Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

Inuvik
Heart-wrenching stories told during the Truth and Reconciliation event in Inuvik spurred Matilda DeBastien to apply to become director of health and wellness for the Gwich'in Tribal Council.

Matilda DeBastien, director of health and wellness for the Gwich'in Tribal Council, stands with a vision board created during a course on building self-esteem at the Rachel Reindeer Wellness Camp in March. DeBastien, who is originally from Tuktoyaktuk, spent 14 years in Fort McPherson before moving to Inuvik in 2000. - photo courtesy of Larry Frolick/GTC

"There are so many programs that could be utilized at (the council's Rachel Reindeer Wellness Camp) to help them overcome their traumas," she said. "A lot of the hurt and a lot of the relationships that people had in the past, and understanding the traumas they went through, was really what made me apply."

DeBastien got the job, and since September 2011 has been overseeing the different wellness programs offered by the Gwich'in Tribal Council. Although the council offer programs both in Inuvik and on the land, she said it's the courses offered at a camp 20 minutes from town that really allows participants to address their demons head on.

"When they come back home, even if the situation at home hasn't changed, their outlook has," she said.

"If people are struggling with addictions and addiction-related issues, a lot of it is low self-esteem or bad relationships and not being able to overcome them. Land programs are really beneficial. The Rachel Reindeer Camp, when they're out there, it's like a safe place."

The Gwich'in Tribal Council, through funding from the Department of Health and Social Services, offered five week-long programs from January to March at the camp.

Every participant had either overcome or was still struggling with addiction, and moved from their home in the Mackenzie Delta to the camp for the duration of the course. The main goal of each program, according to DeBastien, was to give participants the tools to change the path their lives were on.

"Everyone that was there was impacted in one way or another with residential school. Either as a survivor, second-generation survivor or intergenerational survivor," she said. "They are where they are today, but there is hope for tomorrow. You just have to stay positive and find those people who can help you through a crisis."

Many participants in the council's week-long courses arrived at camp sheltered and closed off but, by the end of the week, were able to laugh and share with their peers, DeBastien said.

"There was lots of fun, lots of laughs," she said. "They saw that they weren't alone. Other people had gone through the same experiences."

Programming at the camp will resume in the summer, once boat access is possible, and DeBastien said it will likely focus on grief and loss counselling. In addition, she hopes to offer workshops in Inuvik focusing on grief and loss, as well as traditional practices and values such as cooking and crafts.

Her dream, though, is to convert the camp into a full-time treatment centre - a task that would require more funding and accreditation-expertise than she can currently offer on her own.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.