The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have geared up and headed to northern Manitoba this thirty day period, to give First Nations youth a possibility to test soccer and honour a college student for her operate in taking a stand in opposition to bullying.
Each individual March, players from the Winnipeg CFL workforce check out faculties across the province to present the Samantha Mason Friendship Award, and communicate with students about fostering healthy interactions and making optimistic cultures in their universities.
The award, established in 2015, honours the memory of Samantha Mason, a 15-year-previous Winnipeg girl who took her have life after being bullied for a long time in school.
This year’s awards went to Ayub Farah of Winnipeg and Isabel Carter of Thompson, who were chosen to acquire the award by Samantha’s family.
“It was truly surreal,” said Isabel. “I wasn’t anticipating it at all.”
The Grade 12 student at Thompson’s R.D. Parker Collegiate reported she was shocked to learn that she had received the award, not knowing that customers of the Blue Bombers team, including brothers Nick and Noah Hallett, had set up a presentation for her through a pep rally at her university last Tuesday.
“I just went thinking I was aiding for a pep rally… [but] I acquired pulled to the facet to stand and hold out for it to commence,” she said.
“Then all of a unexpected they play this movie, and then they identified as me up, and I was just standing there and just wasn’t anticipating it. It was seriously remarkable, nevertheless,” she claimed.
“All my close friends ended up cheering for me, which was genuinely enjoyment to have.”
Mom and dad, teachers and coaches can nominate college students for the yearly anti-bullying award, which is presented to younger folks who are using action to eliminate bullying in their colleges or communities.
The subject is one particular Isabel feels extremely strongly about, and she states she hopes to carry on executing her best to reduce it when crops up in her college.
“I have often developed up just to find out to enjoy folks and to be form to all people,” she said.
“So when you see a little something going on that you know is wrong … then you don’t want to stand for it, since some people today just stand to the side.
“I can’t take that, individually.”
Her mother and father, Laura and Tim, reported they are very pleased of their daughter and the example that she is placing.
“It is really great to be identified for remaining form, simply because it can be not something you might get discovered for,” explained Laura.
“We are pretty fired up to see our children residing what we have taught them, in their faculty and their work,” reported Tim.
Viewing the north
In addition to their check out to Thompson, the Blue Bombers’ tour of the north this month also incorporates stops in three northern Initially Nations as a section of the CFL’s TryFootball initiative, which aims to give young individuals who might not usually have the option a likelihood to play the activity.
“We identify the have to have for youth in all those northern communities to … [have] obtain to this football products,” said Savannah Ginter, community relations co-ordinator for the Blue Bombers.
“In many cases, we would locate out that a great deal of communities, they perform a good deal of sports … but that football wasn’t as available, since you will need the flag football kits and you will need the footballs them selves, and sometimes that can be difficult to get,” she mentioned.
“So in an hard work to kind of make that more available for the communities, we put together this initiative so that we can go pay a visit to them and genuinely just make the kids sense particular.”
Members of the Blue Bombers organization visited Shamattawa To start with Nation this 7 days, next their prevent in Thompson.
They are going to head Nisichawayasihk Cree Country (also recognized as Nelson Home) on Monday and O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Country on Wednesday.
If you or anyone you know is struggling, here is exactly where to get enable:
