Several figures have marked the history of Aboriginal people in Quebec. Some of them are models, examples to follow for both Aboriginal youth and non-Aboriginal youth.
Évelyne St-Onge
Évelyne St-Onge is an Innu who lived through the difficult period of residential schools. She has worked to ensure that Aboriginal women do not lose their rights when they marry a non-Aboriginal person. She also created the first Aboriginal video production company in Quebec. She set up the Shaputuan Education Program, which teaches Aboriginal traditions to all Quebeckers. Its objective is to bring Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples closer together.
Stanley Vollant
Stanley Vollant is also an Innu. He is the first Aboriginal surgeon in Quebec. He inspires many young people to work hard to achieve their goals and especially to stay in school. He also launched the great project Innu Mishkenu (the man on the road) to encourage all Aboriginal people to adopt healthy lifestyles, to eat well and be physically active. Between 2010 and 2017, he walked more than 6,000 kilometers between Quebec’s Aboriginal communities. He meets young people and walks with them to encourage them to pursue their dreams.
To continue to discover his story, we invite you to read the Innu Meshkenu comic strip, published on the Web (pedagogical section).