Remembering a Dream
Written by Shawn Ruest on 21/06/11
Photo by robert faubert on Flickr
June 21st marks the first day of Celebrate Canada, an 11 day event beginning today with National Aboriginal Day, which is followed by Saint-Jean Baptiste Day on June 24th, Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27th and ends with Canada Day on July 1st. During these events, many communities across Canada will celebrate the country’s uniqueness, diversity and all it has to offer. On this year’s National Aboriginal Day, I’m going to honour a young Aboriginal woman whose actions not only inspired Aboriginal youth, but also youth across the country!
Every Culture has Heroes and Heroines
I recently attended a conference hosted by the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health where we discussed Aboriginal Youth Leadership. We were taught the story of Shannen Koostachin, an Aboriginal youth from Attawapiskat, Ontario.
Most of us take it for granted that we have comfy schools to learn in. However, the youth in Shannen’s community were forced to take classes in what they called ‘temporary’ portables because their school was closed down due to a diesel leak over a decade ago. With the thought that all Canadian youth should be able to attend school in a safe and healthy environment, Shannen and her classmates gave up their 8th grade trip and instead they headed to Parliament Hill in Ottawa. They explained their difficulties to the members of Parliament and asked for them to support the building of a new school in their community.
A Dream Lives On
Shannen tragically passed away in May of 2009 in a car accident at the age of 15, when she was attending high school over 600kms away from her hometown. However, Shannen’s dream is still alive and well. A motion has been put forward to support Shannen’s Dream, an organization that advocates for the building of better schools across Canada.
National Aboriginal Day is a day when we should all take the time to celebrate Aboriginal Culture. Let’s remember that there are inequalities that still exist between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians and learn about what we can do to close that gap. Follow in Shannen’s footsteps and become a leader in your community.
Links
‘Celebrate Canada’
First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada: Shannen’s Dream
Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health
