that currently affects youth and young adults living in remote First Nations today.


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*This interview is for educational purposes only and doesn't necessarily represent the practices of the host. Please consult your physician or health advisor before beginning any new healing or self-care protocol.