SEVEN Magazine, May 27, 2010, Volume 3, No. 3

Alice Sabourin Photovoice / Artistic Director

They might be unlikely terms for teenagers, but that’s what a group of First Nation youth from remote First Nations have become, says Thunder Bay’s Alice Sabourin.

“We hosted a project at three local high schools in Thunder Bay where we engaged youth from remote northern First Nation to narrate and document their urban lives while going to school in the city,” Sabourin, the project’s artistic director, said.

Through Photovoice, the youth created more than 300 photographs and a video as well as sculptures, collage and a montage called the Sacred Tree to express themselves to policy makers, schools, the community and each other, in order to encourage dialogue and create change.

During the project, the students focused on two key themes:

Spaces of Challenge: “People just hang out when they have nowhere to go. It’s too early to go back to your boarding home, but you still want to hang out with friends,” says one student of the bus terminal. Police cars and stairwells at school were also highlighted among this collection of photos.

Spaces of Joy, Celebration and Belonging: Participants photographed all aspects of student life, such as their homes, pets and families to capture spaces of joy, celebration and belonging.

Eabametoong’s Ardelle Sagutcheway, a Grade 12 student at the time she participated in Photovoice, photographed the Brodie Street Terminal in downtown Thunder Bay as well as one of the ever-present Thunder Bay Police squad cars that was assigned to monitor the bus station for her share of her work with Photovoice.

“While I was in high school, the Brodie Street Terminal was the place all the Aboriginal high school students went to gather to just ‘hang out’ together. It was viewed as a ‘bad place,’ but it was Our Place,” said the graduate, who is now employed as a diabetes worker in her community. “The other photo (of the squad car peeking out from the side of a building) was actually also taken at the Brodie Street Terminal. A couple of months before I took that photo, the city had decided they were going to station a police car at the bus terminal every single night going forward, and so they became this constant unwanted presence there watching us. We felt like there was no safe place for us to go to just hang out.”

Using 35 mm and disposable cameras, students took steps towards breaking down racial barriers, supported youth in positions of leadership, and shared their views, Sabourin said.

“Through the language of art, participants learned to listen, share and understand each other,” she said, adding the final results of the Photovoice project was showcased at three diverse venues to maximize community involvement, including the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Ka-Nah-Chi-Hih Solvent Abuse Treatment Centre and the Pavilion, a local amusement park, which is located at Chippewa Park. Sabourin also said the exhibition at Ka-Nah-Chi-Hih included Talking Circles to allow participants to discuss their photos and share the meaning behind the images with members of the community.

“I explained to them what photos I took, why and what they meant to me,” Sagutcheway said.

Aboriginal strategy groups, native counselors, high school administration, and city councilors alike participated in the dialogue of the Talking Circles, Sabourin said.

“I think Photovoice did a wonderful job of creating a new kind of dialogue in the community,” she said. “The young people involved learned that life is built upon relationships and that we can relate and come together through our stories.”

Alice Sabourin Photovoice / Artistic Director

They might be unlikely terms for teenagers, but that’s what a group of First Nation youth from remote First Nations have become, says Thunder Bay’s Alice Sabourin.

“We hosted a project at three local high schools in Thunder Bay where we engaged youth from remote northern First Nation to narrate and document their urban lives while going to school in the city,” Sabourin, the project’s artistic director, said.

Kerina Wabasse SEVEN Youth Media

Over the past couple years, I have worked with the youth and can see that there are more youth parents than actual adults. I see friends I used to go out with every day and who I went to school with and now I see them with their children either at home or engaged in other activities out of the home. I sometimes wonder what their lives are like so off I went to go get my answers. I spent time with my close friends and their babies and they shared stories with me because I wanted to listen to get a sense of what goes on with their lives now that they have children. I have seen how much responsibility is required to raise a small child…to feed, clothe, and to care for them 24/7. So for my piece for SEVEN I spoke to a few people and I was fortunate when a good friend of mine agreed to be interviewed about her experience as a young parent.

Here is my friend Lanette’s story:

When I got pregnant I was 12 years old. I admit that was a young number for me to become pregnant and I gave birth when I was 13 years old. I didn’t know what to expect until it actually happened but every single day I was pregnant, I grew to love myself and I knew my life was changing and it has.

At first, after I had my little girl, there were times when I felt like I would be missing out on a lot of stuff that your typical teenager does with my friends. I always had to stay home and be there with my baby girl every step of the way and it was challenging because I was just a child myself. I wasn’t ready to sit at home and stay put. I always thought I was missing out and there were times I would just walk out not knowing how to be a parent but then I would always come right back because I knew I would have to be there when she needed changing, when she needed feeding and when she just needed her mommy. It took me a couple months to realize that I was doing something good. Not for myself this time, but for another special person who is a part of me forever now. It does change your life. My family kept telling me that I have a responsibility now and after a time I came to realize that I wasn’t a kid anymore but a mother to one of my own.

So today, I look at my little girl, she loves talking, running and playing with her little friends. I would not imagine a world without her in it, the world may not see that but I could tell the world, “she is my world.”  I couldn’t believe someone so little could change the way you were when you were just kid. I am very thankful that someone came into my life. Although it is not easy being a young parent, you just have to hope for the best and get through it. I may not have the friends I use to have but I have new friends who are there to listen, laugh and hang out with me and lastly of course, with my little girl.

Life with my daughter would’ve been really hard without the one person I count on - my mother. Without my mother it would’ve been so different, knowing how much my daughter loves to be around her grandma. I can see myself struggling with my daughter had she not been around. I don’t know who else I’d turn to if I needed some guidance or assistance. No one else was there to believe that I could raise her myself, especially at a young age. My mom was there every step of the way from the time my daughter was born. I don’t know what else to say but thank you to her for her help. Without her, I wouldn’t have made it this far. The journey is still ongoing and I am not going to give up.

I learned a lot about being a mother, and of how you don’t have any more time for yourself, your friends, school & basically everything that was a part of your life. Like for me it was just  “...You’re just going to have to make that choice to leave it behind you for now.” I hope this story makes you young girls understand: It isn’t easy raising a child by yourself, especially at a very young age. It isn’t easy have to let things go like watching your friends graduate without you and missing out on things that you’re interested in. For my word to you young girls out there: be wise and think carefully for your future because it is very hard to raise a young one especially if you’re just a young child yourself.  L. Jacob

Lanette Jacob is a 17 year old from Webequie. She is the mother to four-year-old Lakita C. Jacob.

Kerina Wabasse SEVEN Youth Media

Over the past couple years, I have worked with the youth and can see that there are more youth parents than actual adults. I see friends I used to go out with every day and who I went to school with and now I see them with their children either at home or engaged in other activities out of the home. I sometimes wonder what their lives are like so off I went to go get my answers. I spent time with my close friends and their babies and they shared stories with me because I wanted to listen to get a sense of what goes on with their lives now that they have children. I have seen how much responsibility is required to raise a small child…to feed, clothe, and to care for them 24/7. So for my piece for SEVEN I spoke to a few people and I was fortunate when a good friend of mine agreed to be interviewed about her experience as a young parent.

Here is my friend Lanette’s story:

When I got pregnant I was 12 years old. I admit that was a young number for me to become pregnant and I gave birth when I was 13 years old. I didn’t know what to expect until it actually happened but every single day I was pregnant, I grew to love myself and I knew my life was changing and it has.

Jason Smallboy Contributor

Greetings! It’s been a while since I wrote something freely like this, with the exception of my glorious Facebook updates. However, I have a few thoughts that have come to me recently.

First of all, I will give you an idea of what I’ve been up to.  As a member of the NAN Oshkaatisak (Young Peoples Council) I am very anxious for summer!

There have been a few things recently making positive headlines for Aboriginal people. For instance, the Olympic Games were very much influenced by Aboriginal culture and heritage with Native art featured throughout the event.  The opening was amazing and featured many traditional Aboriginal dancers from all over the country. It was back in February I participated in the 2010 Winter Olympics as part of the Chiefs of Ontario portion of the 2010 Aboriginal Pavilion.  I remember watching the news at that time, on a story about the Olympics.  It said that the organizing committee is sponsoring the 2010 Aboriginal Pavilion.  When I heard that, my first thought was, “Well, this organizing committee is pretty huge in terms of reputation, and they are sponsoring this Aboriginal event? That’s great!”

It was by sheer chance I was asked to be a part of the Aboriginal Pavilion. I was at work one day in January and knew a bunch of friends and colleagues who were going to be doing a skit at the Chiefs of Ontario Economic Forum later that night, so I decided to go and watch my friends rock the house! I entered the gala-type room and I saw my friends sitting at a table so I joined them.

And sure enough, I asked about the skit, and they responded, “You should join us!” I said “No way yo! HAHA! I came to watch you guys!”, but after a little twisting of my rubber arm, I decided ‘why not, it’ll be fun.’

I had no clue what we were doing and we only had about an hour before we were to perform.  We entered the room for ‘rehearsal’ and it was more like a bunch of friends exchanging jokes and ideas that were totally useless. However, there was one idea that seemed to have promise.

It was about the history of the Fur Trade in Ontario for Aboriginal people.  So, we decided to go with that idea and the skit slowly came together. We had props and other items that we would end up using for the play that added that little extra zing. It was awesome!

From that performance, my fellow colleagues asked if we wanted to perform the same play at the Olympics. I said of course I would! Several weeks later, I was in Vancouver for the performance.

We were asked to perform the play a total of four times back-to-back in front of four groups of people. I was feeling nervous before the first performance but after rehearsing it a couple more times, my nerves calmed down.  

The first performance went pretty well considering I froze for what felt like an hour but was actually less than 10 seconds. I was supposed to say, “Hello, Thank you for coming, this is our land” in my Native Cree language, but ended up saying, “Hello... ummm...” then paused and then said “Sorry!” in English and finally brought myself to say “Hello, Thank you for coming” in Cree. The rest of the performance was gravy and went off without a hitch.

What’s the overall moral of the story you ask? You will never know what opportunities will come your way by just helping out some friends.  It is through these types of stories that we (NAN Oshkaatisak) try to encourage other Youth in our communities to volunteer. I have been volunteering for a long time now and I have met some amazing people over my journeys. I have witnessed some incredible events and I am proud to be able to say that I was there. I like to talk about success stories and I really enjoy hearing success stories from my fellow Youth. It gives me a sense of hope and pride for the future.

Jason Smallboy is a Moose Cree First Nation band member.

Jason Smallboy Contributor

Greetings! It’s been a while since I wrote something freely like this, with the exception of my glorious Facebook updates. However, I have a few thoughts that have come to me recently.

First of all, I will give you an idea of what I’ve been up to.  As a member of the NAN Oshkaatisak (Young Peoples Council) I am very anxious for summer!

There have been a few things recently making positive headlines for Aboriginal people. For instance, the Olympic Games were very much influenced by Aboriginal culture and heritage with Native art featured throughout the event.  The opening was amazing and featured many traditional Aboriginal dancers from all over the country. It was back in February I participated in the 2010 Winter Olympics as part of the Chiefs of Ontario portion of the 2010 Aboriginal Pavilion.  I remember watching the news at that time, on a story about the Olympics.  It said that the organizing committee is sponsoring the 2010 Aboriginal Pavilion.  When I heard that, my first thought was, “Well, this organizing committee is pretty huge in terms of reputation, and they are sponsoring this Aboriginal event? That’s great!”

Alison Kaye SEVEN Committee

We are in an ever-changing society where technology continues to advance before our very eyes.  When I first started high school I remember bringing a walkman with cassette tapes to class then eventually bringing CD’s to play on my CD player while waiting between classes.  Now technology has taken us to where youth today are bringing in iPods with them to class and also talking and texting on cell phones, not only while in school but while driving as well.  

I only ask that our next generation of youth today take a minute to think before driving behind the wheel for the first time and that they have absolutely no distractions.  Collisions and fatalities are easily avoided if we have our eyes and ears open for the road.  Use your best decision and be safe on the road.

Alison Kaye, SEVEN Youth Advisory Committee Member

Alison Kaye SEVEN Committee

We are in an ever-changing society where technology continues to advance before our very eyes.  When I first started high school I remember bringing a walkman with cassette tapes to class then eventually bringing CD’s to play on my CD player while waiting between classes.  Now technology has taken us to where youth today are bringing in iPods with them to class and also talking and texting on cell phones, not only while in school but while driving as well.  

I only ask that our next generation of youth today take a minute to think before driving behind the wheel for the first time and that they have absolutely no distractions.  Collisions and fatalities are easily avoided if we have our eyes and ears open for the road.  Use your best decision and be safe on the road.

Alison Kaye, SEVEN Youth Advisory Committee Member

Kyra Kaminawaish Contributor

I am a big fan of SEVEN Youth Magazine. Each time I read SEVEN, I am humbled and inspired to be more focused. I really believe in the notion of the Seventh Generation Story where the vision of the seventh fire is mentioned and where we are the ones to turn things around.

I always tell people that we have to stop waiting for another time or for another person to do it. To change the way things are. We are the people we have been waiting for! We are the Seventh Generation to turn things around. For the past few years, I have been on a journey to find a meaningful life for myself and I found what I was looking for. I encourage you to take that step into your personal journey, I encourage you to find out who you are, who you want to become, have strong values for yourself, stick to them, and when it’s time to make decisions or be asked for comment, you will no longer say you don’t know, because you have that foundation you set for yourself, and most importantly, be yourself, don’t be afraid to show the real you, be open to dialogue, engage in conversation, live each day to your fullest and you’ll find out what you’re meant to do.

I think it is important that everyone takes time out to reflect and really look at the big picture of your life. There are so many issues yet to be dealt with. We need to talk about those issues no matter how difficult that will be. One that concerns me the most is the overall health of our First Nations people, spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. As First Nations people we’ve been given the gift of being named for the four parts of human beings and I know it’s been really tough to keep all four balanced because of our history. A lot of us are still struggling. But for us to able to function, we must take that first step into our journey to find that balance so we can set a good future for the next generations of First Nations people. We didn’t survive for nothing. The journey to living your best life is never too late or too long, because you’ll start to find answers to all your unanswered questions and the void you feel will start to heal.

Kyra waits for the opening ceremonies to begin in Cowichan BC to kick off the 2008 North American Indigenous Games.

If I could describe the last five years of my life in one word, it would be: Growth. I discovered so many things about myself and about living life to the fullest. I didn’t know I had in me to do public speaking, but that had been brought out of me in Toronto. I remember giving a speech at Project Beyshick’s social event and this big time CEO came to chat with me and he said “I admire your passion. How did you become the person you are today?” I replied “My late grandmother Rhoda Chikane, a very outspoken, strong lady.”

We chatted more about how China recovered from deep poverty and started discussing ways we can lessen the poverty in Canada’s backyard. It was great chatter, but I knew it was better to walk the talk instead of talking the walk.

Over the past few years, I’ve had chances to partake in opportunities which not only allowed me to meet some of the most successful individuals in Canada, but to also expand my capabilities and network. The best experience about being involved with projects out of the community is feeling that energy of motivation emanating from the people around me. I can’t seem to find that in my home community.

It’s a tough environment to live in a remote community: although you’re trying to maintain a good life unaffected by the negativity, you can’t ignore the problems and issues facing the community. I used to tell my grandmother, “When I am done school, I am never coming back,” but she told me my heart will always be rooted in the reserve and it is important that I give back to the community. I used to laugh at her when she used to tell me we were living in the government’s house and it was important I grew up to be self-dependent. I answered, “But grandmother, their house wouldn’t look like this.” I didn’t fully come to terms what she meant until I learned more about the history and issues facing First Nations. Even though we may feel that our community hasn’t done anything for us, it is our responsibility to change that and to contribute in helping improve the quality of life for all of us. It is from this that I feel I need to do something for the community. We have started an open dialogue to find ways the youth can create and achieve an active sustainable youth council. I also started writing proposals to my networks to collect gently used information and educational books for the adult demographic in the community. It’s a work in progress, but if it wasn’t for the support of the Order of Canada Mentorship Program, of which I am a member, to keep me afloat, my mindset wouldn’t continue to be where it is today. So all the support any young person gets from family, friends and colleagues: it is truly invaluable. It is time for young people’s dreams to be realized and respected.

Kyra Kaminawaish is from Weagamow Lake First Nation

Kyra Kaminawaish Contributor

I am a big fan of SEVEN Youth Magazine. Each time I read SEVEN, I am humbled and inspired to be more focused. I really believe in the notion of the Seventh Generation Story where the vision of the seventh fire is mentioned and where we are the ones to turn things around.

I always tell people that we have to stop waiting for another time or for another person to do it. To change the way things are. We are the people we have been waiting for! We are the Seventh Generation to turn things around. For the past few years, I have been on a journey to find a meaningful life for myself and I found what I was looking for. I encourage you to take that step into your personal journey, I encourage you to find out who you are, who you want to become, have strong values for yourself, stick to them, and when it’s time to make decisions or be asked for comment, you will no longer say you don’t know, because you have that foundation you set for yourself, and most importantly, be yourself, don’t be afraid to show the real you, be open to dialogue, engage in conversation, live each day to your fullest and you’ll find out what you’re meant to do.