Walking Beside Indigenous Youth – Janine’s Story

Janine’s work with Sage Nation Society began with a simple, but powerful desire: to give back, and to create the opportunities she wished she’d had growing up.

As an Indigenous leader who has spent more than a decade supporting young people, Janine knows firsthand how much it matters to have someone who believes in you – especially when navigating systems not built with Indigenous youth in mind.

Sage Nation Society, which she helped found in 2021, is rooted in that belief. Today, it provides life-changing support like resume training, bus tickets, and meal vouchers – small things that are often the difference between feeling stuck and feeling seen.

But the path to building Sage Nation into a thriving support system wasn’t one Janine walked alone.

Turning Insight Into Community

For Janine, the Women’s Insight Project (WIP) became a turning point. It offered something she had never experienced in a formal way: structured training, mentorship, and a community of women walking alongside her.

Through WIP, she gained tools in community research, budgeting, facilitation, and the Sustainable Development Goals. More importantly, she gained confidence in her own vision. With the trust and support of mentors and donors, Janine was able to channel her lived expertise into strengthening Sage Nation’s work.

The Women’s Insight Project didn’t create her leadership – it amplified what was already there.

Mothers’ Wisdom, Leading the Way

Janine's story is not an exception – it’s a powerful example of what happens when lived experience and community leadership are supported, not overshadowed.

Today, Janine serves as the Manager of Housing & Youth Systems Navigation, playing a crucial role in coordinating intakes, stabilizing housing, and helping Indigenous and racialized youth transition into safe, supported living situations.

Her work is grounded in trauma-informed, culturally accountable care – something she has spent years cultivating across some of the region’s most complex support systems. Sage Nation Society itself reflects these values. As a grassroots, Indigenous-and-people-of-colour-led organization, it exists to walk beside youth as they navigate:

• Housing transitions

• Income supports

• Identity and culture

• Wellness and community belonging

• Life-skills development

Janine's journey reflects the broader truth we see every day: Mothers and community caregivers already hold the insights needed to build safer, more equitable futures for young people. What they need are the tools, trust, and infrastructure to grow those insights into programs that last.

Through the Women’s Insight Project, Janine transformed her knowledge into action – helping Sage Nation become a place where Indigenous and racialized youth can access culturally grounded, meaningful support.

And this is only the beginning of what mother-led innovation can do.

Seeding Mother-Led Innovation

This December, help us raise the first $50,000 needed to bring the Social Innovation Studio to life. When you invest in mothers’ leadership, you don’t just help one family – you spark community solutions that last for generations.

Give today. 

Power the leadership of mothers.

Because when mothers thrive, children flourish and communities prosper.

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