One day, he was in a meeting with the Chief and Council of the Boothroyd Indian Band, a Nlaka’pamux People who have lived in the Fraser Canyon since time out of mind. During the meeting, one of the elders, Rick Campbell, leaned over and whispered in Patrick’s ear, “What do you know about mountain biking?”
The elder explained their youth were riding around the community, building ramps and jumps on the roads and, while they were worried about their safety, they were thrilled they were outside and active. “Perhaps we can build them a bike park?” he said. “Can you help us?”
Of course, Patrick said yes. And thus, the Indigenous Youth Mountain Bike Program was born.
The initial concept was to share our love of riding and support Indigenous youth to get outdoors, reconnect with the land and live healthy active lives. It has become something so much bigger than we ever imagined.
Over the past nine years we have worked with dozens of First Nations all around the province, training youth to build trails that are used by thousands of people for hiking, dog-walking, and cycling. It’s been an epic ride.
For those of us, and especially Patrick, it has been a vehicle to listen to Indigenous Peoples, to explore and revaluate what it means as a non-Indigenous settler Canadian living on Indigenous lands, to become an ally to Indigenous Peoples.
