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A person with determination, perseverance and faith can achieve anything in life. That was proved positively at the 2004 Fort Chipewyan Keyano College graduation ceremony on April 30.

Eddie Courtoreille graduated Keyano College with an almost perfect attendance record over four years, achieving his goal of earning his diploma in the college preparation program.

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Levi C. McAteer of Manning is one of six young people chosen as the National Aboriginal Health Organization's (NAHO) National Aboriginal Role Models for 2004.

McAteer is the youngest of the role models who spring from communities across Canada. He is known in his community for his athletic abilities and is skip of his juvenile curling team.

The role models are Aboriginal youth between the ages of 13 and 30 and represent First Nations, Inuit and Metis.

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Stacey Lambert joined the Alberta Research Council's BioProducts business unit in August 2003, immediately after graduating from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology's (NAIT) Biological Sciences Technology program.

"I wanted to take a shorter science program that wasn't four years, and that one kind of sparked my interest the most," she said.

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Almost 200 delegates from various healing shelters in Alberta took part in Children Exposed to Family Violence II, a week-long training seminar that, this year, offered more material on how to deal with the Aboriginal people they serve. The training seminar ran from June 7 to 11 at Grant MacEwan College.

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An Aboriginal youth inline hockey team from Alberta is about to make a bit of history.

The Alexander First Nation Braves will compete in the World Inline Cup, scheduled for July 5 to 11 in London, Ont.

The Braves, who will take part in the boys' under-12 category, are the first Aboriginal squad to take part in the six-year history of the tournament.

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The Boyle Street Co-op is seeking donations to help them help inner city youth through their Summer Youth Rec Program, which will run through July and August and provide weekly activities for Edmonton's underprivileged youth.

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Marcie Meguinis, a 19-year-old from the Tsuu T'ina Nation, is this year's Calgary Stampede Indian Princess. As the Stampede princess, Meguinis is the ambassador for the Indian Village and a role model for the youth of the Treaty 7 area.

Meguinis is sending out an invitation to Sweetgrass readers to visit the Indian village while at "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth," which runs July 9 to 18.

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Amiskwaciy Academy was filled with excitement as students and staff awaited the arrival of Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado of Japan on June 11. The visit was part of a two-week trip to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and Japan.

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With his new play showing in Edmonton, renowned playwright Tomson Highway spoke about the declining state of Native theatre in Canada and about his new play, Ernestine Shuswap Gets Her Trout, which he said would probably be his last.

Highway's play was part of the Magnetic North Theatre Festival held in Edmonton June 9 to 19. Highway, best known for his plays Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing and The Rez Sisters, took part in the Magnetic Encounters Speakers Series on June 17 and said there is a double standard that's closing doors to Native artists.

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Members of the Task Force on Aboriginal Languages and Cultures recently held a focus group in Calgary to hear recommendations on how to structure a new Aboriginal Languages and Culture Centre (ALCC), a not-for-profit organization that will promote and preserve Aboriginal languages and culture.

The task force has been holding focus groups across Canada and will take the recommendations to the Minister of Canadian Heritage in September. The recommendations will dictate how the ALCC will operate and distribute its budget of $172 million.