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By Ian Gustafson

March 18

Career exposure fair for Métis youth to take place in Red Deer on Wednesday

Mar 16, 2026 | 1:21 PM

A unique career exposure opportunity for Métis youth is set for this week in Red Deer.

On Wednesday, March 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Westerner Park, the Rupertsland Institute Métis Centre of Excellence has organized the Get Ahead of Your Future Exploration Fair.

The fair is meant for Métis youth from Grades 9-12, which will provide them an opportunity to speak to people about careers they may have never considered and get an idea about different options available.

Associate Director of provincial projects and initiatives for the Rupertsland Institute, Dylan Turner, said that typically, they hold these career events in Edmonton and Calgary, but this time around, they wanted to hold them in smaller urban centres.

On Monday, they held the first event in Fort McMurray before they head to Red Deer on Wednesday, and finish in Grande Prairie on March 23. They planned to host an event in Whitecourt on March 25, but they had to cancel.

March 18

Career exposure fair for Métis youth to take place in Red Deer on Wednesday

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They also plan to hold a virtual career exposure event in April.

“The Métis population in Alberta lives everywhere, and a lot of times it seems like maybe Edmonton or Calgary gets all of the attention and all of the opportunities available,” he said. “We wanted to make sure that our communities that are living in the smaller urban centres also get a chance to take part in opportunities like this.”

The exhibitors set to attend the fair in Red Deer include The Archaeological Society of Alberta, Enhance Energy, Covenant Health, Scotiabank, Red Deer County Fire Rescue Services, Telus World of Science Edmonton, Scout Engineering & Consulting, CIBC, Red Deer Polytechnic, Liberty Energy Canada, and the Edmonton Police Service.

They’ll also hear from keynote speakers Pisim Smallboy and Geena Jackson.

Smallboy is a Cree artist, entrepreneur, and culture advocate from the Maskwacîs Cree Nation. Meantime, Jackson, who is a member of the Shishalh Nation, is an advocate for Indigenous rights and self-determination, as well as an entrepreneur with 25 years of experience working for First Nation communities.

Turner explained that among the organizations attending are those with industries that are continuing to grow.

He said in the past, many youth have left the fair with a better idea of what career path they want to pursue.

“Not just at these events, but our other career exploration projects that we do for kids. Our Métis youth guide camp we’ve done in the southern part of the province for years, and a lot of the kids coming through there end up going into the tourist trade,” he said.

“It’s a fantastic way to show them the pathway. Here are the options for a new career, and here’s how Rupertsland can help you fulfill that goal when you’re finished high school.”

The keynote speakers will touch on how they got to where they are in their careers. Meanwhile, the students in attendance will get to talk with employers and academics and take part in fun activities.

“The whole intention was to be able to engage the youth and make it interesting,” Turner said. “We didn’t want a typical job fair, so we have a DJ, there’s refreshments, and whatever we can do to make this engaging for the youth.”

Rupertsland Institute, an affiliate of the Métis Nation of Alberta, was established in 2010 with a mandate in education, training, and research.