Williams Lake First Nation hosts Orange Shirt Day skate jam celebrating culture and kick-flips

Rosie Archie spent her teen years in the 1990s hitching rides from her remote reserve to B.C. cities with skate parks just so she and her sister could drop into the bowls in proper parks.

Now, after travelling the world as an elite-level skateboarder and youth mentor, Archie is returning to one of those cities to celebrate her love of skating with the next generation.

"Giving youth the opportunity to skateboard is a dream come true," said Archie. 

Archie is co-founder of the not-for-profit Nations Skate Youth, aimed at empowering Indigenous youth through the sport of skateboarding. 

On Friday, Williams Lake First Nation will hold an Orange Shirt Day Skate Jam at Boitanio Skate Park with Archie and other guests, including residential school survivor and pro skater Joe Buffalo. The event, from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., will feature a demo and skateboarding workshop, with the first 30 kids to register getting free skateboards. 

"It's like a full circle for me to go back 25 years later … to spread that message to the youth to be proud of who you are and be proud of where you come from," said Archie. 

Archie, a Secwépemc member of the Tsq'escemc-Canim Lake band near 100 Mile House, in B.C.'s central Interior, recalls going to skate parks with her sister, where they were often the only girls and the only Indigenous people.

She says while this was scary to begin with, she came to appreciate skateboarding as an inclusive sport where there is no right or wrong. 

"I was always trying to be that person at the skate park that would say hello to everybody and make everyone feel like they're welcome here." 

She says her favourite part of mentoring Indigenous youth is seeing the smiles on their faces as they step out of their comfort zones