How a 19-year-old man is helping Indigenous youth overcome mental health struggles
A 19-year-old man from Ochapowace Nation organized a youth mental health hunt to help Indigenous people aged 15-35 connect with the land while opening up about their personal struggles.
Boston Bear said the idea came to him four years ago to host a hunt, but he only recently opened up to his family about what he was struggling with.
“I’ve suffered and battled with anxiety, depression and schooling and suicide,” Bear said. “Hunting was just something that helped me cope with my struggles. It’s something I’ve struggled to talk about, even to this day.”
The camp consisted of 30 youth participants and 20 adult staff members from around Saskatchewan and beyond. They spent one week camping in the woods at Moose Mountain Provincial Park while living off the land.
They spent time hunting, learning traditional practices, hearing from guest speakers and taking part in ceremonies. All elements focused on mental health.
“To see the youth engage in land base is huge. Bringing them back to the land and showing them identity and seeing the wonder if it all,” Damon Delorme, urban councillor of Cowessess First Nation, said. “Watching their confidence levels soar is huge.”
Facilitators and guest speakers came in to share their knowledge about living off the land with the youth, and encourage them to open up.
“When we’re out in the bush hunting, and you’re sitting and waiting for those animals to come out, you have a lot of things that go through your mind,” Myron Bob, a facilitator of the camp, said. “The mental health part is how they felt when they were out here and the connection they are making to the land.”
The camp wrapped up on Friday, but Bear said it won’t be the last. He plans to host another hunt next year in hopes of helping even more people open up like he saw from participants this weekend.
“I didn’t think there was this many people. That had their own battles that they never bothered to share or didn’t know how to share,” Bear said. “I still don’t know how to share my story. It’s still a learning process for me. But this helped”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
What is a 'halal mortgage'? Does it make housing more accessible?
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.