Shawanaga Revisited

 It was at least 8 or ten years ago that we were invited to speak to social & health workers at the Shawanaga First Nation Healing Centre in Nobel, just north of Parry Sound. The FASD organizer at the time had left just before we came up and the new person responsible for FASD issues seemed a little bewildered by the whole thing. Only six or seven workers showed up for a presentation we were still giving with overhead transparencies. However, we were warmly welcomed and we hoped we could return some day.

This past week was our return visit and and the current FASD manager had seen us present in Magnetawan the previous year and wanted us to do a workshop for the parents and social workers in her area. Crystal Nayanookeesic has a truly dedicated approach to her task and was able to get 34 social workers, educators, health workers and parents to come out for our day-long session.

We didn’t have the workshop on the reserve as we had expected but at the Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centre’s local branch in Parry Sound. Unlike the headquarters of OFIFC in Toronto, this facility lacked the equipment and exceptional decor you find there. However, by arriving the night before, Bonnie & I managed to rearrange the tables and furniture in the curiously trapezoidal shaped hall so that all the participants would be able to see our powerpoint slides. The main glitch was the fact that none of the equipment there (and our own back-up speaker) wouldn’t work  so we had to resort to showing our video component on a television which meant everyone had to get up and move around so they could see and hear. Semper aliquot est.* 

Our session was on a Friday and started with a local elder doing a smudging ceremony. This ceremony is a very pleasant and traditional way of relaxing, clearing the mind and focusing on the issues at hand. The attendees were keen participants and had lots of very pertinent questions. Crystal felt we had met the needs of those who participated and was very pleased with the evaluations left behind. It was gratifying for us that most participants stayed to the very end of the session on a balmy Friday afternoon.

This workshop reinforced our sense that we need to broaden the scope of our work by creating a national organization that will allow greater communication among parents and professionals who need to share their experiences and strategies dealing with those often neglected individuals with FASD. The FASDO listserv and the FASDcan listserv is a start but a national organization with a staff in place would provide guidance and to act as a spokesperson to give our cause the authority and recognition it deserves.

*It’s always something.