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14 Tuesday May 19 2015 A GATHERING TO SERVE PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT Ecology North invites you to attend a gathering on May 22nd and 23rd at the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre in Yellowknife to discuss building a northern economy focused on local needs and renewable resources. This gathering brings together policy experts community leaders and entrepreneurs from across the NWT to share their wisdom and vision for the future. Speakers will provide a wide range of perspectives on pressing issues like food and energy security northern jobs climate change and local governance. The gathering coincides with the launch of localizedeconomies.ca a northern initiative to foster dialogue on local economic development. NWT residents are invited to visit the site to discuss issues and watch live videos of presentations. If you would like to attend the gathering in person you can register at Ecology North office on 51st street or Email jflattecologynorth.ca. Payment is by donation to Ecology North with a suggested donation of 25 per day. Donations can be made through our website www.ecologynorth.ca. Breakfast lunch and afternoon snacks will be provided. PWK play resonates with youth of Fort Chipewyan ADCS working to address suicide bullying and mental health By DALI CARMICHAEL Its been a tough year for the community of Fort Chipewyan especially for its youth. After a 13 year-old girl committed suicide in December 2014 residents of the small northern Alberta town say they have been dealing with escalated levels of bullying de- pression and suicide attempts mostly among their youngest demographic. Sincethedevastatinglossoccurredthecom- munityhasbeenrallyingtogethertotryandim- prove conditions for their students. Problems withbullyingandparentalengagementaread- dressed at monthly meetings of the Athabasca DeltaCommunitySchoolADCSPTAbutlow attendancehasmadetheprocessanuphillbattle. LeslieWiltzenwhohailsfromFortChipbut currently calls Fort Smith home knew this in- formation as his son Daniel helped write and perform the original play Normal with his classmatesinthePWKhighschooldramaclub. Theproductioncoversmanyoftheissuesfaced by Fort Chipewyan from a modern-day youth perspectiveandsohethoughtitwouldbeben- ecial if the students took their show south. The crew headed to Fort Chip and as part of their monthly meeting the PTA organized two showingsoftheplayoneforstudentsonMay6 and one for parents at their meeting on May 7. The last community meeting theyd had about a week or so before we got there had ended on a really poor note. People were just frustrated and wanted to point ngers said Kelsey Smith the PWK teacher who runs the drama club. Les Wiltzen who is the parent of oneofmyactorsthoughtheyourplaytouches onalotofthosethemesandwhathewantedus to do was come perform it for the school and perform it as part of a follow-up community meeting. He wanted to use it to kind of set the tone for some productive discussion around what the community could do. Feedback about the play and how it relates toFortChiphasbeenverypositiveSmithsaid. Ihadinadvertentlymettheladywhosedaugh- terhadcommittedsuicideandhadspokentoher several times and hadnt realized Smith said. She wrote us a really nice thank-you card and said thanks for talking about it and coming to Chip.Shewasntsurewhetherornotsheshould attend the show but she did in the end. The kids were very touched by the play the parentswereverytouchedbytheplayhopefully theyopenedupsomeeyesbecauseevenmyself italmostmademecrysaidKendrickCardinal culturalcoordinatoratADCSandtreasurerfor the PTA. I went through the same things that those kids were going through and it really touched a soft spot in my heart. Im very grate- ful that those kids came up from PWK. Our main issue is the bullying its the lack of communication and how basically kids will interpret conversations between themselves as opposed to how adults may interpret them said Jenny Piche vice chair of the PTA. I think it was touching it hit home because they were able to relate. It was well attended which means they were actually listening. The play is only the latest in a series of strat- egies used to talkabout teenissues inthe com- munity. In March the school held a three-day wellnessconferencewhereeldersfromoutside communities visited and gave the kids and their parents coping and healing strategies covering everything from smudging drum- ming and activities on the land. Recently the PTA has also appealed to em- ployersintheregiontoimplementnewcompany policies to encourage parental involvement at the meetings. They are asking for community members to be excused from work for a set amount of time on the PTA meeting days with- out being docked any pay. They are also work- ing on after-school programming like culture campsandsportingeventstogetstudentsand parents taking part in healthy social activities. Already there has been a noticeable change in some of the youths demeanours. There is more of a calmness about them knowing that people are actually listening Piche said. Its not just within the walls of the schoolstheynoticethecommunityislistening. Touring the North with Normal When the South Slave Divisional Educa- tion Council learned that PWK would be tak- ing Normal on the road the board suggested sending the students to other communities in the South Slave as well. On May 19 the crew will be showing their playinHayRiveratDiamondJennessschoolat 1045 a.m. and in Fort Resolution at 230 p.m. I think its valuable for the community to see the youth perspective the bullying and the social media back and forth that hap- pens Smith said. PhotoDaliCarmichael Shawn Tourangaeu left and Isabella Bourque are two of the leads in Normal a coming of age play written and produced by PWK high school students in Fort Smith. ARTS CULTURE THEATRE