LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
The stories of pain and suicide coming out of Attawapiskat First Nation hit deep for Deh Cho youth in Fort Simpson, who are sending more than 40 postcards to the troubled community.

Youth from Fort Simpson are sending more than 40 postcards to Attawapiskat with messages of hope for their fellow youth. In the back row, from left, are Reanna Auger, Thaddeus Kotchea, Fayth Sibbeston, Trenton Diamond-C and William Alger. In the middle row, from left, are Emily Hardisty, Tamara Lennie, Kyra Sanguez, Akhildas Damodharan and Katrina Deneron. In the front row, from left, are Fawna Erasmus, Danielle Hansen, Destiny Ekotla, Charlene Brown, Sharon Allen, Stewart Chisholm and Steve Nicoll. - April Hudson/NNSL photo

Attawapiskat, a small community in northern Ontario, had an on-reserve population of 1,549 as of the 2011 census, with a majority of those members under the age of 35.

The community hit the news in mid-April after the band declared a state of emergency in the wake of a rash of suicide attempts and it came out that more than 100 people had attempted suicide between September and April.

Grade 12 student William Alger has written two postcards so far. Alger first learned about the struggles of Attawapiskat from news articles and said he was shocked to learn how many people had attempted suicide.

"I think it's the product of years of residential school. We're still trying to cope with that," he said.

"That's more difficult in communities with little access to counselling or common health care."

Alger, who is originally from Fort Simpson, shared his own story of growing up in a household torn by alcohol use.

"I know the pain and despair they're going through. I want them to know, when life is looking down, look up at the sky and look toward a better future," he said.

"Sometimes it's hard to find people to listen to you. But the people of the Northwest Territories are always willing to listen. (I want) them to know they're not alone."

Fawna Erasmus, the special needs assistant for Thomas Simpson Secondary School, invited students to write postcards to the community after seeing posts on Facebook, and hopes other community members may follow her lead.

Postcards are voluntary but in just two days she collected 40 of them.

"We've got such great kids. It's so nice that they can care about someone they've never met, who lives so far away, and try to make their day a bit brighter," she said.

"I'm really thankful to the students for volunteering their time to help others."

Messages written on the postcards range from encouragement and expressions of positivity to raw, personal stories.

Some students shared their own struggle with mental health to let the postcard recipients know they are not alone.

Grade 7 student Tamara Lennie said she was surprised to find out so many young people in Attawapiskat had made attempts to take their lives.

"I want them to know we're thinking of them," she said.

Grade 11 student Katrina Deneron wrote two postcards.

She said learning about Attawapiskat hit home for her. As someone from Trout Lake, Deneron said she knows what it is like to grow up in a small, relatively isolated community.

"I'm trying to give them hope. I want to tell them to be happy and smile, because there's a lot to do in the world," she said.

"I want to try helping and make it easier for everyone."