After moving from one foster home to another, Trevor and his brother were placed in the care of a permanent guardian when he was six, but 10 years later, he found himself homeless and living from couch to couch.

“I’ve never really had a stable place to live for a while, and for most of my life, growing up, my parents suffered from addictions and couldn’t really take care of me and my brothers and sisters, so I went back and forth into foster care.”

Trevor now lives in what he considers to be his first stable home since he was a permanent ward – a transitional home for vulnerable young men. In exchange for volunteerism and a commitment to bettering his life, he has a safe place to sleep at night – allowing him to focus on bettering his future.

The 26-year-old is currently enrolled in a new pilot program, Culinary Skills Indigenous, with the intention of obtaining a career as a chef. For Trevor, having a career means not having to worry where he will sleep at night because he will be able to support himself.

“Cooking is always something I wanted to learn. I’ve mostly stayed away from cooking and will eat things that I can heat up in the microwave or a can of soup on the stove”.

Trevor has been able to learn how to prepare traditional Indigenous meals that have been passed down for generations. “A lot of those traditions weren’t passed down through my family – so I feel proud to be able to carry on these traditions. Things like wild rice, stews with moose meat, venison stew and some other things I’m looking forward to learning”.

Next year he plans to continue his studies at Red River College and take a second year of the Culinary Skills Indigenous program before he sets out on his career path.

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