By Jaycene Lathlin
As the INCA Summer Institute is back another year with fresh and returning faces – past students share their experiences about the program. INCA survivors such as Jeanelle Mandes and Jamin Mike both from Beardy’s and Okemasis Cree Nation have acquired the essential skills and knowledge of journalism through this program.
Mandes, who is now the News Editor of Eagle Feather News, said she always wanted to be a journalist since grade 11 when she flipped through a copy of Eagle Feather News. An ad of an Indigenous woman holding a camera with the words in bolded letters ‘telling our own stories’ jumped out at her. It was then that she knew that she wanted to be a journalist. She did some research online and heard about INCA program in Regina. She first started the INCA institute in the summer of 2007.
“I wanted to be a journalist telling stories that are often overlooked in the news,” said Mandes.
The INCA Summer Institute is a 7-week crash program that brings in professional journalists in different mediums to teach the students their area of expertise. The institute is facilitated by Shannon Avison, the INCA program coordinator, which is a First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) program that is taught at the University of Regina (U of R) School of Journalism starting May 7 – June 22.
Mike said he was inspired in grade 12 when a woman named Rebecca Sangwais came to his school as a student recruiter from the University of Regina.
“I always watched Nelson Bird on CTV Indigenous Circle then Creeson Agecoutay a few years later,” said Mike.
Newly recruited INCA student Mary Powder hails from Yellowknife, NWT. She came to Regina for this institute specifically. She was encouraged by one of her supervisors and so far, she said the institute is very interesting that makes you want to go further.
“I highly recommend this U of R journalism because that’s how you get started, and you have to start somewhere,” said Powder. “Believe in yourself and don’t get discouraged. You have a lot of classmates that you can do teamwork.”
Another newly recruited INCA student Robert Merasty from Ile-a-la-Crosse currently in Regina taking this institute. He needed to come back for a refresher, he has been a journalist for 46 years. Merasty
said he enjoyed listening to the radio and was inspired by the announcers. He had first heard of INCA in the late 1980s and joined INCA in 1991.
“I love the class and I would come back here anytime for another refresher and I would recommend it to any young person who is interested in journalism.”