Booshoo from JamesB - June 11, 2009

Booshoo, my name is James Benson and I am the newest member here of the SEVEN Youth Advisory Committee. You may have noticed my name as a contributor in the previous issue of SEVEN. It wasn’t long after I was asked to take the role as a member of the youth advisory committee, which basically means I will be providing ideas and content, and helping with other duties.

A little bit of myself: I come from a small remote community called Weagamow Lake, where I have lived most of my life. I have one older sister and 2 young siblings. My mom is a teacher and my dad is a band councillor for our community.

I understand all the troubles many young people go through because I have been in that type of situation myself. As a child, I experienced a lot of things too. I was physically, sexually and emotionally abused, I was involved in gang activities and I helped in a lot of vandalism in the community.

I was always depressed and wanted to do one thing and that was to kill myself. You name it... I was troubled! However, as days passed, I slowly realized there was a purpose for me in life. I did not know what it was then but now I realize, the purpose for me here is simply to share my own experiences with others. One of the things that got me interested with SEVEN was the fact that they are doing something that I always wanted to do – share our experiences with the world. I applaud the good work Grace started thus far and envision this project growing even more.

Now back to my introduction... I am not new to news media as I previously worked with Wawatay News as a student reporter/photographer. Now that I am here, my goal is simple: promote our young people regardless of age or talent! How am I going to do that? I am going to write about them, have them share their experiences and the list goes on. I have been asked to start a weekly blog for this website which will give you something to read on a weekly basis. I hope to hear from many of you and even plan to visit some communities if I get the chance.

Please note, I have relocated to Edmonton for the time being, so chances are you will see future stories about other young people from Western Canada in SEVEN Youth Media Network who are making a big impact in their areas too.

In unity,
JamesB