For Nahanni Olson, the best way of reaching Indigenous youth in our community is through meaningful relationships, and that’s why I think she is the perfect person to lead this new University of Saskatchewan mentorship program called BIRM. She is all about relationships!

BIRM stands for Building Intercultural Resilience Mentorship. The program is in the pilot stage and is partnering with two local high schools, Mount Royal Collegiate and Bedford Road Collegiate, to connect Indigenous high school students with university students. 

I think it's a wonderful program with so much potential to make a meaningful difference not only in the lives of high school students but in the university mentors as well.

Nahanni has been making a difference in our community for years. She has been a teacher in the Saskatoon Public School Division since 2008 and spent the past four years as Bedford Road Collegiate's first Indigenous Student Advocate before taking on this new role with the University of Saskatchewan. Educators can have such a positive impact on their students and as you'll discover in this episode, Nahanni has left her mark on many students in Saskatoon.

Nahanni is someone who has been on my radar for the podcast for the past few years thanks to my wife, Jen. She taught with Nahanni at Mount Royal for years and cannot say enough amazing things about her. I have to admit that I was slightly nervous when I first met Nahanni on a very warm November afternoon on the UofS campus. This was THE Nahanni Olson I had heard so much about that I was speaking with and I didn't want to mess it up.

Honestly, I don't think I could have messed up a conversation with Nahanni because she is so easy and wonderful to speak with. She is an excellent listener and passionate in her beliefs. She wants Indigenous youth to think beyond what is expected of them and see that they can make a difference in the world. 

Thank you for supporting a local, independent podcast! I know you are going to love listening to Nahanni (I sure did) and hopefully you'll learn as much as I did from her. You can listen to YXE Underground on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the website or wherever you find your podcasts. Don't forget to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear!Best of luck to Nahanni and all the students in the BIRM program! 

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis