Page 59 - Walking_The_Red_Road

Another participant added:
And that is a problem with the different services in town. “Hands off! Those are my people.” Where it should be a shared thing, so there is not a disconnect. “That is my client, do not touch my client.” But yet, “We are here to help.”
I am really big on Native organizations and [name of organization] is a Native organization within the city. I think it is how we look at self, right. Because, it is
about understanding who you are as an individual. I just keep thinking about that diagram that talked to me about the healing journey. It starts off with self and you
work on yourself first. You understand who you are as a person and then it is like a rippling effect. Then it goes out into your family, and beyond family, it goes out to your community, and then to the nation level. What that is all about, is starting with self, and centres like this one... All our programming teaches us about who we are as a person and getting to know ourselves, understanding what needs were not met for us as children, and to pick up the responsibility. It is our responsibility to look after ourselves as adults. Agencies like this are what is going to make our community better. I would like to add because some of the ones where I found barriers to be, are the ones that
are not in that understanding. I have made that connection so there needs to be that awareness and that education.
And, another participant said:
I wanted to know the whereabouts of the tools for the younger generation, because they are even more disconnected than we are. So that is a huge concern for me and a focus. Example: I was asking my son as mother, “What is missing in your life” and my son’s response was, “We are not real, we just type. We don’t feel. We say, ‘oh yeah we are fine.’” Yet you see someone breaking down...the depression, the self-esteem, the mental abuse, not just for the adults, but really for the teenagers. Where do you go with them?
Balance, interconnectedness and responsibility are important to our community members. When it comes to addressing problems, delivering services, and/or making changes to better support our community members, these values should be at the centre.
Walking the Red Road | REPORT OF THE URBAN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES THRIVE PROJECT | 59
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