Illuminate Peer-to-Peer: Raising Indigenous Voices
Speaker: Sheyanne Levall-Crouse, Event Partnership Specialist, Indigenous Relations, Great Outdoor Comedy Festival

Discover the work the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival does to include First Nation, Métis and Inuit Communities. Learn about Indigenous relations and find out how to help raise Indigenous Voices in a good way! We are excited that this event aligns with National Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Register to attend
To attend, register on Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with a link for the session.

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About Sheyanne Levall-Crouse
Sheyanne is a proud Métis woman, who was born in Edmonton and grew up on a farm North of the city. After high school, she moved to the suburb St. Albert, where she went on to pursue radio broadcast. After she graduated, she continued her post secondary with Business Administration at NAIT.

Her career took a turn in the hospitality industry, where she ended up in management. During her time in hospitality, she was passionate about creating experiences for guests and helping host fundraisers for local groups and organizations. After 15 years in hospitality and many late nights, she decided to take her career in a new direction. Sheyanne entered the non-profit world where she could continue to fundraise and support the important work of Canadian Blood Services, STARS, and several service clubs. During this time, she also started a champion event for the Bryan Mudryk Golf Classic, called Bryan’s Angels. Over seven years, Bryan’s Angels raised $370,000 for the Alberta Cancer Foundation, helping bring the Bryan Mudryk Golf Classic’s total fundraising to 1.8 million dollars over 15 years. Over the last 15 years, Sheyanne had her own consulting company to help with fundraisers and events. This includes her work with Trixstar Production, the parent company of the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival.

Sheyanne’s Great-Grandmother was a residential school survivor. There was great shame around what her Great-Grandmother experienced in the residential school and the intergenerational trauma that came with it. Through Sheyanne’s own negative experiences as a child, she learned it was easier not to tell people she was Métis or Indigenous. It was not until she was in her 30s that she wanted to know more about her family history and better understand who she was. The journey to understand who she was has also helped Sheyanne understand the impact that intergenerational trauma has had on First Nation, Métis and Inuit families and the importance of sharing the truth. She has recognized that when you elevate an Indigenous voice, you help create healing for that individual, their ancestors and their community.

In the spring of 2021, Alberta shared a proposed curriculum draft for schools. Sheyanne’s daughter would be entering Kindergarten that fall, and she felt the proposed curriculum draft did not properly reflect Canada’s Indigenous history. Wanting to do better for her daughter and all Indigenous students, Sheyanne decided to run as a public school trustee. She was elected as a Trustee and she strongly advocates for equity in education for all students. This includes decolonizing education, Indigenizing classrooms, and ensuring schools have safe, caring and welcoming spaces for all students, including Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIA+, marginalized, and inclusive education students.

Sheyanne’s role with Trixstar Production, Indigenous Relations and Event Specialist, has been an honour. She works to include First Nation, Métis, and Inuit communities in each city where the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival is held. This includes building relationships and trust, extending invitations and hosting First Nation, Métis, and Inuit communities at the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival, following protocol, the Welcoming Address, supporting communities through GOCF’s Community Fund, and providing honorariums.