The Warrior Within is a unique Indigenous youth-oriented workshop where facilitators Darren Brule (founder), Curt Young, Chelsie Young & Mat Cardinal join together, combining their many years of experience as entertainers to teach youth about the many facets of the music industry. Through the ceremony of writing and recording an original song, the facilitators integrate traditional teachings and healthy role-modeling for the participants. We believe “Music is Medicine”.

This workshop is geared towards youth that are eager to learn about songwriting, audio production and the music industry in general. More importantly, it is also a valuable resource for our young people to use as part of their healing journey to cope with bullying, trauma, abuse, violence, and addictions through our motivational workshops. This event gives them the opportunity to express themselves in a safe environment free of judgment.

We deliver this project on-site over the course of 1-3 days at schools, First Nations and Metis communities.

The project also features music performances by recording artists such as Curt Young, Chelsie Young & Mat Cardinal.

MEET THE MENTORS

DARREN BRULE

aka Ill Logikal is a music producer based in Okotoks, AB and is known as the founder/producer of the award winning Indigenous hip-hop group REDDNATION. He is Cree and is from the Bigstone Cree Nation in Northern Alberta, Canada.

He is an alumni of Canada's Music Incubator which is presented by Coalition Music in Toronto, ON.

He has also appeared or worked on major film projects which include Fargo Season 5, Wind River - The Next Chapter, Cold Pursuit (w/Liam Neeson) and Ghostbusters Afterlife as well as TV productions Blackstone, The Detour, Heartland, and Tribal.

His accolades include:

2006 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards - Best Rap or Hip Hop Album

2006 Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards - Best Rap or Hip Hop CD

2007 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards - Best Group or Duo, Entertainer of the Year Nominee

MAT CARDINAL

is a member of the Bigstone Cree Nation and the lead singer of the popular award-winning band The Prairie States. Mat is a passionate person who believes in dreaming big and seeks to inspire

youth to follow their dreams.

Growing up in Wabasca, Alberta Mat has first-handedly experienced both the blessings and the hardships of living on a reserve. Mat received the life-changing diagnosis of kidney disease at age 10, ultimately leading to total kidney failure and thankfully a life saving kidney transplant. These life-long health challenges have left Mat with many inspiring stories to tell.

Having just passed the 10-year anniversary of his kidney transplant, Mat is on a mission to share his talents along with his story of strength and resilience to inspire youth to follow their dreams no matter what challenges or hardships they may face.

Mat is a shining example of when you combine dedication, hard work and passion you can achieve all of your goals and discover all sorts of new opportunities along the

way.

https://theprairiestates.com

CHELSIE YOUNG

is a Cree Country singer from the Bigstone Cree First Nation in Northern Alberta, Canada. She has been performing across Canada since 2017 after one of her videos went viral on Facebook.

Since then her videos have been viewed millions of times by people from all over the world.

She uses music to connect with people and to help whenever she can. She is a down to earth musician and her vocals will leave you speechless.

She released her debut album in October 2023 and has had three singles chart in the top ten on the Indigenous Music Countdown (Ask Me To Dance #1 Nov 2023).

https://www.chelsieyoung.ca

CURT YOUNG

Curt Young, an award-winning artist, has collaborated with over 300 schools and impacted the lives of more than 25,000 students in the past 15 years. With pride in his heritage, he utilizes culture as a powerful teaching tool, inspiring and educating through his artistic endeavours.

Curt Young is a Blues Rock artist, singer/ songwriter and musician from the Saulteaux-Cree First Nation Cowessess in Saskatchewan. Curt has been playing guitar for over twenty years and plays many musical instruments: bass, drums, cedar flute, piano, and harmonica.

Curt uses a traditional/ contemporary style of music and dance to share his life experiences, and culture, while talking about topics such as bullying, women’s rights, empowerment, equality, youth leadership, role modeling, Believing in You and self-esteem. Performances can be anywhere up to an hour and it consists of many musical genres. In the production Curt sings, plays guitar, cedar flute and hand drum, along with story-telling and opens with an honor song and prayer using the hand drum.

Curt has had the opportunity to open-up shows for many talented artists such as Colin James, Oscar Lopez, Tom Jackson, Derek Miller, Jesse Ferrell and many others.

In 2005 his journey started with writing his personal stories published in SAY Magazine, New Tribe and AYN. His love of playing & his writing evolved into songwriting. Curt's natural passion for connecting with an audience and being in front of a crowd showcased his natural gift of being an entertainer.

Curt’s now performed in over 1000 shows around the globe; including the:

• CP Spirit Train Canadian Olympic Tour which stopped in every major city across Canada

• University Olympics in Harbin, China

• Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, New Mexico

• World Indigenous People Conference on Education in Cuzco, Peru

IN COLLABORATION WITH
STREET DANCE SYLLABUS

We're thrilled to announce that dance is now a key element of our music workshops! Join us for an invigorating fusion of rhythm and movement, allowing you to fully express yourself both musically and physically. our expert instructors from Street Dance Syllabus leading the way, you'll enhance your musical abilities through energizing street dance activities and lessons. Experience the dynamic synergy of music and dance like before!

THE WORKSHOPS

The participants have a lot of fun in these workshops! There is a lot of moving around, energy flowing, and laughter. And that's just the warm ups!

Over the course of 1-3 days, the participants really start to open up and then the real sharing begins. And that's what this workshop is designed to do. Bring youth out of their shells. It is really amazing when we see a shy individual begin to enjoy themselves while creating something new and exciting!

They learn about songwriting, beatmaking, take part in a photo shoot and also shoot a music video! Each community is unique and we never know what we will experience each time. But each visit leaves a lasting impressions on everyone involved.

Songwriting

- Each participant gets involved on learning how to write a song. From structure to rhyming we enhance their creative expression.

BeatMaking

- Not everyone has access to a recording studio but in this workshop they get a hands on experience. Learning how to arrange different instruments in a software environment, learning terminology - its all new and exciting.

Recording/Production

- Maybe the next Dr. Dre or Kanye West is in your community! We show them how to record and mix on the spot. From learning how it all works to set up, to hitting the record button. We coach them in the studio while they record their own lyrics!

Cultural Exchange

Culture & Traditions is what makes this project unique. We always make time to share our culture with the communities we visit and each community shares theirs with us. In almost every case we use culture as the main theme in each song we produce in the community.

We love hearing the local legends, the songs, seeing their traditional regalia and more.

ENTERTAINMENT

CONCERTS

Live performances by our mentors is an event onto itself. We host community nights during the duration of the project that features performances by our incredibly talented mentorship team! At any given event you can catch Curt Young singing and playing the electric guitar, Chelsie Young displaying her incredible vocals and the amazingly talented Mat Cardinal!