Sumas Youth Canoe Journey

Healing on the Water: A Youth Canoe Journey with Sumas First Nation

The annual canoe journey of the Sumas First Nation is more than travel across water. It is ceremony, teaching, healing, and connection. Supported through the New Relationship Trust Youth Grant, this journey is helping Indigenous youth strengthen their identity, release grief, and build community.

When we visited the Nation during their stop on the route to Elwha, we witnessed powerful cultural teachings in motion. These experiences continue to demonstrate how investing in BC First Nations youth can transform lives and create lasting pathways of wellness.

Culture as a Pathway to Healing

For many Indigenous youth, cultural connection is a vital foundation for resilience and wellbeing. During the canoe journey, young people paddle together, pray on the water, and learn to ask the land and water for strength. These teachings are not symbolic. They are lived lessons that help youth ground themselves, let go of emotional burdens, and find strength in who they are.

The healing continues on shore. At Sumas, the community gathered for a meal, song, and dance, reinforcing the spiritual and emotional teachings learned on the canoe. Culture offers a way to move through grief, celebrate identity, and reconnect with community in meaningful and supportive ways.

Creating Safe Spaces for Indigenous Youth

Members of the community shared that many did not grow up with the same cultural spaces now being created for their young people. Programs like the canoe journey are changing that story. Through culture, Sumas is creating safe places where youth feel supported, protected, and connected.

Here, healing is collective. Youth learn that they do not have to carry their grief alone. The canoe journey teaches teamwork, trust, and belonging, reminding them that every voice and every paddle stroke has value. These shared experiences strengthen family bonds, community connection, and cultural identity, helping youth move through challenges with confidence and support.

How the Youth Grant Supports BC First Nations

For Sumas, this support meant more than financial assistance. It created space for Indigenous youth to practice their culture, experience healing, and develop into strong leaders rooted in identity and tradition.

The Youth Grant is designed to support BC First Nations in building opportunities that foster cultural learning, leadership, and long-term community wellbeing. The canoe journey is a strong example of how investing in Indigenous youth leads to lasting impact.