Eric Choquette is a mentor at Children North. He would do anything to help another person. Eric has been through a lot in his life but instead of letting that get him down, he has thrived and made himself into an amazing role model who his mentees love. His ability to relate and work with youth with special needs is phenomenal, and he also has an extremely positive impact on his colleagues.
Eric is very aware that many of the youth he works with feel the negative stereotype that is often placed on First Nations youth, and he has made it his goal to squash this narrative and encourage the youth to have pride in their heritage. It is also essential to Eric to encourage a clean, healthy lifestyle, free of drugs and alcohol, and is very quick to point out the negative impacts of these things, as well as the impacts of gang involvement on the youth’s life. He has a way of making the youth he works with feel “at home” with him, and that is often the difference the youth need to continue on the Children North mentorship program.
Eric also incorporates sports, and outdoor activities like fishing, snowshoeing, skating, and hiking into the program activities. He always emphasizes that living in a remote community, although it can be isolated, is not always a bad thing. He brings a sense of pride to his community, so youth can feel good and proud of their home. Simply put, Eric makes a positive difference in his community.