Northern Canada initiative.
Locations:
Fort Providence, NWT; Salluit, QU; Webequie First Nation, ON
Partners:
Fort Providence Youth Council, Deh Gah Elementary and Secondary School, Simon Jacob Memorial Education Center, Pigurivik School, Ikusik High School
Focus:
The Northern Canada initiative worked with diverse communities in the Northwest Territories, Nunavik (Quebec) and Northern Ontario by tailoring health topics discussed to each community partner’s wants, needs, and diverse culture. Focuses often included mental health, grief management, substance use & abuse, sexual health, leadership & empowerment, nutrition, and sleeping habits.
Initiative Goals:
Expand the outreach of health programming on the Northern initiatives to youth outside of our partner schools.
Establish sustainable health discussions and education amongst each of our Northern Canada locations.
Increase cultural humility and awareness among our peer educators and the discussions we facilitate.
Partner with more Northern health organizations both in Kingston and in the communities we work with.
The Northern Canada Initiative began in 1996 when Queen’s University students traveled to Peawanuck, Ontario to implement a 2-week pilot project with Queen’s Health Outreach (formerly Queen’s Medical Outreach). The following year, Queen’s students were trained to share health education resources in Peawanuck and Kashechewan, Ontario. The Pickle Lake and Mishkeegogamang Initiatives began in 1999, the same year the Peawanuck Initiative closed. The Kashechewan Initiative successfully ran until 2005, and the Pickle Lake and Mishkeegogamang until 2016. In 2006, two new Initiatives began in Pond Inlet and Resolute Bay, Nunavut. The Resolute Bay Initiative closed in 2011, while the Pond Inlet Initiative ran until 2018. The Northern Initiative expanded in 2009, 2011, and 2014 when the Salluit, QU, Webequie, ON, and Fort Providence, NWT Initiatives began, respectively. QHO’s Northern Canada Initiative currently works alongside the three aforementioned communities. Peer Educators work in pairs to implement health education and community outreach programming in each of our locations for 5-7 weeks in the Spring of each year.
“My experience as a Summer Peer Educator in Fort Providence, Northwest Territories will have an enduring impact in my life. My greatest takeaways from initiative are embedded through interactions between myself and the teachers, support workers, social workers, community leaders, Elders, and of course the students who were all so welcoming towards myself and my teaching partner on initiative. My time on initiative is truly exemplified by the term mutuality. While we were able to facilitate pertinent health discussions based on needs in the community, we also were consistently learning about engagement, resilience, courage, curiosity, kindness, and positivity from those around us within the community. My brilliant teaching partner, the other Northern PEs, and our IDs, whom I had the pleasure of working with in preparation for initiative all year, also lended to my experience, consistently supporting, learning from, and bringing out the best in each other!”
- Annelise, 2018-19 Northern Canada PE, Fort Providence, NWT
“I had the absolute privilege of facilitating health discussions and programming in Fort Good Hope, NWT. The students, who will always be a source of inspiration, were curious and insightful. Their strength and enthusiasm despite overwhelming challenges, epitomized resilience and resistance to both past and current injustices. Along with my strong and compassionate initiative partner, I was humbled by the gracious hospitality and willingness of the community to share their culture and knowledge with us during our initiative. Many community members, including Elders, shared stories that illustrated their ability to overcome great adversity and their strong determination to maintain their community and culture. I felt lucky to have the opportunity to talk about relevant topics and run engaging programming, experience the beautiful North, gain insight into inequities and injustices in our society, learn about the Dene culture and witness true resilience.”
- Naomi, 2018-19 Northern Canada PE, Fort Good Hope, NWT
“Being a Peer Educator in Pond Inlet, NU was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life and continues to be a major influence in the courses I enrol in today, how I engage with current events, and why I continue to invest my time and effort in QHO. Through QHO, and the very special people which are part of the organization, I have learned that it is cool to care. To care about your connection with others, the wellbeing of youth, the impact of inclusive health education, and to care enough to express it.”
- Hailey, 2017-18 Northern Canada PE, Pond Inlet, NU
“As QHO is a completely student-run organization, I am inspired weekly by the passionate and like-minded students who are the backbone of the organization. As a PE in Salluit, Quebec, the strength, resilience, and energy demonstrated by the students and community members with whom I worked empowered me to find ways to better myself.”
- Kathryn, 2018-19 Northern Canada PE, Salluit, QU
“The community of Fort Providence, NWT is an incredibly tight knit community full of beautiful culture, stories and traditions which they were so welcoming to share with us. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to experience the mutual learning that I did within this community, as well as so grateful to have such an incredible community of QHO students here on Queen’s campus for guidance and support. My experience with QHO has taught me so much and brought me together with so many unique and wonderful people; it has truly been an experience that I will always cherish. The lessons that I have learned through QHO influence my life every day!”