Nakota and Cree teen's cultural advocacy earns him an international award

Louise BigEagle · CBC News

· Posted: Aug 20, 2026 3:15 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 20

A 15-year-old traditional dancer from Saskatchewan will travel to Stockholm next week to accept an international award.

Camden Scribe is one of this year's 13 recipients of the Young Courage Award from the Raoul Wallenberg Academy in Sweden.

"I felt amazing, it felt so good," said Camden, who is from Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation and lives in Saskatoon.

"I can't believe I'm travelling across the globe overseas to just represent my family, my people." 

Alongside traditional powwow dancing, Scribe is a part of the Boys with Braids campaign, standing up for other young Indigenous men who want to wear their hair long.

Camden said he grew up in colonial spaces with little to no Indigenous representation in sports and school, so he knows what it's like to feel uncomfortable.

"You're the only person with long hair," he said.

"That's what I fight for, so other Indigenous boys can feel comfortable in different spaces, so they don't feel out of place." 

He not only speaks to youth about their hair; he advocates for learning languages, like he is doing in learning Nakota and Cree.

He said he is excited to be going to Sweden with his parents and siblings, along with his grandma and auntie, as it's his first time travelling overseas.

Camden said he is looking forward to meeting the other recipients, "youth that are willing to make change in their communities and have that same mindset as me for setting up safe spaces for other youth."

Young Courage Award

The Young Courage Award honours young people aged 13 to 20 and is described as "a non-political recognition with the aim to highlight actions of moral courage." It's awarded by the Raoul Wallenberg Academy in partnership with Sweden's embassies and the Swedish Institute.

The award ceremony is held in Stockholm on Aug. 27, which is Raoul Wallenberg Day, Sweden's national day for equal rights and civil courage. Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat in Hungary during the Second World War who saved tens of thousands of Jewish people from the Holocaust.

The Raoul Wallenberg Academy said Camden was selected for his moral courage, leadership in his community, strengthening of Indigenous voices and standing up against bullying. 

Camden's mother Natashia Ouellette, from Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation, said Camden learned he won the award when she picked him up from school and told him someone from the Swedish embassy was trying to contact him.

"I was just so proud of my son, like no words can even explain how proud I am," said Ouellette.

Camden's parents are they are thankful Camden is showing his younger siblings what is possible for them and their community.

Boys with Braids founder Michael Linklater said he was glad to have nominated Camden because representation matters and it's a platform to show young people what's possible.

"When one of our community members or Indigenous people succeed, [it's] like we all succeed," he said.

Linklater said Camden is a shining example of how we want our children to be: he knows his culture, dances powwow, he's a phenomenal student and a great athlete.

"He's very respectful and kind and those are the teachings and the values of what our ancestors wanted for us," said Linklater.

• Why Indigenous boys and men choose to wear braids

Camden's father Chris Scribe, from Carry the Kettle Nakota Oyate, said when they heard Camden won, he thought about when he was 15 and what he was doing at that age — and it wasn't winning international awards.

He said he's proud of his son and takes extra pride in the fact a Nakota and Cree boy was chosen to represent Canada as a Young Courage Award recipient. 

Chris said because the family lives in an urban setting, as parents, he and Ouellette worry about racism, particularly because their boys are often the only ones with long hair.

"But because of how strong he is in terms of his identity and who he is, he can stand in those spaces and nothing can stop him," said Chris.

"He talked about making sure that all kids feel that way. I mean, we've made a huge effort in trying to give that to our children." 

Camden is going into Grade 10 in September and said he wants to pursue his language studies once he's done high school. 

"When we're immersed in our culture, our language, our ceremonies, [we] can be strong," said Camden. 

"And when we're using them alongside education, it can bring us very good things like this award."