Part 2

Part 3

Monica Iron, a second-year arts and science student at the University of Saskatchewan, is on her way to becoming a health professional because of her experience at the First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) Health and Science Camp one year ago.

At the Science Camp, students went on a medicine walk with an elder. “We went to go visit an elder in a nearby community… It was the medicine part of health and science,” Iron said. “I felt it was an important thing to learn from an elder.”

Iron always had an interest in the health profession which is why she decided to attend the FNUniv Health and Science Camp in Regina last summer.

“I like to help people,” Iron said. “(To become a doctor) was a bit of a childhood dream.”

This summer, the Health and Science Camp runs for two weeks, from July 11 – 22.  It will give Aboriginal students in grades five to12 the chance to discover career possibilities in health care and science.

“(We) learn about health and science in a way that is respectful,” said Dr. Fidji Gendron, student supervisor of the camp. “We have lots of elders during the week,”

The camp is important for the future of the province said Dr. Edward Doolittle, Associate Professor of Mathematics at the university.

“The province is in growing need of Aboriginal people as engineers, doctors, veterinarians, and so on,” said Dr. Doolittle.

Plus, science is a lot of fun, says Dr. Doolittle. “(When) I first became involved with the camp I figured out that it was a great excuse to play with a lot of cool gadgets. We have robotics kits, music equipment, and math manipulatives for the camp.”

During the camp, students will also meet with health professionals including nurses, who show them how to check vital signs, proper hand washing and how to help people get up from wheelchairs, according to Danielle Lisa Cyr, a FNUniv student who helps organize camp events.

The Health and Science Camp has allowed Iron to continue her interest in the health profession. “I learned that there’s a lot of opportunities for anyone,” Iron said.

Iron plans to finish a degree in English before entering either medical school or graduate studies in psychology. “I would have liked to have that information when I was younger so I could have had a more formulated decision before I went to university,” she added

According to the Ministry of Social Services, in 2007-2008 year Aboriginal children made up 80 percent of the Saskatchewan children in care; and, in 2008-2009, 26.5 percent of the Saskatchewan children in care were living in an extended-family placement or kinship care arrangement.
One grandmother (who prefers not to be named) who attends meetings is a 70-year-old retired teacher who had saved up and made plans to travel in her golden years. She is now raising four children, because her daughter is not able to care for them due to illness. She has been caring for her grandchildren for four years and says when she got the phone call from social services to come pick up her grandchildren the file was closed. “Once a grandmother or a relative takes them the file is closed and there is no assistance,” she said.

She says she is overwhelmed by the effort it takes to get support for her and her grandchildren. She is depleting her retirement savings and says she may potentially having to sell her home in order to keep meeting her grandchildren’s basic needs
Her worries are compounded by the fact that she believes that if she cannot mange, and her children are placed in foster care with strangers or in facilities, they will not receive proper care.
When her teen-aged grand-daughter ran away from her father’s house, she was placed in an overcrowded group home. “She was in a place (with) two bedrooms and seven girls, and there was one more coming,” she said. “There are not enough spaces for the children that are in care.”
The Grandmother Support Network provided input into a study of foster care that was completed in December 2010 and released this month. Holly Mckenzie co researcher and volunteer with Aboriginal Grandmother caring for their Grandchildren says the report reflects some of the things they recommended. “A lot of our concerns were reflected in the child welfare review report including that grandparent and other extended family care givers should receive the same level of support as foster families.” She goes on to say “But as we but as we all know things can mean can go in a report can go into a policy, but (not) actually practiced”

Chelsa Reil is a young Aboriginal woman from the Nekaneet First Nation who is active in the fight to end violence against women.

She has organized The Vagina Monologues for the past three years in Regina by hiring all the cast and crew for the popular show.

Having an all-Aboriginal cast in this production is important to her because women in the Aboriginal community are three times more likely to experience violence than women in non-Aboriginal communities.

“It creates awareness that it can happen to anybody, wherever and whoever you are,” Reil said.

She said that The Vagina Monologues draws more women to speak out and gain the self-esteem and courage to come out of abusive relationships.

The production took place April 29, 2011 at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum theatre. The performance starred a panel of successful Aboriginal women. The most notable stars at this year’s show were Maria Campbell, Michelle Hugli-Brass, and Dr. Shauneen Pete.

Reil has had a lot of positive feedback from many people, but in particular from the show’s cast. They all said they wanted to come back and be in next year’s show.

“Women are a part of this world too,” Reil said. “They should be protected, not violated, not exploited.”

This version is an adaptation of Eve Ensler’s original production which debuted in New York in the late 90s. That show that gave rise to an international non-profit movement known as V-day. As well, from February 1 to April 30, many V-Day-related events take place internationally to raise awareness and funds to organizations that aid women.

The proceeds of this year’s Regina show went to Aboriginal Family Services. Organizations that want to benefit have approached Reil and were chosen depending upon who needs it the most.

Reil is currently planning another annual event that will take place in September called Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. During this event, men will don bright red high-heeled shoes and then go on a one-mile walk to raise awareness for violence against women.

Her own personal experience draws her to be active in this movement, having been involved in violent relationships in her past.

Corporal James Pratt is a retired police officer who served 25 years with the Regina city police. Pratt is now working with the Aboriginal Police Preparation (APP) program because he wants to transfer his knowledge and experience to others who want to serve their community as police officers.

The APP program is offered through Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) Wascana campus. The program provides role models and an orientation to the challenges and opportunities that police face every day.

Pratt is a role model and recruiter for the program.  “Role models are important and I try to be a role model for the class and presentations,” says Pratt.

Pratt is a 55-year-old member of the Muscowpetung First Nation. He was the first Aboriginal person to join the Regina Police Service in 1983. He also served two years as an RCMP officer when he was younger. His decision to go into law enforcement was inspired by an RCMP officer who worked in his community, and who Pratt looked up to as a mentor.

“Mentors are important to young people,” says Pratt. “This RCMP officer was such a nice man.  He had the respect (of the students) when he did talks in the school,” says Pratt.

The APP started in Prince Albert, and  then expanded to Saskatoon and Regina. It is a 6-month program that starts in September. Recruiting is done year round.  Normally there are 40 to 45 seats available. There are currently 32 students registered for the fall.

Pratt says the program prepares young candidates for the realities of being a police officer.

“A lot of time, young kids come in fresh out of high school or they don’t have life skills,” says Pratt. “We want to make sure we have good capable Aboriginal candidates to apply to become police officers.

“Get in that competition,” Pratt tells his recruits. “Don’t be scared to bring your confidence up, and step up to the plate and not be shy.”

Pratt is adamant about the importance of recruiting Aboriginal police. “I think it is important because we are the majority of a minority in most if not all major urban centers. And I think that police have to be representative of (their) community.”

Dean Tanner is a 24-year-old from Cowessess First Nation, who took the APP program two years ago. Tanner knew he wanted to pursue a career in policing and says taking Pratt’s program helped him a lot. “I thought this would be a great stepping stone,” says Tanner. “It made me that much motivated towards getting into city police in Regina.”

Tanner recommends the program to those who are is interested in the law enforcement field.  He also encourages young Aboriginal people to go after what they want because in the end, he says, “It’s all worth it.”

The Aboriginal Police Preparation program is open to anyone. Call SIAST if you are interested.

By Penny Smoke

Melissa Worm is a 28-year-old single mother of six young children, ages 3 to 11. Worm dropped out of high school in Grade 8 to have her first child.  “When my oldest daughter came to me and asked me how come I don’t work like other parents work, that kind of made me realize, you know, that I could probably go out and work and do something I enjoy.”

Melissa never envisioned herself in the construction field. It was when she lived on Kawacatoose First Nation that she found her interest in construction. ”I started off on the reserve building a horse stable … I saw what my little, small woman hands could build,” Worm said. From there, Melissa found her direction and then began to take the steps to get training to advance her career.

She moved to Regina where she began training at the Trades and Skills Center. Her training helped her become certified in steel stud drywall. Unable to find employment, however she struggled to make ends meet. “I was renting a home and I got evicted and ended up homeless with my six children.” Worm said, “It was kind of hard. I didn’t know where me and my children were going to spend the night (or) if we were going to ever have a home again.”

Melissa wanted to stabilize her life so she decided to further her construction career. She enrolled in the Transitions to Trades program in North Central Regina.  It is a program designed to help people overcome barriers to employment. Initially with 140 applicants, this year’s class was whittled down to 10 –nine men and Melissa.

Melissa attributes her success in getting into the program to her background in dry walling and her commitment to moving her life forward. “We had four days of orientation and during those four days the instructors choose the people that wanted to come back.”

Students in the Transitions to Trades program have to be drug and alcohol free for the six months that they are in this program.” Before this program I had struggled a lot with drugs and alcohol. Coming here made me realize that there is more to life that drugs and alcohol,” says Worm.

The program also introduced her to Habitat for Humanity, an organization that builds home for families. Melissa decided to volunteer for Habitat and applied to get a house built for her family. “I know if I build a home with them, that me and my children will each have our own bedroom and live comfortably and it will be our home because I will be paying for it.”

One of Melissa’s main goals in life is to show her children that women can overcome barriers. “I’m trying to show them that us women, we can do anything a man can do!”