Healthy Lifestyle Challenge produces positive results for First Nations residents

A gala conclusion of the six-month-long challenge held on Saturday at the Mississauga First Nation brought together many of the participants in the challenge, each eager to share their success story. For many of the participants, the challenge became a life-changing event in a very positive way.
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Olympic torch stokes warm pride and fiery protest among aboriginals

His date with destiny is months away, but 65-year old Chief Wilton Littlechild has already started training for his 300-metre run with the Olympic torch. Undeterred by the prospect of carrying it into the January teeth of an Alberta winter, he couldn't be more pumped.
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Meeting Shirley Firth

Today I had the honour of having lunch with four-time Olympian Shirley Firth.


Shirley and her twin sister, Sharon, were integral to the first women's cross-country ski team that Canada ever sent to an Olympic Games. Between them, they won 79 medals at a variety of racing distances at national championships.

Shirley and her sister are Gwich’in First Nation and were born in Aklavik, Northwest Territories, though they grew up mostly in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. Inuvik is also where the two athletes got on their first pair of skis.

It was an amazing and inspiring experience to learn about Shirley’s career and experiences competing on the national cross country ski team. She also spoke about the different aspects essential to optimal performance as a top level athlete such as dedication, training and nutrition.


I also learned that Shirley is very strict with limiting the amount of sugar in her diet. Actually, her advice on nutrition inspired me to take a good look at my own diet, and pinpoint the areas I could improve upon.

Conference wrap-up

With the poster presentations on display at the conference, there was quite a bit of traffic at the NAHO booth today. We were able to hand out a lot more resources before it was time to pack it in and take down the booth.

I met a lot of interesting new people at this conference, and even ran into a few that I had met at the Indigenous Child Health Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico last March. I must say that one of the highlights during our booth work was getting to meet and get my picture taken with Carolyn Tait, who edited Journal of Aboriginal Health Vol. 4, Issue 1 on women’s health.

Other highlights were receiving lots of feedback from delegates on NAHO products and publications, as well as helping to direct people to NAHO resources relevant to their line of work.

But our promotion of NAHO was not limited to the NAHO booth. Colleen Patterson and I visited the local frienship centre and women's centre to say 'hi' and drop off some of our relevant resources.

I also ran into a lot of friends and contacts that I knew through working as sports editor at News North. It was really rewarding to update everyone on my job with NAHO and all the great things going on at the organization.

On the Land Canoe Trip for Youth and Elders supporting mental health and wellness

After a morning working at the NAHO booth, I was able to take in a few sessions in the afternoon related to sport and recreation.

Wendy Lahey of the NWT Recreation and Parks Association (NWTRPA), a non profit organization that works with communities across the territory to promote healthy living through active recreation, presented on a project that united youth and Elders through recreation for mental health and healing.

The Mackenzie River Youth Leadership canoe trip was held for youth and elders of the Dehcho and Sahtu regions of the NWT. The sixteen-day canoe trip incorporated four components of an Indigenous model of mental health and healing: community, cultural identity, holistic approach and interdependence.

The project is an example of a holistic approach to programming, as the trip’s spiritual framework was intended to foster respect for the historical and sacred significance of the land, the waterway and its people.

Actually, while working as sports editor in the Northwest Territories, I remember covering this event in 2008. It was wonderful to see a project that involved so many youth, elders, and also many people from the receiving communities along the route. Communities held social events such as ceremonies, celebrations and feasts. Having the elders involved in the trip ensured elements of Dene cultural identity such as language, stories, Indigenous knowledge, land and nature. When I had interviewed some of the youth after the trip, they had remarked having had quite memorable, and sometimes life changing experiences they probably wouldn’t soon forget.

Traditional Healing - Pathways to Knowledge, Pathways to Health Workshop

Of the few sessions I was able to attend at the conference, I think the one on Traditional Healing with Bes’ha Blondin from Deline, Northwest Territories, Josie Augustine from Elsipogtog, New Brunswick and Ida Calmegane from Yukon Territory was definitely the most memorable.

I feel very privileged to have been able to listen to these speakers talk about Traditional Healing and its potential to work with Western medical practices.

It is always a very moving and sometimes emotional experience to listen to Elders share stories about their experience and knowledge. This session enlightened me to some new ideas about healing and the importance of health in both body and mind.

See CBC coverage of the session: Traditional medicine can help with swine flu: healer

Opening Reception with Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq

NAHO resources and swag were flying off the table in all directions during the Opening Reception to the International Congress on Circumpolar Health in Yellowknife. Delegates from Canada, the U.S., Russia, Greenland, and other European countries showed great interest in learning about and finding out what’s new at the National Aboriginal Health Organization.

It was really interesting to meet so many new people and find out what people are working on in terms of First Nations, Inuit and Métis health.

There were some great speakers to open the start of the conference at the reception, including Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq. It was interesting to find out that Ms. Aglukkaq had actually been a student of Sir John high school, the school in which the reception was held, as was Northwest Territories Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Sandy Lee, who also spoke during the reception.