THUNDER BAY — Tikinagen Child and Family Services donated $45,000 to help organize more events at this year's Tournament of Hope.
For a second year, the Tournament of Hope will provide hope for First Nation youth within the NAN territory with a sports tournament, mental health workshops, and a fashion show.
Titus Semple, founder, said the tournament helps regional youth.
"We were approached by some First Nation leaders to do something about the rise in suicides we were experiencing in our traditional territory of NAN, and they wanted us to offer something that was going to provide hope for our First Nation youth in the north."
Representatives from Tikinagan said they were glad to help.
“Our agency is proud to partner with the Tournament of Hope and their week-long on- and off-ice events that involve children and families from our First Nations,” said Thelma Morris, executive director of Tikinagan Child and Family Services.
“I want to thank the organizers who are listening to our chiefs, our children, and the needs of our communities. I truly believe children are our future, and when they are involved in opportunities like this, it promotes a sense of self worth and builds their confidence, resilience, team building, and leadership skills.”
Even after only one year, the tournament has already expanded -- and donations such as this help Semple keep the tournament going, he said.
"We decided that we were going to do something more than a hockey tournament, and that's when we decided that we were going to incorporate workshops that take place throughout the week that the youth can participate in.
We had close to 400 youth participate [last year], and this year, we're close to 700 youth that have registered and that will be participating in week-long activities."
Semple noted that this year, there will be hockey, broomball, and volleyball. The youth will also put on a fashion show that requires almost 50 youth volunteers.
"Another thing that we learned last year was that not all kids play sports. We did a survey, and we learned that a lot of kids were interested in the arts."
The Tournament of Hope runs April 8 to 13, and more information can be found on their Facebook page.
