First Nations youth walk to Thunder Bay to honour schoolmates who died

A small group of young people will set out on foot from Sachigo Lake First Nation in northern Ontario on Wednesday on a journey of about 800 kilometres to honour First Nations students who died and to attempt to keep others safe.

They expect to reach Thunder Bay after about two weeks of walking and plan to arrive in time to attend the inquest into the deaths of seven First Nations students who died between 2000 and 2011while attending high school in the city.

It's the third time a group has walked the winter road from Ontario's remote north to Thunder Bay in hopes of raising enough money along the way to fund a First Nation student residence.

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"I just want to see that more students go to school and know that they're going to finish," said Darlene Barkman, one of the walkers.

Barkman is a graduate of Dennis Franklin Cromarty First Nations High School in Thunder Bay. She said it was difficult moving to the city whenshe was 14-years-old and living in a boarding home.

"In the beginning it was okay, but then as we went on with the school year it just kind of got harder trying to keep up with taking the busacross town," she said of the hour-long trek on the city bus to early morning classes.

School officials hope to build a "student living centre"onproperty they ownright beside the First Nations high school, but are struggling to secure funding.

An earlier plan to develop a residence on the Confederation College campus fell through.

"It would be nice to see an area [in the residence] where studentscould do more traditional stuff, like a craft area where they could learn about their traditional ways," Barkman said.