MORLEY, Alta. — A First Nation in Alberta is turning to its youth to help spread the message to older members about the dangers of COVID-19.
Three reserves in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains make up the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, where there have been only a couple of outbreaks of the novel coronavirus since the pandemic began.
CEO Ryan Robb said the First Nation, including Morley about 70 kilometres west of Calgary, has faced a difficult challenge. Stoney remains the first language for an overwhelming majority of members, regardless of their age.
“They have an extremely high language retention, even though we’re very, very close to a major city,” said Robb in an interview. “Quite quickly we realized we needed to get our information out in Stoney as well as English.”