'These kids are so lucky:' Alberta Indigenous Games provide youth safe place to play and learn

Nearly three decades ago, Lacey Macmillan hoped to compete at the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) as the goalkeeper for Team Alberta.

Her soccer team qualified for the event in Minnesota, but she was heartbroken when she found out she was moving and wouldn't be able to go.

"It was devastating … because soccer was my life," she said.

This summer, the Alberta Indigenous Games (AIG) in Edmonton have been a "dream come true" for her — and her family.

Macmillan's son, Ethan Lariviere, who is nine, got the experience she dreamed of at the games in Edmonton's Rundle Park.

Macmillan was so excited about it, she signed up her nephew, 11-year-old C.J. Segal, too, and spent much of the last week chauffeuring the boys to different events including soccer, skateboarding and archery. 

"It's crazy how it turned out that I didn't get to go. Now I'm all involved in it, and it's pretty cool." 

This year's Alberta Indigenous Games are the biggest ever with 6,500 athletes, coaches and officials, according to Jake Hendy, CEO of AIG. Indigenous youth aged nine to 21 are eligible.

The number of participants at this year's games even rivals the size of NAIG, which Hendy said has 10 times AIG's budget, since AIG doesn't receive core funding from the province or federal government.

Unlike NAIG, which focuses on elite athletes and takes place every four years, AIG welcomes all levels of athletes every summer, making AIG "unique, unlike any other games," Hendy said.

Because the games are open to all skill levels, kids get the chance to try new things and build their confidence, he added.

After the skateboarding competition, Macmillan said she could see how the event affected her son and nephew.

"You should see these kids right now … They're