Journal Entry #2: Community Connections
May 25, 2018
Abbey Morris
As I continue to explore Sioux Lookout, I am finding that there are great resources and activities available around the community. I visited the Nishnawbe-Gamik Friendship Centre for Culture Night and was able to hear traditional drumming and participate in their beading circle. In addition to the free events they organize, the Friendship Centre also offers a variety of services such as the Urban Aboriginal Healthy Living Program for Adults and Kids, Aboriginal Healing and Wellness, Aboriginal Family Support, and many more. The services coming from this facility provide a holistic approach to helping people cope and succeed in their community. Also run through the Friendship Centre is the Best Start Hub which provides information about healthy childhood development and parenting. I think this will be a good place to find people to interview for my research study since it mainly attracts mothers with young children. When talking to a friend in SL, she mentioned that one of the gaps she sees in the support for maternal mental health is after the baby is born. During the time that mothers must stay at the hospital before they can return home it would be beneficial to have educational learning programs or community activities in which mothers could participate. The importance of de-medicalizing the birthing experience was also mentioned. I am interested to find out more about what postnatal services are already being provided and how much they are being utilized.
In another conversation, the issue of homelessness and the reduced tolerance for loitering around town was brought to my attention. There are many signs downtown that discourage smokingand benches were removed so that people could not linger around the stores. I also heard that there used to be more bars around town and places for people to go to dance and socialize, but these have since been closed down. Despite the lack of nightlife here in Sioux Lookout, there was a fun event that happened over the May long weekend. A Tribe called Red played a free outdoor concert at one of the local high schools and it was great to see how many people came out to enjoy the music. Also during the long weekend, I was able to foster three adorable puppies. The local shelter here often has pets available to foster or adopt with many of the animals coming from nearby reserves. It is fairly easy to get involved here in SL and I am looking forward to seeing how the rest of my experience plays out.