The Manitoba government provided $350,000 to the Thunderbird Partnership Foundation to support expansion of the Buffalo Riders early-intervention program across First Nations in Manitoba. The contribution was announced on Dec. 22, 2021; the funding supports Thunderbird to train local facilitators so communities can deliver the program in schools and community settings.
Buffalo Riders combines a five-day facilitator training with a ten-session, culturally grounded curriculum for Grade 7 and 8 students (typically about ages 11–13). The curriculum uses Indigenous teachings, cultural identity work and traditional stories to build resilience, emotional literacy and peer-resistance skills so young people are less likely to begin or escalate substance use.
Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation is among the communities identified as facing serious substance-use challenges. Local leaders and the Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council publicly raised concerns about methamphetamine in 2019 and have taken community-level steps to protect youth. Cases such as the 2008 disappearance of Jennifer Catcheway from the Portage la Prairie/Sandy Bay area are often cited in Manitoba discussions of the broader risks facing Indigenous youth in the region.
The Buffalo Riders funding is listed among provincial initiatives related to Manitoba’s broader efforts on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S+) and prevention-focused programming. Under the funded model, Thunderbird provides five-day virtual training for facilitators (with a minimum of two facilitators from participating communities) and ongoing community-of-practice supports so local health workers, school staff and community members can deliver the ten-module curriculum.
Separately, the Southern Chiefs’ Organization has supported youth mentorship and culturally based programming in Sandy Bay, including a youth mentorship launch announced in March 2023, which similarly aims to keep young people safe and connected to their heritage.
