Kirstie Henderson
Two Métis youth have recently been accepted into the prestigious Indigenous Women in Community Leadership Program at Coady Institute in Saint Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Kirstie Henderson and Deidre Thompson were selected from among 120 applicants from across Canada. Indigenous Women in Community Leadership is an award-winning program that supports First Nations, Métis and Inuit women in building their capacities to be strong leaders and agents of change capable of strengthening and contributing to the development of their communities.
Kirstie Henderson is a Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) citizen who worked as an MNO Summer Youth Cultural Interpreter in the summer of 2012 and has also been actively involved in the MNO Georgian Bay Métis Council in Midland. Kirstie will receive a full scholarship for the certificate program and the MNO Georgian Bay Métis Council is supporting the project Henderson will be undertaking as part of her studies.
“I am proud to share this with the MNO and the Métis community,” stated Henderson, “as I am so overjoyed of my successes and want to prove that we can do great things when we set our minds to them.”
Henderson, who currently lives in Victoria Harbour but who grew up in Fonthill, Ontario, already is quite accomplished. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in English at York University and a Master of Science in Secondary Education at Niagara University. She is an Ontario Certified teacher with experience working in Adult Education, specializing in English, Social Sciences and Native Studies.
Deidre Thompson Deidre Thompson is the former acting President of the MNO High Land Waters Métis Council and served as Youth Representative on the Council for five years. She is currently an MNO Infinite Reach Facilitator at Loyalist College and has attended past MNO Annual General Meetings. She is well-known across the MNO for her dedication to the Métis cause and her enthusiasm for promoting all things Métis. Deidre is the daughter of PCMNO Region 6 Councillor Tom Thompson.
Congratulations to Kirstie and Deidre!