 My name is Linda Karens. I work for Prince Amicron Council as their Embrace Life Coordinator. I started that almost 12 years ago as part of the National Aboriginal Use Suicide Prevention Strategy. And so I do a lot of workshops, you know, licensed workshops like ASSIST to teach people how to intervene with people who may be having thoughts of suicide. I've been around for a while so I can, I'm an educator for a long time, so I can put together any kind of workshop that people ask me to. And I like to meet the needs of those people that I work with. So my mandate is to work with youth in particular, but all community members who live on reserve. And PAGC has like 12 bands, but I've been assigned basically 11 communities as my major focus. And that's been a great journey. I guess all of my working career has been with Aboriginal youth. I taught school for 36 years. I started in Red Earth and then I moved to St. Louis. And I taught 34 years in St. Louis and got to know and learn a lot about the Métis culture and how rich, how rich it is. And then we also introduced the Métis students to their Indigenous culture as well. And that too was spirit lifting, not only for them, but also for me. So after I superannuated, I was sought out, I guess, to restart the Friends for Life program with Canadian Mental Health because of there's suicide everywhere. Suicide doesn't discriminate. It finds a place in a lot of people of all diversity. But then this position came up in PA and that's where my husband was. So I wanted to go back home and luckily I got the position. It was new, so they said, okay, do what you need to do with this. And what I soon learned is that I needed to be an advocate for the youth voice. And that's what I've always done. Even when I was in the classroom, I taught students how to respectfully state their views and to get what they needed so that they didn't have to resort to anger or revenge or acts of violence in order to get what is at the base of their, I guess, their way of getting noticed. So I dealt mostly with youth, high school youth when I first went. But I knew from my past experience that that's way too much weight on the shoulders of youth, expecting them to go back into the communities and be ambassadors for and to bring up the topic of suicide and mental wellness. Because 12 years ago, nobody wanted to even say the word suicide. So I then got to know young adults because I do other programs and we have women in men's programs out of the Holistic Wellness Center where I work in Prince Albert. And they come looking for, I guess, a better way, you know, how to live maybe differently than they're living today. So through that, like I said, I got to know a lot of young people and started to realize that the majority of the young adults in our community do not have a purpose. And so their self-esteem is very poor. And since they have nothing to do, sometimes that idleness leads us to poor choices. So I thought they need a voice because they have a lot of gifts that can really help not only the youth in the community, not only their children because a lot of them are parents, but also their parents and their cookums and mushums. And I stirred the pot a little bit, getting it started, but I was lucky enough to get a chief in one of the communities. That was always been a dream of his, too, to have youth not necessarily have a political voice, but to be that kind of social barometer in the community, like when things aren't going good, like tell us so that we can deal with it before it becomes a crisis. So with his outline that he had put together, we struck up what we call our first chapter, I guess, of what we call YACC, which is our Youth Action Council. And what I inspire or try to inspire them to do is to believe in themselves. And how do you learn to believe in yourselves? Well, you learn that through sharing your gifts. And everybody has a gift. And I don't believe that there's anybody that's bad. I think sometimes we haven't been given opportunity to show our goodness. But I've always had high expectations of the young people that I work with, and I have never been disappointed. They rose to the top and they went above and beyond. And we have one community in particular, the young adults refuse to be paid for what they do. They believe that's the way it's meant to be. So, for instance, this summer, they asked if I would help them put together a proposal for equipment, because this one community has over 800 kids under the age of 18. So, they could have leagues of their own with those kids. And not all kids have an opportunity to play organized sports. So, they chose soccer and ball. And they formed teams. And all they asked for was the equipment and a little bit of money for snacks and water. It was hot this summer. But they refused to pay anybody, because they believe that it's our job as community members to help one another out. And as parents, if we want our kids to thrive, then we have to become part of that journey along with them. And that's what I support. Every community does it different. But I've really been amazed at how giving young adults are, if given the chance. And in one community in particular, two who were involved in the act are now counselors. And it's showing that it's making a difference in the community, because the young people are going out to vote. So, yeah, that's what I like to do. And so, suicide prevention to me is life promotion and life protection. So, I'm one that believes that the glass is half full, not empty. And that as communities of people, we need to build on the strengths that are already there, so that we can fill that glass and help tackle those things that need more work in order to find a solution for it. So, that's what I am. I facilitate. I'm a mentor. I'm a cheerleader. I believe in planning, and that's the other thing that I instill in the youth, that if you don't plan, you plan for failure. And so, they have learned how to plan, how to create a budget, how to put together a project that's meaningful to them. And we all know that if youth and young adults take ownership, they're not going to damage what they build, or what they create. So, they target age groups through Health Canada to work with youth. Their definition of youth is 10 to 30. So, in some of our communities, their YAC group goes to the age of 35. And they believe that at the age of 24, and that's usually when the brain is more fully developed, that a lot of young people are looking for a better way. And if they have older ones that are part of the group who've already started that journey, then there's a better chance for them to continue because they'll have that support, that support on the side. We have another community that just goes to the age, they go from 12 years to 26, I think. Another community goes from eight years to 28. So, I leave that up to them because I'm not there to tell them what to do. All I encourage is we have to stop doing for people. We need to do with people. We have a right to be independent, and I guess in some circles that's called decolonization. And that's what we need to promote. And that's what we promote through YAC. We can do it. We will do it. And when I was first interviewed for YAC, I told them, I'll be honest with you, there's ebbs and flows. And usually those match elections in the community. Yeah, because I know that youth is important to everyone, but sometimes the actions don't match the words. So, we have to be there to support one another so that we keep going because it's hard work. A lot of these youth have never been given the opportunity to be a leader, and so all of a sudden they'll say, yeah, go ahead, do what you want to do. But they need that guide on the side, so that when they slip, that person can be there to help them up. Instead of waiting until they're drowning in their things that didn't go that well. And then they said, see, I told you, they can't do anything for themselves. The lack of support is a big issue, not only for YAC, but also for healing. People come out, they go out for help, be it with any kind of addiction or mental health issue, even physically health, physical health issue, if they don't have the support in the community to help them, it's very difficult. It's a very difficult journey. And it's very easy to become codependent in my job because I want to see them become as successful as they can be. So, sometimes I have to get pretty hard-hearted. You know, it's like, no, I will not do that for you. I will do it with you. Or did you think about trying this? And if they say, no, I don't want to do that, I don't force it on them. Because that's how you learn. Hey, isn't that how we all learn? You learn from your struggles. Those struggles just make you stronger if you go in it with the right attitude. And that's what I do. I'm a very positive person, and I always look for the good or the silver lining and everything. And that's what I try to get the youth to think too. So, those are the kinds of, and of course, money. But there's lots of things that you can do in a community to make life better for yourself and for the youth in general that don't cost a whole lot of money. And one of them is taking kids out on the land, teaching them how to hunt. No, that doesn't cost a whole lot of money. Having them spend some time with elders. But I think with more and more with all this, on the land stuff, now my biggest concern is that ribbon skirt making is very popular, but it shouldn't become a craft. It's still a ceremony. And then when you do make that ribbon skirt, you put your struggles and everything out there in that skirt. And it's not just, oh, I've got a pretty skirt, you know. And same thing with making drums. There's protocols that go with that, you know. There is a responsibility that goes along with that. And that's what we're trying to do with the youth. And you know, the youth want it. We have some very Christian communities. But the youth are saying, I believe in God and Jesus, but when I hear the drum, it speaks, it speaks to pardon me. I want to know more. I cannot reject what I don't know. And they want to know more. And they're hungry for it right now, which I think is what gives a lot of people hope, you know. We use the AFN wheel, you know, the one that's right at the center. I don't know if you've ever seen that medicine wheel. But right in the center, it's belonging. And then in order to move anywhere in life, you have to have that sense of belonging. Be it to a family, be it to an organization, or even in school to feel like you belong there, or even to a community. In order to do that, then you need to have a purpose. You're not just, there's more to it than that. And then once you do that, it gives you life meaning. And then there comes hope. And the other favorite model that I instill in them is the circle of courage, you know, where, again, belonging is important. Because until you feel that you belong and you're part of that learning, you don't learn the skills that you need to know. Because you're still feeling, I don't belong here. You know, nobody cares about me here. Be you adult or child or you. And then once you have those skills, you've got to learn how to use them with a mentor or a guide or a supporter at your side. And the biggest thing is to give back. Because when we give back, we get so much more in return. And generosity, it builds self-esteem, you know, it really does build self-esteem. So I also know that I believe medicine's in the community. We had Dr. Thira a couple of years ago now. His message really resonated with a lot of people, a lot of us who attended there in that. You don't have to go outside to find people who can fix your community or your life. It's right here and in the people around us. And we have so many gifted people in our communities who are never given the opportunity to share what they know. And in particular, the elders, they're not being used the way they used to be. That model basically tells us that, you know, before contact, everyone in the community had a purpose. And the purpose was to grow a child into to be a good elder. That was the purpose. And some say that we've lost that way. We've lost that way through colonization, through residential schools, you know, through welfare, through all of the violence, you know, that is part of the everyday way of life in our communities. And the youth are saying, we have enough, but how do we get rid of it? And so we have one faction of the youth who are saying, come on, we got to do something positive here. And we have another that are so hurt, they're going the other way, trying to get the attention of people and saying, why are they behaving that way? Why are they joining gangs? Why are they killing one another? You know, and I think we all have a role in that, you know, and that's I think where reconciliation comes in empowerment. That's the biggest goal is empowerment. The belief in yourself that within everyone lies a leader, not a big L leader, but a small L leader, because we all need to take responsibility to lead in some way, shape or form the biggest. And the other second biggest goal is to give them the opportunity to share their voices. And so I am a co-chair of a committee in the North called Embracing Life Committee. And our major reason for being together is, you know, to work on suicide prevention and awareness. And the last meeting I brought representatives from five of my YAC groups. And there was another youth, a youth that came from LaRanche too. You should have seen when they got together, the energy in the whole room just changed because they've got hopes, they've got dreams, they just need, they need that support to move forward. And that's, that's basically my goal. And through that, we're preventing suicide because we're teaching them that life is worth living. And through the skills that they gain, they learn how to help protect life and to promote life through the activities that they come up with. You know, through the care that they show when they help one another. So that's, that's, that's, you know, it sounds simple, empowerment, but a lot of people don't understand that. Communities who have given support to their young adults, they, we've had young adults who have thrived. The only problem is, is recruiting more young adults, because once they get into it, they get so passionate about it that they almost burn themselves out because they forget about balance. You can't give your all to giving to others. You've got to look after yourself and your family. So that becomes part of, part of the teaching. And then I ask them, we usually have two, two skill building sessions a year. And I say, okay, what do you need? You know, what are we going to work on? So, and then I go from there, you know, trying to continually build their toolbox so that they can go on. And I have to say that first group that I worked with, when I first, when we first worked with the young adults in that community, only about 3% of the community lived off reserve, and look for some of those young adults that I first worked with. They're working. They're out getting an education, you know, they're out raising a family. They've, they moved away so that their needs could, the needs right now can thrive, you know. So it feels good when I, when I see that kind of thing happening. I'm not indigenous, but I've had some good teachers. I've been blessed with knowing some really great elders who have taught me a lot. And indigenous education, I know has a connection to all things. And I know that it has its roots in the verbal rather than the written format. So we try our best that way. But, you know, the youth in particular, they're very pulled to technology and to the social media, and those kinds of things, which is starting to erode some of our communities who still have their first language. But they're working on it, you know, like they're, they've started to realize that, hey, that's, that's happening. So indigenous education to me is holistic in, in nature. You know, it honors the wheel where we are well physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. And that if we were going to go there full-fledged, then that would be internalized as our way of living, you know. And that's what it is to me. And I think it's so rich that way. But unfortunately, in some of our communities, all those teachings have been lost. And now the youth are saying, we want it back. And it might not be exactly as it was in the past, but they're looking, they're looking for those elders who are going to be willing to teach them. And to remind them who they are as indigenous people. In my, my experience, it is a strong, strong culture, resilient culture. Try to share the teachings that I've been given to pass on, to create that foundation of strength and courage to, to look at the past, to know of that journey, but not for blame, but for reconciliation, so that we can move forward together. And as a non-indigenous person, I do believe it's part of my responsibility to be part of that journey, you know, for a true reconciliation to, to happen, you know. So that's, that's what it is to me. And thank you for this opportunity, you know, because we've tried for a long time. We've developed two or three communities, but this one projects, but this one, I'm particularly, I'll never let this one go as long as I'm continuing to work, because the youth need that kind of support so that they can become the great leaders of tomorrow. And so all I say is, come on people, let's, let's work together. Let's focus on the goodness in everybody, you know, and share that laughter, which is so much part of the culture, and I care, care for one another. I think that's about what I want to say. So thanks for the opportunity, because we tried to get researchers to label us as a best practice, because that's what funders need in order to give you resources. And then I realized that was only the opinion of four people, usually. And I knew that a lot of this was making a difference. So I was so happy to be invited by the University of British Columbia to share what we do with our young adults. And our goal is to try to get this into all of our communities, but you know, that's the other thing I learned is patience, because not everybody is ready. This is a big step. And if the youth don't have the support in the elders and the leadership in the community, it's a hard journey.