2014 in review...
I
turned 55 years old this year, a turning point for me I think. Some
badthing odd things happened....a baby died because he was refused
health care. It's 2014 in Canada...wth..then our snack program was cut
in a federal budget
I wrote the Liberal candidate running in our riding... he came to Sandy Lake... a meeting happened, and I became a paid Liberal supporter of Ontario and Federally, then a person to contact.
I wrote letters to the government when our snack program was ended, 600 children look forward to those snacks every day. I contacted the Ontario Liberals who were in power, I took them to task as 600 children in a first nation reservation with no easy road access to cheap foods are going hungry, yet the federal government seems to push for Normal test results in abnormal conditions.
When they got in, they did restore what they could for our students it was a 3 day a week snack program (better than none) with soup and sandwiches on Friday. Prepared by the Staff Thanks to Mark Meekis, Mary Meekis, June Stewart, and Arita Bekintis.
Clean water is an issue, the water plant was installed 20 years ago, with a maximum capacity of 4 litres per second cleaning and storage. So when you wake up in the morning and want to make a tea go to the tap an nothing drops when it's turned on full, you understand why some kids are thirsty. I appreciate so much of what others take for granted.
Milk is $14. for 4 liters. pop is $1.25 a can.. what do kids reach for? koolaid is $5. for crystals Juice is between $9 and $12 a liter. what do kids get? As we ask questions - we who were raised away from the reserve, we who are sick of the silence and the discrediting smear tactics the government uses,-- things come to light, like the millions of dollars the North West Company pocketed rather than provide better quality food at affordable prices.
Bag of Apples $9, Box of Clementine $12. some are spoiled; I find these grabby greedy tactics infuriating but the first nations are used to being treated as 3rd class people. If any other minority group was rounded up and put in an area and told to suck it up there would be riots. But first nations people are kind and quiet and patient...and persistent.
They have been beaten, segregated suffered attempts at assimilation and genocide, brainwashed and yet they are still standing, and more and more are standing up. When I started in Sandy Lake my heart was hurt by so many children saying "I can't do it" before they even tried. I coaxed and applauded minor wins, by the end of 3 years kindergarten children were switching the computers with ease between windows and Linux...then with failing health I took a break to return for a maternity leave fill in... these students were familiar to me, they'd been in grade 3, 4, 5 and 6 before I'd left now they were in grade 8. I worked for their success to graduate....they worked with me, we closed the 3 year gap on math; we closed some of the reading problems; they worked so hard. They Believed.
I was delighted when one young man made it to the Aboriginal Games.and won Gold and Bronze. I can't tell you how proud I am of them all.
The Teachers who brought Outside Looking In to the school had more positive impact than I ever did and I applaud June Stewart, Jeremy Audette, Diana George with all my heart as the true measure of their inspiration will go on for years.
I would earnestly ask you all to believe and guide your youth, and young children show them hardship and make them earn their way.
Then today I receive a message "You have been nominated for the VOICES OF WOMEN WORLD WIDE'S SUCCESSFUL ACHIEVEMENTS AWARD - 2014"
I would nominate the women who started "Idle No More" the women who are the brains behind the "Walking for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women" display with all the Vamps and all the Contributers who put themselves out there.
Blessings to all
Happy 2015.
You have been nominated for the VOICES OF WOMEN WORLDWIDE'S SUCCESSFUL ACHIEVEMENTS AWARD - 2014
I wrote the Liberal candidate running in our riding... he came to Sandy Lake... a meeting happened, and I became a paid Liberal supporter of Ontario and Federally, then a person to contact.
I wrote letters to the government when our snack program was ended, 600 children look forward to those snacks every day. I contacted the Ontario Liberals who were in power, I took them to task as 600 children in a first nation reservation with no easy road access to cheap foods are going hungry, yet the federal government seems to push for Normal test results in abnormal conditions.
When they got in, they did restore what they could for our students it was a 3 day a week snack program (better than none) with soup and sandwiches on Friday. Prepared by the Staff Thanks to Mark Meekis, Mary Meekis, June Stewart, and Arita Bekintis.
Clean water is an issue, the water plant was installed 20 years ago, with a maximum capacity of 4 litres per second cleaning and storage. So when you wake up in the morning and want to make a tea go to the tap an nothing drops when it's turned on full, you understand why some kids are thirsty. I appreciate so much of what others take for granted.
Milk is $14. for 4 liters. pop is $1.25 a can.. what do kids reach for? koolaid is $5. for crystals Juice is between $9 and $12 a liter. what do kids get? As we ask questions - we who were raised away from the reserve, we who are sick of the silence and the discrediting smear tactics the government uses,-- things come to light, like the millions of dollars the North West Company pocketed rather than provide better quality food at affordable prices.
Bag of Apples $9, Box of Clementine $12. some are spoiled; I find these grabby greedy tactics infuriating but the first nations are used to being treated as 3rd class people. If any other minority group was rounded up and put in an area and told to suck it up there would be riots. But first nations people are kind and quiet and patient...and persistent.
They have been beaten, segregated suffered attempts at assimilation and genocide, brainwashed and yet they are still standing, and more and more are standing up. When I started in Sandy Lake my heart was hurt by so many children saying "I can't do it" before they even tried. I coaxed and applauded minor wins, by the end of 3 years kindergarten children were switching the computers with ease between windows and Linux...then with failing health I took a break to return for a maternity leave fill in... these students were familiar to me, they'd been in grade 3, 4, 5 and 6 before I'd left now they were in grade 8. I worked for their success to graduate....they worked with me, we closed the 3 year gap on math; we closed some of the reading problems; they worked so hard. They Believed.
I was delighted when one young man made it to the Aboriginal Games.and won Gold and Bronze. I can't tell you how proud I am of them all.
The Teachers who brought Outside Looking In to the school had more positive impact than I ever did and I applaud June Stewart, Jeremy Audette, Diana George with all my heart as the true measure of their inspiration will go on for years.
I would earnestly ask you all to believe and guide your youth, and young children show them hardship and make them earn their way.
Then today I receive a message "You have been nominated for the VOICES OF WOMEN WORLD WIDE'S SUCCESSFUL ACHIEVEMENTS AWARD - 2014"
I would nominate the women who started "Idle No More" the women who are the brains behind the "Walking for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women" display with all the Vamps and all the Contributers who put themselves out there.
Blessings to all
Happy 2015.
You have been nominated for the VOICES OF WOMEN WORLDWIDE'S SUCCESSFUL ACHIEVEMENTS AWARD - 2014
