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DEH CHO
Fort Providence resident, Kari Hergott found her voice this summer as she dug into her people's past and worked to honour the women in her culture.

Kari Hergott attended the Indigenous Women in Community Leadership certificate program at the Coady Institute in Nova Scotia this summer. She said the program has given her more confidence and helped her strengthen her connection with her Metis culture. - photo courtesy of Kari Hergott

Hergott, a proud Metis, started her journey as part of the Indigenous Women in Community Leadership certificate program at the Coady Institute in Nova Scotia.

"I feel that the program helped a lot," Hergott said. "It helped me find my voice and kind of gave me a clearer idea of what I want to do, what I want to work towards."

During the four month program, which is offered to aboriginal women only, Hergott participated in a three-week intensive course, a three-month work placement and a two-day public speaking class.

For her placement Hergott worked with the Fort Providence Metis Council to honour Catherine Beaulieu Bouvier Lamoureux, who was designated as a person of national historic significance.

Her involvement in the celebration, Hergott said, has opened doors to allow her to continue honouring Metis mothers.

"I want to pursue more research into my family lineage and just keep learning about my family and my culture and hopefully find a way to document the stories of my mother, my aunties, the Metis women in my life. I think their stories are valuable and the youth need to hear these stories to understand where they come from," she said. "It's really powerful when you know where you come from."

The 15 aboriginal women who took the course were all given full scholarships, which included travel, accommodations, meals and a stipend. The women were also provided with mentors who helped guide them and gave support when they needed it.

Hergott's mentor was actor, singer and songwriter Andrea Menard. Hergott said she was a great asset to have.

"She was my soundboard when I wanted to work through ideas," she said. "If I was having any issues or any risks or challenges that came up she helped talk me through them just to come up with a plan B."

The participants also found support within the group. The women grew very close over the four months, Hergott said.

"We formed this bond that is hard to describe but it's going to be a network that I'll have for the rest of my life."

Hergott said she would recommend the program to anybody and would love to see more aboriginal women in the North apply for it.

"I will say that it's a very intensive program. It's four months but there's a lot that is done in those four months," she said. "We were very crammed for time and it was stressful at moments but I think it's definitely something that some of our emerging leaders, aboriginal women, should look into."

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