'We're all in this together'
Educators and community leaders discuss how to work with people in crisis
Kirsten Fenn
Northern News Services
Friday, October 28, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Educators and community leaders in Yellowknife are hoping some tough conversations about Yellowknife's biggest social problems will help lead to reconciliation.
Teachers from Sir John Franklin High School and William McDonald School, politicians and representatives of community organizations got together last Friday for Yellowknife Education District No. 1's (Yk1's) second indigenous language and culture professional development day, where they discussed what they can do to help people in crisis.
The public school district has been bringing teachers together twice a year since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its 94 calls to action and final report on the legacy of Canada's residential schools in 2015.
The goal is to start a conversation about healing and implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action, which include recommendations around indigenous education, language and culture.
"All of Canada, and Yellowknife of course, is struggling with issues of the past," said Yk1 indigenous language and culture
co-ordinator Scott Willoughby during the event at Sir John last week.
"One of the big ones here is the legacy of the residential schools," he said.
"And for quite a few years there wasn't any conversation about it at all."
Willoughby said the district will invite guest speakers to take part in these conversations, such as Cree and Metis writer Tracey Lindberg and politician Wab Kinew.
"We've been bringing in different people from all over the place," he said.
Friday's event included a panel discussion followed by an afternoon of moosehide tanning, Dene games and presentations by Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning and Dene Nahjo, a group that aims to promote indigenous leadership and advance social and environmental justice causes.
 | Family violence one of the biggest issues | 
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Mayor Mark Heyck, RCMP Insp. Matt Peggs, Yellowknife Health and Social Services supervisor Peter Therrien, John Howard Society executive director Lydia Bardak, A New Day program co-ordinators Laura Boileau and William Greenland, and former NWT commissioner George Tuccaro all spoke on the panel. They talked about social issues they've tackled in their work - from dealing with public safety to homelessness to family violence.
Family violence emerged as one of the biggest issues on the panel. One retired teacher spoke about working with brilliant students who were struggling with a troubled home life, leading them to end up in jail. Once they were released, they went back to the same situation as they had no resources to help them, she said, adding there needs to be better supports for youth and teachers looking to help them.
Greenland and Boileau, who run a program called A New Day at the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre, work with men who are still in custody to make them aware of resources once they are released. Their program has helped more than 350 men through providing therapy.
The fact that men continue to self-refer and return to the program is a sign that approach has been a "tremendous success," Boileau said.
Putting a roof over a person's head can also play an important first step in helping a person in crisis, according to Heyck.
He spoke about the city's Housing First initiative, which aims to take homeless people off the streets and into stable homes, while providing access to other resources.
Simply acknowledging and respecting people who are most vulnerable has an important impact too, Heyck said.
"Above and beyond all the public policy changes we can make, if on a human level we start to connect with these people who are most vulnerable, most at risk of violence, that can make a huge difference in our community," he said.
Tuccaro, who once struggled with alcoholism and is now 37 years sober, said the most important thing is to ask people what they need.
"We have to help people help themselves, one heart at a time," Tuccaro said, echoing the whole purpose of the day.
"We're all in this together," Willoughby said, speaking of a conversation he had with an elder who told him these issues
can't be solved over one conversation, but through time.
"It's all of our responsibility and we all need to find our place in moving forward."
