Teen from Fort Smith, N.W.T., wins national award for work at Uncle Gabe's Friendship Centre
A Fort Smith, N.W.T., teenager has received national recognition for his leadership and commitment to his community.
Damon McAllister, 15, was awarded the Nelson Mayer Youth Recognition Award from the Ottawa-based National Association of Friendship Centres, at the organization's 35th annual youth forum last month.
The award is given each year to one young person for their outstanding contributions within a Friendship Centre community.
McAllister, who represents youth on the board at Uncle Gabe's Friendship Centre in Fort Smith, has been involved with the centre for over eight years — over half his life. He started as a participant and now he's a worker there.
"I usually come here regularly," he said. "You'll see me either chilling on the couch or on the computers. It's a great place to go."
McAllister also ran for vice-president in the Indigenous Youth Council election held during the national youth forum. He didn't win the election, but he says he made strong connections with participants from across the country.
"I won a bunch of elders' hearts … all the Quebec youth," he said. "So maybe next year."
Amy Harris, executive director of Uncle Gabe's, said McAllister fits the award-recipient description perfectly and has become an integral part of their organization.
Harris has worked at Uncle Gabe's for over 20 years, first as a youth worker and now as the executive director. She says watching McAllister grow into a leader has been rewarding.
"He's just a great guy. He'll call us sometimes off of work hours just to see how we're doing," said Harris. "He'll come by and just check in with the youth and see what they're up to."
Harris said her own experiences as a young person drive her work today. She says she grew up around the "wrong crowd" and often had nowhere to turn for help or support. Now, she focuses on creating the kind of safe space she wishes she had back then, one where young people feel heard, supported, and guided toward their goals.
"[Listen] to the youth, because they're the ones that help guide us, and it's up to us to walk next to them and help make these things a priority," she said.
''Be kind, caring, lovable' ... I always stick by that.'
McAllister's path to receiving the award hasn't been easy.
He said he's one of the only people in his immediate family to make it past Grade 9. His older siblings dropped out of school early to help the family cover food and utility bills. Watching them make that sacrifice shaped McAllister's resolve to stay in school and be a role model to his younger siblings.
"I want to make sure that they have a successful career, a successful life, and just be happy in life," he said. "They inspire me."
McAllister said his parents are also a major driving force for him. His father constantly encourages him not to give up on his goals and dreams, and his late mother's words still offer comfort and inspiration.
"Three days before my mom passed away, she told me, 'be kind, caring, lovable,'" he said. "I always stick by that. So that is what motivates me."
For McAllister, receiving the Nelson Mayer Youth Recognition Award is extra meaningful because it honours a man who was known for his kindness and leadership in the Friendship Centre community. Mayer, who died in 2016, devoted over 40 years to the work he believed in.
McAllister said Uncle Gabe's isn't just a place to him, it's been a lifeline. He said the centre has been a safe space for him during hard times, a place where people care about youth and support them through life's challenges.
"It is just the best place in the world to go, for me," he said. "The youth workers were always so kind and caring, which gave me hope in humanity."
McAllister wants his own journey to inspire other young people, so that they too can find hope, belonging, and a place to grow — just as Nelson Mayer envisioned.
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