Be the change my Ancestor wanted me to be.
Tansi (Hello),
Drew Rose nisihkason. Mikisiw-wacîhk o chi neya (Hello, my name is Drew Rose, and I am a plains Cree from Red Pheasant Cree Nation) of the Treaty 6 territory in Saskatchewan. I have an amazing family that consists of my beautiful wife Charlotte who is from the Stölo and Dakelh Nations and our two amazing daughters, Mikoh Mae and Kodah Kree. We have been humble Indigenous guest on Secwepemcúl̓ecw (Shuswap territory) for the last 15 years; we have lived, learned and thrived on this beautiful land and we now call it our home.
My family and I enjoy being out on the land and take in all that our Indigenous classroom has to offer. If not on the land, I enjoy working out and playing all kinds of sports; specifically, hockey, as it allows me to meet a lot of people as well as experience other Indigenous territories. Throughout my journey, I’ve had the privileged to work with many different Nations, communities and youth; whether it be for role model speaking, conducting hockey schools, strength from within workshops for transitioning youth from elementary to high school or helping around the communities wherever needed. After my hockey career was over, I knew I wanted to give back and pursue some sort of youth mentorship or working with them in some sort of platform. That being said, I continued my journey of helping and had the opportunity to be a First Nation Support Worker for the School District #27, Youth Cultural and Recreation Coordinator for Skeetchestn Indian Band and Qwelmínte Secwépemc (“QS”) Knowledge Builders Program.
Presently, I am studying at Thompson Rivers University where I received my Associate of Arts Degree, and graduating my Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) program in Fall 2023. In pursuing my B.Ed., I believe that my Indigenous experience will also lend itself to further be an asset, one in which students can relate, by feeling supported, valued, and see themselves being inspired to become well balanced individuals of the community. It is through my Indigenous teachings and pursuit of post-secondary education, I feel an inherent need, like my ancestors, to advocate for our youth and contribute to creating a space that upholds our rights as Indigenous peoples and access to Indigenous education. When I am not in school, I get the pleasure of working with QS where I am the coordinator of their Knowledge Builders Program. The program supports postsecondary and high school students Walk on Two Legs (Indigenous and Western sciences and ways of knowing and being) in their work and lives, so they can move forward in a good way with these guiding principals. We experience and learn not only the practical side of being at a government-to-government table with the Province of British Columbia but had the added opportunity to apply my lived Indigenous experiences and post-secondary skills to a setting that equally valued both skill sets. During my work at QS, I further developed my understanding of Secwépemc culture and heritage, developed curriculum for both post-secondary and elementary levels, built skills relating to communications, including research, video development, interviewing, etc., as well as, managing and coordinating the program (scheduling, budget, etc.). In addition, my work has allowed me to build valuable rapport with Elders, Knowledge Carriers, and contractors who were a part of our QS Summer Speaker Series.