ANCESTRAL RIVERS explores the Indigenous Youth River Guide Training (IYRGT) program that aims to remove barriers and create opportunities for youth to learn land-based skills such as flat-water and whitewater canoeing, wilderness medicine and whitewater rescue training in order to become wilderness guides. The goal is to improve self-esteem, leadership, self-determination and expose youth to potential career opportunities all while centering Indigenous languages and knowledge. This is the first IYRGT cohort's story.