An Ancestors’ Challenge with a FitSpirit Flavour

My name is Élisabeth Lagacé, or Éli to those who know me well. I have served as a FitSpirit program advisor for the past year. In another life, I was a phys. ed. teacher. Getting active with friends is one of my greatest pleasures.

After my initial visit to Indigenous territory in Opitciwan and Mashteuiatsh last August with the Ancestors’ Challenge, the team at the First Nations Education Council (FNEC) suggested that we duplicate the experience in the fall, but with a new wrinkle: a moment under the FitSpirit banner for girls in high school. True to form, I immediately said yes!

P.S. If you missed the first part of my adventure, it’s right here!

In itself, the FNEC initiative is fantastic: an obstacle course structure that travels from community to community to offer ALL youth physical challenges suited to their abilities. During my initial visit, however, I noticed that there were very few girls from high school taking part. The program advisor in me came up with a quick solution: Why not sprinkle the Ancestors’ Challenge with some of our FitSpirit magic… Challenge accepted!

Reflections and proposals

In September, while the FNEC team continued to offer its own moments of magic to the communities of Winneway, Pikogan, Rapid Lake, Kitcisakik, Kitigan Zibi, Kanesatake, Gesgapegiag and Listuguj, I joined David Gill, coordinator of the FNEC Ancestors’ Challenge and the Inter-School Games, to discuss a formula that could appeal to teenage girls from Manawan.

The first order of business was to offer girls time slots during which they could be among themselves. With the collaboration of the Otapi High School  team, we then formed three groups of girls of similar ages. That said, we had no idea how many girls would actually take part in the activity.

The second priority was to ditch the stopwatch and do away with the competitive and comparative component of the Challenge. Again, by removing the terminal objective – surmounting the obstacles as fast as possible – we had to find another way to motivate the girls to make the commitment and complete the course… And what if we played the teamwork card? After all, the social aspect is an uncontested driver for motivating girls to practice physical activities and sports. What better way to go from one obstacle to the next than by sharing a laugh with your best friend along the way!

En route to Manawan!

My car was packed to the gills! I had tons of sports equipment (cones, lacrosse sticks and balls, agility ladders, etc.) and some 600 FitSpirit T-shirts to give away to girls taking part in the activity. I was prepared for anything!

On the road, the autumn landscapes were nothing short of jaw-dropping, with 248 km of “wow” moments on routes 329, 125, 347 and 131 (bingo!), to go along, naturally, with a bumpy ride along the gravel road leading to Manawan. Like Opitciwan, Manawan is an Atikamekw community nestled in the heart of an almost virgin forest.

The girls’ on-site experience

On the Monday, I joined the FNEC team (David, Marco, Alex and a new David) to assemble the obstacle structures in record time. As soon as the assembly was completed, students from the elementary school poured in to show us what they were capable of. Tuesday was reserved for them, much to their delight. On multiple occasions, we heard cries of “I just did it again!” and “I can do this!”. The following day promised to be no less exciting!

The Wednesday morning was reserved for our three groups of high school girls. We awoke excited, therefore, hoping that the weather was going to cooperate. Upon arriving at the site, we observed a thick fog, which told us that there would be no heatwave on this 18th day of October. Not hot, in that case, and no rain on the horizon. Phew!

All that was left was to go get the girls at École secondaire Otapi, located at the top of the hill. We made three trips up the steep 850-metre incline separating us from the school to collect a group of girls! This concern with the distance between the school and the installations set up for the Challenge could have represented an obstacle to the participation of girls, but we were able to minimize its impact on the success of the activity: check!

Once on site, festive music and an enthusiastic activity team awaited them, the objective being to create a welcoming and inviting atmosphere. The girls could complete the obstacle course in teams of two, three, four or five, bypassing the obstacles that held no interest and re-starting those that did.

Key figures

A total of 74 teenage girls made their way around the Ancestors’ Challenge site. We are pleased and proud to say that they ALL tried the obstacle course—good for a participation rate of 100%! Some teachers were even surprised to learn that their students had taken part in the activity. And, what a joy it was to see nine of them return a little later to attempt the timed course. That said, they did ask us if they could complete the course before the entire school arrived (including the boys!). A simple adjustment that allowed the girls to surpass themselves, yet again, and feel an even greater sense of pride!

In the end, all the girls left with a smile on their faces and a participation medal around their necks. Some found themselves strong, while others felt agile, and others still felt a little awkward, but all that matters is that they walked away with a positive memory of this shared experience!

“I’m very proud of myself. I didn’t think I would enjoy the activity, but I’m glad I came because I thought I was pretty good!” - Miley, high school student.

In conclusion, we noted that 65 girls – or 87% of them – were not interested in the competitive component of this activity, and that they had fun in the absence of boys. As psychoeducator, Jamie, mentioned: “The girls were persuaded to participate, knowing that the activity was only for them.”

The following people made a difference

A big mikwetc to:

• Mr. Sakay, Principal of the Otapi High School, who was open to the approach, allowing us to offer an activity for girls only.

• Mr. Jacques, Assistant Principal, who put out the call to the girls via the intercom for each of the three periods to ensure that they didn’t miss their chance to participate.

• To the teachers at Otapi High School, who adjusted their schedules so that we could offer this activity to the girls.

• Julie, the school nurse, who was on-site to treat all the minor scrapes and injuries.

• David Gill, Coordinator of the Ancestors’ Challenge, who wanted to try this formula (almost magic 😉) with the girls from Manawan. Invaluable lessons for both parties!

It was on that high note that the 2023 tour of the Ancestors’ Challenge came to an end! I feel extremely fortunate and privileged to have experienced this adventure in two stages with the team at the FNEC! My hope is that we will be able to undertake a similar project in the very near future!

Thank you to our partner Manulife, who is committed to empowering health and well-being to support the journey towards a better life. Through their support we’re able to continue fostering ties and implement our mission with First Nations communities