Established on 06.05.2023 by Susan Hough
Photo 1 - A game of Marmite (which is also the word for that cast-iron Dutch oven behind Ikse)
Photo 2 - Ikse and Dahveed, the Dean of Les Voyageurs
Photo 3 - A quick break for lunch -- hardworking Voyageurs need their food!
Photo 4 - Cliff jumping is a popular way to cool off after a strenuous day of paddling
Photo 5 - Canoeing is a big part of Voyageur life
Photo 6 - Each spring, we put up canvas roofs over the kitchen and dining spaces
Ikse Mennen first came to Les Voyageurs as a teenager in the credit program. They chose the camp name Ikwe (since changed to Ikse) and settled into camp life - splitting wood and building fires, cooking over a campfire, paddling several hours each day, and setting up camp. After four weeks, they came home not only with a lot more fluency in French but also with more confidence, more maturity, and better problem-solving skills. It was life-transforming. From then on, Ikse was a committed Voyageur.
Ikse was a credit villager for three summers and on staff from 2014-2022. As a counselor, Ikse sought to transform lives just as theirs had been transformed. They loved connecting with their campers, the troubled ones, the high achievers, and everyone else. They hoped to light a fire inside the villagers’ hearts, whether it be for wilderness adventure, community, or just having hope that life gets better after high school. Besides teaching French, they aspired to teach confidence, compassion, tolerance, flexibility, and maturity. Ikse tackled many different roles, from credit facilitator to medic to assistant dean. They were passionate about continually improving the program and giving it new life, always looking for ways to improve the curriculum and make things easier for staff members. They were often the first one on-site to open for the summer, and the last one to leave. They laughed with hundreds of campers, enjoyed hundreds of sunrises and sunsets on the lake, and helped create the magic of Les Voyageurs that had so captivated them as a young camper.
In 2021, Ikse was diagnosed with an aggressive and rare cancer. After multiple surgeries and radiation to remove the sarcoma from their arm, they recovered well, had hopes of continuing on with their life, and came back to Les Voyageurs in 2022. Later that year, however, they learned that the cancer had metastasized and that it was incurable. Ikse will not be able to continue pursuing their calling in wilderness education. They will not be able to lead campers to new adventures. This scholarship is established in hopes of continuing Ikse’s work when they cannot, bringing young people into the community of Les Voyageurs so that they can blossom into their best selves. As transformative as Les Voyageurs is, not every family can afford it, and so in memory of Ikse, we would like to allow students to clear the cost barrier and attend this program that Ikse loved.
The purpose of the Ikse Mennen Endowed Scholarship is to provide encouragement and financial assistance to one or more student(s) attending any length youth session at Les Voyageurs, the French Language Village at Concordia Language Villages. Selection will be based on financial need as determined by the Scholarship Awarding Committee of Concordia Language Villages. Preference will be given first to students with the greatest financial need, regardless of geographic location/hometown.