Charlottetown event offers 'comfort zone' for Indigenous P.E.I. girls to learn hockey

Indigenous girls on Prince Edward Island are being encouraged to get involved in sports they love, including hockey.

An Indigenous Girls Hockey Jamboree was held in Charlottetown Saturday, put on by the Miꞌkmaq Confederacy of P.E.I.'s Aborginal Sports Circle, which brings together Indigenious youth from across nations through sport. Girls from six to 14 participated.

"We just wanted to bring the girls together to learn some skills from our hockey leaders," said Lynn Anne Hogan, the manager of the sport circle.

The jamboree had a cultural component, too. After their drills, the girls had a workshop in traditional porcupine quill art. They also had a session from a sports nutritionist to learn how to fuel their bodies for sport.

Hogan said young Indigenous girls aren't involved in sport enough.

"We're really trying to do what we can to work with our First Nation communities to increase opportunities for young Indigenous girls to be active, to be healthy and to participate in sport," she said.

"Events like this can kind of eliminate some of those barriers when it comes to cost and having access to sport."

Seven girls from P.E.I.'s two First Nations — Lennox Island and Abegweit — participated in Saturday's event, and one even came from Nova Scotia, because she isn't able to attend the event in that province.

The girls were coached by female Indigenous players, including Kiara LaBobe from Charlottetown, who has played minor hockey since she was in Grade 6, starting with a boys team. For three years at the midget AAA level, she played with Team Atlantic in the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.

"When I got involved with [Team Atlantic] it was instantly a connection, because they're all the same culture as me," she said.