MD students create student group to help drive change in Saskatoon

A group of MD students came together with a question in mind: how do we help our unhoused community in Saskatoon? The answer: work with established organizations such as the SAGE (Secure, Assist, Guard and Engage) Clan Patrol.  

MD students Terri Thunder (she/her), Jess Klaassen-Wright (they/them), Yazmeen Lussier (she/her), and Jasmin Ogren (she/her) sat down to talk about the USSU student group, the SAGE Student Collective, what they are doing and how others can get involved.  

The SAGE Student Collective was originally started by a group of MD students who are advocates for harm reduction and mutual aid. Its purpose was to provide an avenue in which students could support the larger community group, the SAGE Clan Patrol, an Indigenous-led and founded volunteer organization committed to mutual aid and assisting those in the unhoused community. While SAGE originally started in Lethbridge, Alberta, Saskatoon now has an active base. 

The mission of the Student Collective is to help improve lives by going on patrols to distribute meals, seasonally appropriate clothing, hygiene kits, and items for harm reduction amongst others. At the heart of their work are the medicine wheel teachings which encourage a holistic approach to their methods.  

“A lot of people who first started [the SAGE Clan Patrol] were people who had loved ones who were unhoused, had experienced being unhoused themselves, or had worked closely with our unhoused relatives,” said Thunder. “They work closely with other grassroots, mutual aid organizations like Food Not Bombs, Seventh Generation Rising, and SURJ [Showing Up for Racial Justice].”  

As the group is purely volunteer based, the SAGE Clan Patrol relies on donations from members and from the wider Saskatoon community. To help, the SAGE Student Collective works to bring together student volunteers who can assist with meal prepping and going out on patrols to distribute resources.  

“We try to drive change,” said Thunder. “Time restraints for medical students are tough. We really aim to do two patrols a month, or at least one. We see who can make food and who can volunteer.” 

“A lot of the unhoused population fell through the cracks of the community,” said Lussier. “[The SAGE Clan Patrol] aids in providing essential needs, and advocating for the community...A big thing is that they really try to meet the needs of the community they’re serving.”  

Helping with community needs was the driving force for why Lussier joined the SAGE Student Collective in the first place. “This is the community that one day we get to serve,” she said. “This is the population we get to work with. When you go and give meals and talk to people you learn so much about them…If we can even do just one small thing to make their day a little bit better or a little bit easier, it’s important to do that.”  

A dedication to assisting others is not the only thing that makes this student group stand out. “It’s how we organized governance from the beginning,” said Ogren. “We don’t have a president. We have circle leaders and shared roles that reflect the values of the SAGE Clan community that makes us unique.”  

She added, “We’ve tried our best to be responsive to community needs and to support what’s being done. Medical training can feel siloed and [this] gives us a connection to community…we’re trying to fill in where we can.” 

Thinking of her own experiences with the SAGE Clan Patrol, Lussier shared, “I went on my first patrol at the beginning of the year. The SAGE Clan Patrol were the most wonderful people, and they made you feel so comfortable. It was great to see people fighting for something that’s such an important matter because it doesn’t always feel like there’s a lot being done, but this is something that does make a difference.” 

One of the next goals for the SAGE Student Collective is to increase their members through campus-wide student recruitment.  

“Recruiting more folks would be amazing,” said Klaassen-Wright. “That’s probably the major goal. If we can recruit more people, we would be spreading awareness about SAGE and the needs of our relatives in the inner city. More people means a bigger workforce who can make food and help with things on the ground.”  

The next event the SAGE Student Collective is hosting a bake sale on Thursday, February 12, from 11am-3pm in the E-Wing of Health Sciences. All funds will go directly to the SAGE Clan Patrol to help purchase items for donation to the community. For anyone who is unable to go but would still like to contribute or find other ways to participate, there are a few options. 

“We have e-transfer for anyone who wants to donate,” Ogren said. “They can email  sagestudentcollective@ussu.ca.” 

“Signing up for a patrol is a good place to start,” Thunder added for those who would like to donate their time. “Most leaders for the [SAGE Clan Patrol] are the ones leading the patrols. We’ve been pretty good at having people go with new volunteers.” 

Reflecting on any advice that could be passed on to people going on their first patrol, Klaassen-Wright advised, “You have to be willing to be flexible. There’s not always a structure. Just be willing to let what happens, happen.” 

If you wish to know more about the SAGE Student Collective or the SAGE Clan Patrol, you can email sagestudentcollective@ussu.ca or view the SAGE Clan Patrol Facebook page.  

The SAGE Student Collective was ratified in July 2025.