Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth

Levi First Charger is Blackfoot from the Blood Tribe First Nation in southern Alberta. He has been the Operations Director at the Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth (USAY) since 2012 and his primary responsibilities are connecting with Indigenous youth, Elders, and community members. As my primary goal, Levi ensures that the more than 40 projects USAY operates are meeting the direct needs of the community. 

I’ve always been interested in the justice system. I always thought I’d be a police officer one day and join the SWAT team. I always knew that Indigenous youth and adults were highly represented in the justice and welfare systems, but to actually see that number in my textbooks and the PowerPoints at school, that changed me, something inside of me. I knew that I couldn’t help my Indigenous community the way I wanted to if I became a police officer so I changed my career goal from a police officer to a youth worker because I thought that would be the best way to help my Indigenous community is through working with indigenous youth.