Across the globe and particularly in Canada, governments have yet to live up to one very specific call to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, according to an Inuvik-based grassroots organization.
TRC Call to Action 66 calls upon the federal government SA国际影视传媒渢o establish multi-year funding for community-based youth organizations to deliver programs on reconciliation, and establish a national network to share information and best practices,SA国际影视传媒� but as Western Arctic Youth Collective executive director Alyssa Carpenter told the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues on April 17 that hasnSA国际影视传媒檛 happened yet.
SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 something we were trying to highlight where our organizations or counselors or collectives, however theySA国际影视传媒檙e set up, really need that to do the work that weSA国际影视传媒檙e doing,SA国际影视传媒� Carpenter told Inuvik Drum. SA国际影视传媒淪o we wanted to share that and support the other like minded people who are doing the same thing.
SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e highlighting that we have really poor resources, and we need multi-year resources because we know what weSA国际影视传媒檙e doing and weSA国际影视传媒檙e doing it responsibly from a reporting financial standpoint.
SA国际影视传媒淲e need more to keep doing what weSA国际影视传媒檙e doing because weSA国际影视传媒檙e helping make things happen for young people and connecting them with other youth.SA国际影视传媒�
Carpenter was one of several groups who presented a report to the UNPFII entitled Labour of Love. The report outlines how hundreds of young Indigenous deaths by suicide and other aspects of generational trauma are entirely preventable and urges stakeholders to prioritize the first seven years of a childSA国际影视传媒檚 life. It notes a roadmap to implementation of Call to Action 66 was released by the group Indigenous Youth Voices in 2018.
Speaking to the forum virtually from Inuvik, Carpenter explained the Western Arctic Youth Collective has a focus on the Northwest Territories and increasingly also Yukon territory. She noted the group focuses on people aged 18 to 35, largely because thatSA国际影视传媒檚 where they saw the largest gap in programming and by extension the biggest cracks people could fall through. She noted the Delta has had a huge number of suicides in recent years, with a significant portion of people dying before age 30.
Statistics released in October 2022 by the Northwest TerritoriesSA国际影视传媒� chief coroner show 2021 to 2022 was a ten-year high in suicide rates SA国际影视传媒� in 21 months 29 people died of suicide. The majority of death by suicides happening to men age 20 to 29. Men age 30 to 39 accounted for the second largest number of death by suicides and women aged 20 to 29 were the third highest. The coroner noted the majority of the 29 deaths recorded to date at the time were in the Beaufort Delta region.
Carpenter told Inuvik Drum there were already groups working hard to provide support for those who need it and help people survive suicidal thoughts, but having to stop and find funding every year limited what those groups could realistically do.
SA国际影视传媒淚f we were to evolve into an organization ourselves,SA国际影视传媒� she said.SA国际影视传媒漌e need a space to do that type of work, we also have to have staff that the really value helping youth in communities, so we need to have that training and resources to bring them to us so we can do that in person.
SA国际影视传媒淎 lot of times peoples say you can do this virtually now, but no. You know the internet connection of connecting to Sachs Harbour or Paulatuk or Ulukhaktok, itSA国际影视传媒檚 not the best.
SA国际影视传媒淲e need the resources to take care of ourselves as well. WeSA国际影视传媒檙e talking about the hard discussions SA国际影视传媒� weSA国际影视传媒檙e talking about losses to overdose. WeSA国际影视传媒檙e talking about losses to suicide, weSA国际影视传媒檙e talking about thoughts of suicide, weSA国际影视传媒檙e talking about addictions and violence and racism, right?
SA国际影视传媒淚f weSA国际影视传媒檙e already proving what weSA国际影视传媒檙e doing is working, make it easier on us.SA国际影视传媒�
