Foundry Fort St. John takes part in Montréal conference at Observatory of Indigenous Public Administrations

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Foundry Fort St. John was represented at a recent conference in Montréal at the Observatory of Indigenous Public Administrations. Community development and project lead for Foundry, Asuncion Sta. Maria presented alongside co-authors Dr. Tareq Hardan and Dr. Giuseppe Amatulli on Aug. 27 at the conference hosted by École nationale d'administration publique (ENAP). Themes of the presentation focused on youth mental health, connection, culture, and community in the development of Foundry Fort St. John and engagement with the community and regional First Nations. Northeast B.C. has seen youth-related tragedies in 2026. The deaths of Lexi Waldie Siemens and another youth occurred within days of one another during the Christmas break, prompting discussions from public officials and health organizations about going forward. In February, a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge killed five students, an educator and a mother and child who were in the district, with the assailant, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, taking their own life. 'We focused on showing the audience a snapshot of the current issues that we have in Northeast B.C.,' Sta. Maria told Energeticcity.ca. 'The audience was familiar with Indigenous governance, challenges and opportunities, but not very much in rural communities.' '[It was] a snapshot of the current issues the community is facing [and] narrowing down those issues into the current youth mental health issues we are having and the role that the Foundry is playing to help navigate and address those.' Amatulli is an assistant professor of Indigenous governance at ENAP, a postgraduate institution in Québec specializing in public administration. He said the audience was familiar with the challenges faced in public administration and governance, particularly in Indigenous communities. With the presentation on Integrated Youth Services and supporting well-being in northern communities, Amatulli said the inclusion of Sta. Maria was a 'nice addition.' 'We wanted to talk about what well-being is in a traditional way,' said Amatulli. 'When we talk about well-being and traditional well-being, it is important to include the Indigenous perspective.' 'We wanted to have people working in different areas in Québec and elsewhere. We felt including Asuncion would be interesting, given the work she is doing.' Meanwhile, Hardan, an assistant professor in social work at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), has been actively collaborating with community partners and Foundry regarding the collective response to youth suicide in the area since January 2026. He was involved in evaluating the cultural adaptation of Aire Ouverte, the integrated youth health and social service model in Québec, which is similar to the model Foundry is establishing. 'Being based in northeastern B.C., within the Treaty 8 territory, has given me an important opportunity to reflect on what Integrated Youth Services mean in a very different geographical, cultural, and service context,' Hardan wrote in a statement. 'I wanted to emphasize that northern engagement cannot simply mean transferring an urban or southern service model into the north [in my contribution].' 'Geography, transportation, workforce shortages, relationships, the availability of services and the importance of community trust all shape how youth experience and access support.' Foundry Fort St. John aims to 'support the health and wellness needs of youth and their families in the Fort St. John area,' according to its website. Sta. Maria said Foundry Fort St. John is hosting activities and events to help youth connect, and a formal announcement about a physical location is expected by the end of 2026.Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.