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Carcajou, an army program

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open to Indigenous people
across Canada,

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recently took place
in Valcartier, Québec.

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Today, we're joined by Master
Corporal Laurence Séguin,

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recruiting assistant
for Carcajou,

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and some of this year's
participants to tell us more.

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The Carcajou program is a basic
military qualification

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that involves
Indigenous culture.

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The program is six weeks long,
during which time

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the youth develop leadership,

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discipline and self-confidence;

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subsequently they can return
to the community,

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without remaining
in the Canadian army,

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or choose to remain with us.

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What is also nice is that we can
grow up in a community,

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but sometimes we do not
involve our culture.

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So, during the six weeks,
the youth are accompanied

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by Indigenous consultants.

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They even get
to participate in powwows.

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They will also have the chance
to experience a cultural week,

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as well as other activities
over the weekends,

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which will let them return
to their roots

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and reconnect
with their culture.

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They go from the Culture Camp

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to the cultural military
training again,

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as there are
Indigenous consultants

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who will be with them
until the end of the course.

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It starts the first week;

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we had the chance to participate
in a cultural week.

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Then, we had the chance to go
to the museum in Wendake.

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After that, we went
to the powwow at Odanak.

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That let us learn
about various cultures

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because there were people
from all over Québec.

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So, we really learned a lot
about Indigenous culture.

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I would definitely
recommend this program

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for anybody who wants
to join the military,

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or even get the experience,

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or who even needs
personal development.

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I definitely recommend it,
yeah, for sure.

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This program helped me
discover my limits.

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I also discovered
a lot of strengths too.

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It really helped me grow.

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I really like that. We ran.

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We learned many different things

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that we had never learned
before. I really enjoyed that.

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I think that
what hit me the most

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was the resilience
of the participants.

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I am referring to everything
that happened

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since the beginning.
There are many

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who are going through
negative family situations,

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and they are still here today.

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They kept going with
their heads held high.

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They were determined
to finish the course.

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This incredible resilience
that they have

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really helped me to grow
as an instructor.

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It also let me further develop

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my learning and
teaching techniques

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to allow them
to finish the course

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with their heads held high.

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If you're interested in applying
for next year's program,

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or want to learn more, visit
the related links in this post.

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♪