VANCOUVER ISLAND, Canada – The Nuu-chah-nulth Youth Warrior Family, also known as the Warrior Program, fosters leadership skills in boys and young men across several Indigenous Nuu-chah-nulth nations on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

Part of the program involves a sustainable seafood harvest, taking a limited amount of sea urchins, crabs and sea cucumbers. Targeted harvests can help kelp forests thrive in areas where predator numbers are low.

For participants like Bryson and Hayden, freediving and harvesting seafood have not only deepened their connection to their ancestral lands but also provided a path to healing from past traumas and strengthened their involvement in the community.

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Banner image: Bryson George, youth leader with the nonprofit Nuu-chah-nulth Youth Warrior. Image © Matthew Reichel