Samson Cree Nation youth Kiya Bruno, an actress, activist and entrepreneur, will be speaking at the 2nd Annual Teepee Summit 2023 Aug. 24 to 26 in St. Albert, Alta.
This year the summit, being held at the at the Poundmaker’s Grounds, will focus on inspiring youth and will have a variety of speakers to share their experience and wisdom.
Bruno, 17, will be one of the speakers inspiring Indigenous youth to pursue their passions.
At just 13, Bruno had already played a role in the Netflix series The Alienist (2018), portraying the “singing Sioux child,” filming in Budapest, Hungary.
She’s also had roles in Horace and Waking Up in Idaho.
She has various other TV and film credits to her name, as well as gaining prominence for her performances of the national anthem in both Cree and English at elite sporting events.
She sang ‘O Canada’ at an NHL game on the first ever Alberta Day in 2020, and at the Hockey Day in Canada game earlier that year and at a Toronto Blue Jays game in 2019.
Bruno also modelled at New York Fashion Week in September, 2022. She is the co-owner of ‘Stay Rooted,’ an Indigenous female owned apparel shop that gives back to the land.
READ MORE: Kiya Bruno, 13, a quadruple threat
The summit is organized and hosted by the First Nations Health Consortium and held on Treaty 6 territory and the Homeland of the Métis.
It will focus on three key themes: Strengthening communities through first responder recruitment, the importance of youths in sport and art as a community-building tool.
After each motivational speaker, there will be expert-facilitated sessions for the youth to discuss their perspectives and aspirations.
