Back on April 10, 2024, which is Indigenous Nurses’ Day, the 'Na̱mg̱is First Nation leadership, (NFN) together with the Whe-La-La-U Area Council Society, (WACS), Irene Isaac, District Principal for Indigenous Education, (SD85), partnered with Island Health’s Indigenous Recruitment & Retention Team to host the inaugural Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw Health Career Gathering (KHCG) held in Alert Bay.
The KHCG facilitated conversations between Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw health professionals and high school students from the community with the intention of inspiring students considering next steps after graduation.
This event opened in the 'Na̱mg̱is gukwdzi (big house) with a formal welcome/prayer and a traditional 'Na̱mg̱is welcome dance by local elementary students and included a fireside chat between high school students and Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw members who are health professionals in their fields. Examples include, Direct Care Aides, Practical Nurses, Registered Nurses, paramedics, mental health counsellors, and therapists.
In their Student Exit Survey, students revealed their inspiration by the line-up of speakers, group exercises, and their discussions with vendors. In answer to the survey question, “Please share what was most inspirational for you from the day’s events” students shared the following: “learning about all the colleges I could go to”, “Jessica Newman”, all the different career pathways and opportunities”, “meeting all the vendors”, “speaking to the people who were from the universities”. Experiential or hands on activities received a positive response with following comments: “the morning stretch exercise”, “doing yoga exercises and fun games as well as learning about different universities”, “connection with myself.” The experiential sessions combined with listening to speakers, and speaking with recruiters clearly established an upbeat day of learning for the students.
The survey comments reflect the inspiration of students on the cusp of graduation, to learn of the options arrayed before them. From listening to stories shared by Kwakwakwaka’wakw health professionals, to speaking to recruiters from the island’s universities, to learning about career path options, the students expressed optimism about their future potential and their potential futures. In anticipation of our second annual KHCG, to be hosted by the Kwagiutl First Nation in Fort Rupert on Thursday April 10, SD85 high school students brainstormed a list of topics to present to the planning committee i.e. Medical Lab Technician, Radiology, Mental Health. In their list the students also included Kwakwakwaka’wakw health professionals working in community. Examples include, RNs, RMTs, dental assistants and those in social work.
With our medical system experiencing staff shortages, resulting in ER closures—particularly for rural areas—the positive response by the students to their encounters with health professionals from their own communities—promises to yield multiplier effects with high school graduates embarking on a diversity of health career paths. In answer to the survey question: "If this experience has influenced your choice of going onto post-secondary programs, which programs might you consider?" one student, albeit anecdotal, answered "Yes, I'm going to look into becoming a paramedic." In brief, we need to summon the collective good will of our leaders to create the space (and funds) needed to spark inspiration for local youth, to nurture their aspirations for training for work that will contribute to the health and well-being of our families and communities. One amazing result of the inaugural KCHG is that Isaac reported that the EKE ME-XI Learning Center students, were so inspired by listening to the stories of Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw health professionals, that the students requested field trips to tour North Island College in Campbell River, Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, Camosun College and the University of Victoria in Victoria.
