What Actions can be Taken?

The most important thing we can do is become aware of the issues that indigenous Canadians face, such as their struggle with mental illness and addiction. If Canadians were able to first show that they understand the discrimination faced by First Nations, it would be a huge step rathering than keeping the issue hidden where nobody will be willing to admit it. We are encouraged to build healthy communities and relationships with our First Nations neighbours, get involved in aboriginal community events, and ensure that they are equally included in the broader community conversations and events. We have the ability to reverse some of the extreme discrimination and marginalization that these people have been faced with, simply by including them and getting rid of the mentality we are any different.  We must recognize that we are all human and it is our duty to help each other, especially as the indigenous community is such an important part of Canada. Buying aboriginal is a good way to directly support their communities and reserves, and donating to aboriginal mental health initiatives, preferably community-based, is another action that can be taken to get involved and make a change.
(Kielburger, 2014)
Figure 17. Aboriginals walk for suicide prevention
Figure 17. Group of Aboriginals in Turtle Island participating in youth and suicide prevention walk. Adapted from "Suicide Prevention", (n.d.), Turtle Island Native Network:Healing and Wellness, retrieved from http://www.turtleisland.org/healing/healing-suicide.htm. Reprinted without permission.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Indigenous Population in Canada

Image
In Canada, the term aboriginal or indigenous refers to Metis, Inuit, or First Nations. These people were the original inhabitants of the land that is now Canada, and there are currently about 1.4 million aboriginal people living in multiple communities and reserves around the country. They make up the largest share of population of 2 of the 3 territories - Nunavut and Northwest Territories. Approximately 22% of aboriginals live in Ontario, while around 15% live in each British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. (Statistics Canada, 2016) Figure 1. Graph showing distribution of aboriginals in Canada Figure 1.  Map of aboriginal identity and location in Canada. Adapted from  "Aboriginal Identity Population", by Government Canada, (2011), Indigenous  and  Northern Affairs Canada , retrieved from https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca /eng/1370438978311/1370439050610. Reprinted without permission.
Read more

The Facts: Aboriginal Mental Health Statistics

Image
What many people fail to realize or even turn a blind eye to is that there are serious concerns about mental illness and social ills such as substance abuse, suicide, and violence among the vast majority of aboriginal communities in Canada. The reality is that suicide and self-inflicted injuries are the leading causes of death among First Nations youth and adults under the age of 44 (Kestler-D'Amours, 2016). A study found that nearly a quarter of First Nations adults reported contemplating suicide at some point in their life, in contrast to the 9% of Canadians from the general population who had similar thoughts. This study also found that approximately 20% more First Nations adults reported moderate or high levels of psychological distress (Tahirali, 2016).  Figure 2. Suicide rates among First Nations, Inuit, all Canadians Figure 2. Suicide rates per 100,000 of population among  all Canadians,  Inuit, and First Nations. Adapted from "Aboriginal Mental Health: T...
Read more

Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Image
In communities vulnerable to mental illness such as the indigenous peoples in Canada, there often comes addiction and substance abuse as people try to mask or cope with the negative emotions they are feeling. Around 75% of aboriginal residents feel that alcohol use is a problem in their community, while 33% indicate it as a problem within their own household or family. Another 25% were able to admit to having a personal problem with alcohol (Khan, 2008).  Figure 6. Aboriginal vs. non-aboriginal Security Risk Subscale Figure 6. Percentage within group scoring high-risk on Security Risk Subscale. Adapted from "FORUM on Corrections Research", by Correctional Service Canada, (2015), Correctional Service Canada, retrieved from http://www.csc -scc.gc.ca/research/forum/e143/e143d-eng.shtml. Reprinted without permission.  As for drugs, 27% of First Nations have used marijuana, compared to only 14% of the Canadian population (National Aboriginal Heal...
Read more