TWU makes university degree possible for First Nations artist Jeska Slater
“In our teachings, life is very sacred and our lives are very beautiful,” says Jeska Slater, an indigenous artist and Trinity Western University student. Slater lives by the First Nations teaching that each person is born with a sacred gift. She uses her gift to connect with indigenous youth.
The talented young painter is a Nehiyaw iskwew (Cree woman), whose mother is from the Ochekwi Sipi (Fisher River) Cree Nation in Manitoba and whose father hails from England.
Growing up in Maple Ridge, B.C., Jeska was not deeply connected to her culture, and she always felt something was missing in her life. It was not until she was 17 years old, that she was introduced to her Cree heritage culture more deeply, and she began to unpack her feelings and feel rooted in her own culture.
Painting became part of her healing process and helped her connect with her identity.
Her own experience helps drive her work with indigenous youth through the Healthy Transitions Project run by the Fraser Region Aboriginal Friendship Centre Association in Surrey, B.C. It also guided her in establishing Young Artist Warriors (YAW), a non-profit organization that works with indigenous youth through the arts.
“Art is a vehicle to connect with students,” says Jeska. In 2008, she started YAW to work with indigenous youth, particularly those struggling with the transition from foster case to adulthood. She wanted to help them develop their sacred gift, to feel connected, and to use art to tell their own story. The organization runs workshops to create contemporary pieces of art that aims to elevate both cultural esteem and personal self-esteem, and to show youth that the two are intrinsically linked.
YAW workshops are based on the principle of Intergenerational Resilience, the cultural strength and resiliency of First Nations people to survive, rise again and regain their identity despite the challenges of colonization. Intergenerational Resilience values passing down ancestral gifts, sacred law, traditional teachings and ceremony, and can be used to build greater personal and community health.
Today, her workshop curriculum is being implemented across Canada. It meets the learning outcomes for students in Grade 4, Grade 7 Health and Career, Grade 10 Social Studies, Planning 10, BC First Nations 12, and any other course that has a First Nations, self-reflection, and/or and wellness component. The organization is also conducting a curriculum analysis of aboriginal services for youth in Surrey, B.C., and has partnerships with Simon Fraser University Surrey campus.
Jeska chose Trinity Western University for the flexibility offered by the TWU Adult Degree Completion option. As a single mother working full time, it was the only program she found that offered the balanced approach she needed to complete her Bachelor of Leadership degree. The flexible scheduling also means she is able to apply course material in her day-to-day work, making her TWU degree practical from the start.
Jeska Slater and her work with Young Artist Warriors was recently featured in stories on CBC News and Chatelaine.