Another year, another week of learning and talking about recreation and healthy communities.

That's what the NWT Recreation and Parks Association (RPA) did in Yellowknife earlier this month as it hosted its annual conference from Oct. 23 to 25. Almost every community in the territory had at least one representative at the conference, which centered around the theme of Intergenerational Connections.

Cynthia White, the RPA's president, said close to 200 people registered for the conference in some form including some from Nunavut.

The conference generally deals with four areas of training: leadership, elders in motion, on-the-land programs and youth centres and Geoff Ray, the RPA's executive director, said this year's conference was a special one for him.

SA国际影视传媒淚t's been a great balance of topics on staying active, learning from everyone and sharing our experiences with everyone,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

There is an organizing committee that sits down to brainstorm what topics and workshops would be on the schedule each year with help from the NWT Seniors Society and the Side Door Youth Centre in Yellowknife, two groups which help with co-sponsor the conference each year.

Ray said the RPA has taken a different approach to the conference in recent years and that's all due to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action.

SA国际影视传媒淲e have a strategic goal around reconciliation and de-colonization so it's all about making our conference responsive to the communities,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淲e want to meet the needs and interests of our members as best as we can.SA国际影视传媒�

Some of the workshops touched on such areas as self-defence, traditional medicine, on-the-land activities and even a jigging demonstration from some schoolchildren in Yellowknife.

Ray said that was his favourite part of the week.

SA国际影视传媒淚n part because it was a nice balance between learning around the benefits of dance and what that can mean to us as individuals and what it can do for a community,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淲e also got to dance so we had some laughs and a ton of fun doing it.SA国际影视传媒�

White enjoyed the Bounce Back League, which was presented by the Boys and Girls Club of Canada.

SA国际影视传媒淚t talked about trauma-informed recreation and I think that was one a lot of people connected to,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚t was very engaging, especially as we're living in a time where we're learning how to talk about people's trauma and addressing those situations so they can participate in the healthiest was possible. That was a neat presentation.SA国际影视传媒�

The conference will be outside Yellowknife next year SA国际影视传媒� it's held in Yellowknife in even-numbered years SA国际影视传媒� and while the location for 2019 isn't yet known, Ray said there's a very good chance it will be held somewhere in the southern part of the territory.

SA国际影视传媒淲e try and balance it out geographically each time and that's so we can get to people who may not be able to make it to Yellowknife or a larger centre every time,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淭hat's always a key consideration for us.SA国际影视传媒�

In addition to the conference, there was the annual awards dinner on Oct. 24 with several people from around the NWT getting their just due for their work over the past 12 months.

Tony Devlin of Inuvik was given the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association Award of Merit for his impact on recreation at the local, territorial, and national level over the last decade, which included several years on the board of the RPA.

The Scott McAdam Youth Leadership Award was shared between Christina Bonnetrouge of Fort Providence and Wilson Elliot of Yellowknife. Bonnetrouge was recognized for giving back to her community by helping to facilitate physical activity, sport, and recreation programming while Elliot won for being a leader in creating and teaching programs to youth in Yellowknife.

Arthur Taylor of Fort Smith won the Award of Excellece for helping grow the squash program in his hometown and Eunice Nasogaluak of Tuktoyaktuk won the Active Elder award for giving back in so many ways, through music, teaching, sharing her language, and volunteering at community events.

The Innovation award went to Beth Hudson for all of the work she's done in Fort Providence over the past several years and it has been plentiful. She was responsible for bringing an activity known as Play Around The World to the community, she's worked in the community's recreation department for several years and was a fitness instructor as well, just to name a few things.

SA国际影视传媒淚t's so awesome to be recognized,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚 could talk about recreation for hours because it's a passion of mine and I've been so grateful to work in a field that I love and where I get paid to do it.SA国际影视传媒�

The Play Around The World initiative is a program which came from the University of Alberta and was brought North by Hudson herself. She graduated with a degree in kinesiology from the school but she also earned an undergraduate certificate in aboriginal sport and recreation.

She said that's where Play Around The World came from.

SA国际影视传媒淚 was the one of the first to complete it and the school asked me if I would be interested in going North to start it up,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淭hey told me a community had reached out to them asking if they could have this and so I became the University of Alberta representative.SA国际影视传媒�
That was in 2013 and she said it began with a six-week trip to the community to see if it could work, which turned into an extended stay as she helped to train people in the community. Her short stay turned into several years of working in the community ensuring youth had a safe place to be active and also engaging the community to be more active in the recreation programming.

SA国际影视传媒淜ids need to be active and I'm passionate about getting kids active,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淭hey need to have programs like Play Around The World because it's so important to small communities, especially those in the North. They want to be able to do something and be able to be active.SA国际影视传媒�
But the one thing Hudson wants to show youth is that they can do everything she's been able to achieve.

SA国际影视传媒淚 want to be someone they can look up to and to show them they can do what I've done,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚 know the struggles Indigenous youth face because I faced them myself. I grew up the same way they did but they need to know that it is possible to live their dreams and they can do whatever they want to do.SA国际影视传媒�

NWT Recreation and Parks Association award winners

Innovation Award

Beth Hudson, Fort Providence

Scott McAdam Youth Leadership Award

Christina Bonnetrouge, Fort Providence

Wilson Elliot, Yellowknife

Award of Excellence

Arthur Taylor, Fort Smith

Active Elder

Eunice Nasogaluak, Tuktoyaktuk

Canadian Parks and Recreation Association Award of Merit

Tony Devlin, Inuvik

source: NWT Recreation and Parks Association