Chantal Chagnon won over the crowd with the first notes of her Cree welcome song Wednesday as she kicked off the annual Calgary Stampede barbecue at the Women’s Centre of Calgary.
“Her voice is very beautiful,” said Abigail Chiang who was in the audience.
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Chagnon is also using that voice to celebrate some of the things that she’s proud of women for doing this week in Calgary.
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“We have some of the most amazing rodeo champions here from Alberta that are women,” Chagnon said. “The barrel racers are fantastic.”
Chagnon spends her time encouraging young women year-round at the Women’s Centre, helping run girl power sessions with girls in Grades 5 through 12.
“I absolutely love working with the girls and seeing how they’re growing and flourishing” she said.
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Chiang was attending the event with her nine-year-old daughter Hazel, glad to hear about the ‘girl power’ sessions.
“It’s very good for young people, especially the girls,” Chiang said. “It gives them more confidence.”
Chagnon says working with girls is very rewarding.
“They’re our future generations, the ones that are going to change the world.”
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