Kalus Papin was working a shift when he saw the sign that pointed to a better future than he'd expected for himself.
That sign was, in fact, a poster on a wall. He noticed it while making the rounds as a surveillance staffer at the River Cree Resort and Casino. It called for applicants for an introductory pre-trades program delivered by NAIT to guide students through the construction of a building in the community, Enoch Cree Nation. That's where Papin grew up.
He liked his job but had other ambitions. "I was always interested in doing some form of carpentry or woodworking," says Papin, now 23. "So I thought I'd give it a shot."
Today, that attitude has helped to transform the yard behind the Mamowicitowin Building, a hub for supports and initiatives run by the community. A new collection of octagonal picnic tables, built by Papin and seven other students, flanks one side of a 25-foot-tall gazebo they later crafted from heavy timbers of Douglas fir.
Nearby is a healing garden, built by a class that followed Papin's. It's octagonal, too, and 30 feet across. It features four long benches that align with the cardinal directions and encircle a central concrete altar, tall and broad to support a large metal smudge bowl.
Before the work, says Papin, "I was completely green." But by building tables and the gazebo, he effectively built a doorway. After the projects were complete, Papin found his way into an apprenticeship with a company working at Enoch. He builds concrete forms for new water treatment facilities being built for the Nation.
"That's a whole other new thing I've been introduced to," he says. "Life just keeps going up."
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