Youth helping youth adjust to city life

A group of First Nations youth in Thunder Bay are planning events for the fall to help acclimatize youth from northern reservations who come to the city for school.
The youth are part of the Regional Multicultural Youth Center (RMYC). One of the main goals of the work is to help youth from remote communities stay in school.
Carly Longpeter-Esquega, who is 16 and a member of Long Lake #58, said that the group of seven were planning orientation and reception for students coming in for school from remote communities. The group is planning to invite students at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School (DFC) and also other students who are attending public schools in Thunder Bay.
“We are also planning events for the students at Matawa,” Longpeter-Esquega said.
Janna Kakegamic, who is 16 and a member of Kingfisher Lake, said the group hopes to guide students in the right direction and motivate them to take the advantage of the opportunities that come their way.
“The orientation for Aboriginal students coming to school has a focus on finding ways to support and welcome them,” Kakegamic said.
“It’s important to get involved in this,” said Talon Bird, who is from Whitefish Bay First Nation. “We had a discussion yesterday - who has the highest rate of suicide in Canada? First Nations. Who has the highest drop out rate? First Nations.”
Bird explained that Aboriginal students are being cut off from their families when they come to school.
“They can’t bring their mom or dad with them. When they come here, they feel alone,” Bird said. “There’s nothing there when you feel alone. Your thoughts start to take over. If you find a wrong crowd who is showing you love, that’s where you are going to go.”
Bird said that many students fall into a negative lifestyle in Thunder Bay with drugs, alcohol and gangs, and that they have nobody around to tell them that it is bad for them.
“That’s why we are doing this,” he said.
The events they have planned include cooking classes, separate group discussions for males and females about various issues they face, and after school programs.
“We are also planning a sleepover when all of the students return to school so we can bond more and give them the feeling that there are people out there for them,” Longpeter-Esquega explained.
Lucille Atlookan, from Eabametoong First Nation, is planning on putting on art therapy sessions with the students.
“It will be once a week in the fall. The art therapy is to help people express themselves and will be promoted to the DFC and Matawa students,” she said.
The group hopes that this year there will be more participation than previous years so that the youth can take advantage of what the RMYC has to offer.
“It’s important to help each other, because everyone says education is key,” Longpeter-Esquega said. “And it is. You can get a good job. In Thunder Bay, there are a lot of stereotypes about Aboriginal people, saying they’re uneducated no matter if they are urban or on-reserve students.”
Longpeter-Esquega is grateful that the RMYC provides services and gives the group a place to have workshops and host other events. “It let’s us show people what we can really do if we have resources.”
Martin Zhang, who is a university student, said that he has been a part of the RMYC for the past six years. “The reason I keep coming back to the group is because it’s a real grassroots and organized group,” Zhang said. “This group is about what you can do for the community. That’s really important.”
“We just want them (the returning students) to know that they have support and they are welcome to Thunder Bay,” Longpeter-Esquega said. “We are trying to guide them and support them in a positive direction. They came to Thunder Bay for their education so it is important that we support that.”
The RMYC will be running Girl Power groups all summer, with more events planned for the returning students in September.