By Aaron B. Tootoosis 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

By Cindy Burns   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

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