The Fraser Basin Council is pleased to announce that the Chief Roy Mussell Bursary is now open for applications this fall. The bursary fund offers support to young Indigenous leaders in BC (aged 17-30) who are pursuing an educational program that will help them reach their goals to advance sustainability and/or reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people Applications for the 2025-2026 Bursary award are accepted now through November 16, 2025.
The Chief Roy Mussell Bursary was established in 2024 to honour the legacy of the Fraser Basin Council’s founding Vice-Chair, Chief Roy Mussell, his commitment to sustainability and his passion for supporting Indigenous youth in BC.
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About the Bursary
The Chief Roy Mussell Bursary supports young Indigenous leaders in BC (aged 17-30) who are pursuing an educational course or studies program that will help them reach their goals to advance sustainability and/or reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in the province.
In its inaugural year (2024 / 2025 academic year), the Bursary Fund is offering a $1,000 bursary to support the successful applicant in completion of a course or a studies program that will help the applicant advance sustainability and/or reconciliation through their work, community service or community engagement projects.
The Fund was created through an initial donation from the Fraser Basin Council and additional individual donations. The Fund is administered by the Fraser Basin Council, with the participation and approval of the Mussell family and with support from staff of the FBC Youth Program.
Eligibility Requirements
The Chief Roy Mussell Bursary is open to Indigenous (First Nation, Inuit, Métis) applicants in British Columbia who are:
- between 17-30 years of age
- in need of financial assistance, and
- enrolled in a post-secondary course or studies program that supports their pursuit of advancing sustainability and/or reconciliation in BC
Meet 2024-2025 Bursary Recipient
Courtenay Campbell
The Fraser Basin Council, the FBC Youth Program team and the Bursary Selection Committee warmly congratulate Courtenay Campbell, recipient of the inaugural (2024-2025) Chief Roy Mussell Bursary for Indigenous Youth in BC.
Courtenay Campbell is a proud member of Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc and is in her fourth year as an Honours Natural Resource Sciences student at Thompson Rivers University. Her passion lies in combining Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) with scientific methods to address pressing environmental challenges, particularly in fire ecology, forestry, archaeology and medicinal plants. With a strong connection to the land and also having a passion for lifelong learning, she strives to create a healthier, more sustainable future, while promoting reconciliation.
About Her Work
Courtenay’s Honours research is focused on the regeneration of culturally significant understory plants after multiple wildfires in the Ulkatcho First Nations territory. By integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge with scientific methods, she aims to contribute innovative, collaborative solutions that emphasize Indigenous perspectives in sustainability and biodiversity conservation.
Prior to Courtenay collecting data for this project, she participated in a community meeting with members from Ulkatcho to discuss with them the research projects underway on the land and to gather more information on cultural plants of interest. At this point in time, vegetation data has been collected from 5 different fires in the Ulkatcho territory, and Courtenay is focusing on the recovery of Soopolallie, Wild Blueberry, Kinnikinnick, Wintergreens, Bunchberry and Yarrow. Her next step in this journey is to analyze the data and run statistical analysis on these 6 plants so see how they have responded to wildfires over time.
About Sx̱elá:wtxw till – Chief Roy Mussell
Chief Roy Mussell, also known as Sx̱elá:wtxw till, was a founding member of the Fraser Basin Council Society and Vice-Chair of the Council. He was a four-term Chief of Sqwá (Skwah) First Nation and held numerous leadership positions with various organizations, boards and committees throughout his lifetime.
As a highly respected leader in both his community and throughout British Columbia, Roy advocated for sustainability, community-based decision-making and results-driven planning.
Roy was known for his kindness and earned widespread respect for his ability to bring people together. He firmly believed in working and collaborating with others, and advocated for different groups to come together to tackle challenges and blaze trails for those who follow. He spearheaded innovative initiatives to bring together leaders from all orders of government to work together for sustainability, while also emphasizing the importance of responsibility and accountability. His was a great legacy. The results of his work continue to inspire and influence many today.
Roy also had a particular passion in supporting Indigenous youth in their education and blazing their own leadership trails. He believed that providing youth with meaningful tasks and challenges will help them to move into the kind of leadership roles he had taken through his own life. He actively encouraged seasoned leaders to help foster the leadership capacity of younger generations by supporting youth to be involved in decision-making and to even initiate their own projects.
Known to be a pragmatic leader who delivered results, Roy often said, “What gets measured gets done!” In his own words, his work with the Fraser Basin Council was very special and dear to his heart, and he greatly believed in the society’s mission and work in British Columbia.