Ep. 7 - Daniel Stonechild & The First Nations Basketball Camp
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Episode 7 of the Future Sport Podcast featured Daniel Stonechild from Neekaneet First Nation, who talked about his involvement in basketball that started when he was 12 years old. Daniel grew up in North Central, Regina and used basketball as his positive outlet through the hardships he witnessed his community face. He also spoke about the challenges and hard work it took to play college basketball for 3 years, as a Briercrest Clipper. He emphasized the power of mentorship, and discussed finding his path to spirituality; which he eventually blended with his passion of basketball, to create the First Nations Basketball Camp.
The camp focuses on much more than just sport, by incorporating Cree language and cultural teachings, to help young urban youth find their Indigenous identity. Daniel noticed there was a lack of connection to spirituality and language in his community, so he sought out ways to connect urban youth to their Indigenous culture. Daniel is not only a basketball coach and mentor, he is also a Cree language teacher at Scott Collegiate High School and an Indigenous Education lecturer at the First Nations University of Canada! He has a great story to tell, and the Future Sport Podcast is grateful to share the amazing words of Daniel Stonechild.