by Jessica DunkleyMarch 21-23, 2008 in Inuvik, NTThis conference was held in Inuvik at the town community center. The Gwi’chin Tribal Council hosted this conference for all the Gwi’chin youth.
James Makokis and I were invited to be keynote speakers for the closing banquet. There were about 80 youth, community and family members.
James started off with the Buffalo Song and after he explained the significance of the song, he spoke about the importance of tradition, culture and language. This was followed by my presentation on examples that represented the significance of James’ speech.
Then we both closed our presentation, talking about our coping strategies in medical school. We then passed around our stethoscopes that were beaded as examples of how we can educate our fellow colleagues and other people by showing them our cultural values.
I believe we made a difference for the youth. We were inspired when some youth talked to us after our speech and told us how much they enjoyed our speeches.
As the conference planner, Victor Stewart said, "if you can reach out to one or two youth, that’s all that matters."
Flying over the Arctic Circle, we were in awe at the beauty of the land and how we have so much diversity in Canada.
We were honoured to be at this conference and to be in the presence of so many caring people. If only we could stay there longer to explore more of the land’s beauty.
