Active living is a path to a healthy lifestyle.
That’s the fact Nishnawbe Aski Nation officials recognized as they welcomed athletes from across NAN territory Friday to kick off the second annual NAN Summer Sports Festival at Boulevard Lake.
The event’s purpose is to promote healthy lifestyles among youth through recreation and physical activity, said NAN Director of Social Services Bobby Narcisse.
“As you know there’s various areas that we’d like to overcome,” Narcisse said. “With respect to some of the health issues that are plaguing many of our First Nations.”
The festival is a kickoff event for NAN to be more proactive in getting more recreation programming in First Nations communities.
Narcisse said this will be the first of many events that organizers want to launch this year with respect to active living, and all recreational activities that they will be supporting.
More than 60 athletes will have the opportunity to learn canoe and kayak basics, to play basketball and take part in track and field Saturday morning.
“It’s important because it encourages youth to be active and learn various leadership and social skills,” Narcisse said.
For NAN Deputy Grand Chief Derek Fox, sports taught him a lot of life lessons growing up.
“I played hockey,” Fox said. “It taught me a lot about working together with people, overcoming adversity and the concept of hard work and team work.”
Fox said he mainly wants the youth to have fun have in Thunder Bay and he wants to encourage the community to come out and support these kids.
“I hope these youth have a good experience and talk about it for the rest of their lives.”
