About 70 young First Nations, Metis and Inuit people gathered in the nation’s capital yesterday to discuss how to improve mental health resources and promote life in their communities.
The event coined as the “Hope Forum” was organized by We Matter, which is a non-profit specializing in empowering Indigenous people across the country.
Participants from places including La Ronge, British Columbia and the Maritimes shared anecdotes and viewpoints on how to better their communities.
In addition to organizers and youth, AFN Chief Perry Bellegarde and the Minister of Indigenous Services, Jane Philpott, were in attendance.
Chief Perry Bellegarde spoke about the importance of patience and mental health for the young people at the event.
“Have some patience. You’re going to make a big contribution to this world, to yourselves, to your family, to your communities (and) your nations. Persevere through those abuses that you see every day,” said Bellegarde. “Between the residential schools (and) the Indian Act, it killed our nationhood, and sovereignty and peoples. So now how do we rebuild it? It’s mental health. Mental, emotional, spiritual (and) physical. It’s getting that pride back amongst our young men and women.”
A live broadcast of the event, which was hosted on We Matter’s Facebook page, reached 156 concurrent viewers.
(PHOTO: We Matter logo. Photo courtesy of We Matter.)