1. Breaking Cycles: Finding a Different Path
Young people can face difficult choices, pressures, and circumstances that shape their lives. For some youth, experiences with addiction, substance use, crime, disconnection, peer pressure, or a lack of belonging can make it hard to envision a different future. In Breaking Cycles, Jay speaks directly to young people through storytelling, lived experience, and cultural connection.
Rather than lecturing youth on what they should or shouldn't do, Jay encourages them to reflect on their choices, recognize their strengths, and discover the gifts and opportunities that can help them forge a new path. Through his journey, Jay shows what becomes possible when young people have opportunities to develop their talents, connect with their culture, find positive influences, and believe their lives can move in a different direction.
Key Themes
• Addiction and substance-use awareness
• Crime, choices and consequences
• Breaking harmful cycles
• Peer pressure and decision-making
• Resilience through adversity
• Culture, identity and belonging
• Discovering personal gifts and strengths
• Positive role models and relationships
• Finding purpose and direction
• Hope and future possibilities
Ideal For:
Indigenous youth gatherings • First Nations communities • Middle and secondary schools • Youth conferences • Prevention programs • Wellness events • Community organizations • Youth justice programs
Optional Experience
Keynote + Hoop Dance Performance + Youth Q&A
2. Beyond the System: Creating Trust & Connection alongside Indigenous Youth
Police officers, social workers, educators, corrections professionals, youth workers, and other frontline service providers often interact with Indigenous young people. Beyond the System invites professionals to reflect on how they communicate, build relationships, and respond to Indigenous youth, particularly those already navigating multiple systems.
Jay encourages participants to look beyond the behaviour that may have brought a young person into contact with policing, education, social services, child welfare, or justice systems and instead to ask:
What has this young person experienced? Where do they feel they belong? Who has taken the time to listen to them? What strengths and gifts might others have overlooked? How can my interaction with this young person build trust rather than reinforce disconnection?
Through Indigenous perspectives, storytelling, lived experience, and transparent discussions, Jay creates an opportunity for professionals to examine their assumptions and consider the importance of relationship-building, cultural humility, communication, and connection.
Key Themes:
• Tools for building trust alongside Indigenous youth
• Come to understand the youth behind the behaviour
• How to honour youth’s culture, identity and belonging
• How to focus on relationship-based approaches
• How to focus on clear communication and listening from the heart
• How to reflect on assumptions and stereotypes
• How to recognize the strengths rather than focusing solely on risks
• How to come to understand the mistrust of institutions and systems due to the impacts of colonialism and intergenerational trauma
• How to create trauma-informed and culturally respectful interactions
• How to come to understand the importance of mentorship and positive opportunities
• Tools to help youth discover their strengths, gifts and purpose
Ideal For:
Police departments • Social workers • Child and family services • Educators • School districts • Youth workers • Corrections • Probation • Youth justice professionals • Government agencies • Healthcare organizations • Community organizations
Optional Experience:
Keynote + Hoop Dance Performance + Facilitated Discussion/Q&A
This presentation is designed to encourage reflection, cultural understanding and relationship-building. It does not replace nation-specific cultural training, clinical education or professional Indigenous cultural-safety training.
3. Honouring Your Gifts & Purpose: The Power of Connections
Jay began Hoop Dancing at just nine years old. After taking a break, Jay’s journey evolved into a lifelong cultural and artistic practice, taking him from community gatherings to major stages and opportunities across Turtle Island and beyond.
In Honouring Your Gifts & Purpose, Jay shares his journey as a Nêhiyaw (Cree) and Anishnaabe World-Class Hoop Dancer and explores the importance of culture, identity, belonging, and the gifts each person carries. Through storytelling and Hoop Dance, Jay invites audiences to reflect on the people, experiences, and teachings that shape who they are.
The presentation delivers a simple yet powerful message: Your gifts matter. Your identity matters. Your story matters. When people are given opportunities to discover their strengths and connect with something meaningful, those experiences can shape the course of their lives.
Key Themes
• Indigenous culture and identity
• Cultural connection and belonging
• Discovering your gifts
• Finding purpose and direction
• Confidence and self-belief
• Resilience and perseverance
• Mentorship and positive relationships
• Following your passions
• Sharing gifts with others
• The power of storytelling and Hoop Dance
Ideal For:
Schools • First Nations communities • Indigenous gatherings • Colleges and universities • Conferences • Cultural celebrations • Corporate organizations • Government events • Community gatherings • Youth programs
Optional Experience:
Speaking Presentation + Indigenous Hoop Dance Performance + Q&A
Please inquire if you have a specific keynote request.
Young people can face difficult choices, pressures, and circumstances that shape their lives. For some youth, experiences with addiction, substance use, crime, disconnection, peer pressure, or a lack of belonging can make it hard to envision a different future. In Breaking Cycles, Jay speaks directly to young people through storytelling, lived experience, and cultural connection.
Rather than lecturing youth on what they should or shouldn't do, Jay encourages them to reflect on their choices, recognize their strengths, and discover the gifts and opportunities that can help them forge a new path. Through his journey, Jay shows what becomes possible when young people have opportunities to develop their talents, connect with their culture, find positive influences, and believe their lives can move in a different direction.
Key Themes
• Addiction and substance-use awareness
• Crime, choices and consequences
• Breaking harmful cycles
• Peer pressure and decision-making
• Resilience through adversity
• Culture, identity and belonging
• Discovering personal gifts and strengths
• Positive role models and relationships
• Finding purpose and direction
• Hope and future possibilities
Ideal For:
Indigenous youth gatherings • First Nations communities • Middle and secondary schools • Youth conferences • Prevention programs • Wellness events • Community organizations • Youth justice programs
Optional Experience
Keynote + Hoop Dance Performance + Youth Q&A
2. Beyond the System: Creating Trust & Connection alongside Indigenous Youth
Police officers, social workers, educators, corrections professionals, youth workers, and other frontline service providers often interact with Indigenous young people. Beyond the System invites professionals to reflect on how they communicate, build relationships, and respond to Indigenous youth, particularly those already navigating multiple systems.
Jay encourages participants to look beyond the behaviour that may have brought a young person into contact with policing, education, social services, child welfare, or justice systems and instead to ask:
What has this young person experienced? Where do they feel they belong? Who has taken the time to listen to them? What strengths and gifts might others have overlooked? How can my interaction with this young person build trust rather than reinforce disconnection?
Through Indigenous perspectives, storytelling, lived experience, and transparent discussions, Jay creates an opportunity for professionals to examine their assumptions and consider the importance of relationship-building, cultural humility, communication, and connection.
Key Themes:
• Tools for building trust alongside Indigenous youth
• Come to understand the youth behind the behaviour
• How to honour youth’s culture, identity and belonging
• How to focus on relationship-based approaches
• How to focus on clear communication and listening from the heart
• How to reflect on assumptions and stereotypes
• How to recognize the strengths rather than focusing solely on risks
• How to come to understand the mistrust of institutions and systems due to the impacts of colonialism and intergenerational trauma
• How to create trauma-informed and culturally respectful interactions
• How to come to understand the importance of mentorship and positive opportunities
• Tools to help youth discover their strengths, gifts and purpose
Ideal For:
Police departments • Social workers • Child and family services • Educators • School districts • Youth workers • Corrections • Probation • Youth justice professionals • Government agencies • Healthcare organizations • Community organizations
Optional Experience:
Keynote + Hoop Dance Performance + Facilitated Discussion/Q&A
This presentation is designed to encourage reflection, cultural understanding and relationship-building. It does not replace nation-specific cultural training, clinical education or professional Indigenous cultural-safety training.
3. Honouring Your Gifts & Purpose: The Power of Connections
Jay began Hoop Dancing at just nine years old. After taking a break, Jay’s journey evolved into a lifelong cultural and artistic practice, taking him from community gatherings to major stages and opportunities across Turtle Island and beyond.
In Honouring Your Gifts & Purpose, Jay shares his journey as a Nêhiyaw (Cree) and Anishnaabe World-Class Hoop Dancer and explores the importance of culture, identity, belonging, and the gifts each person carries. Through storytelling and Hoop Dance, Jay invites audiences to reflect on the people, experiences, and teachings that shape who they are.
The presentation delivers a simple yet powerful message: Your gifts matter. Your identity matters. Your story matters. When people are given opportunities to discover their strengths and connect with something meaningful, those experiences can shape the course of their lives.
Key Themes
• Indigenous culture and identity
• Cultural connection and belonging
• Discovering your gifts
• Finding purpose and direction
• Confidence and self-belief
• Resilience and perseverance
• Mentorship and positive relationships
• Following your passions
• Sharing gifts with others
• The power of storytelling and Hoop Dance
Ideal For:
Schools • First Nations communities • Indigenous gatherings • Colleges and universities • Conferences • Cultural celebrations • Corporate organizations • Government events • Community gatherings • Youth programs
Optional Experience:
Speaking Presentation + Indigenous Hoop Dance Performance + Q&A
Please inquire if you have a specific keynote request.