After several years of wear-and-tear by Mother Nature, it was time to replace the signage at the Aaron Roote Memorial Youth Centre of Saugeen First Nation and, on Wednesday, June 3rd (2026), the new sign was revealed.
Renowned local artist, Emily Kewageshig, was brought on board to create the new sign and Strategic Consulting saw the need and stepped in to the sponsor the project.
“We wanted to sponsor a project that would be meaningful to the community and youth of Saugeen First Nation,” said Heather Thompson of Strategic Consulting, “so we were only too happy to help with the new signage.”
Kewageshig, with close personal ties to the Roote family, knew that she wanted to create symbolism of the community’s youth while retaining the original concept of the sign.
“Aaron loved to skateboard and so I wanted him on the sign. Also, the animals and fish are important to our community so they are included and Aaron’s sister Kayla’s image is also included in the dreamcatcher. Because the Centre is used by our youth, it was important to include them and, over a year, we had meetings and asked for their input and what they wanted to see. I took their input and put it into the design and then they voted on it.”
The Youth Centre was renamed the Aaron Roote Memorial Youth Centre in memory of Aaron Roote who died suddenly as the result of an accident on Wednesday, June 18th, 2003, at the young age of 13.
Today, the Centre is a FREE drop in program funded by the Ministry of Children and Family Development dedicated to supporting ALL youth ages 7-18.
