By: ALEX SOLODUCHA
Cindy Kobayashi will never forget the Aboriginal boy from Northern Canada who called the Kid’s Help Phone because he was contemplating suicide.
A close friend of his had recently committed suicide and he blamed himself because a female friend was sexually assaulted and he wasn’t there to help her.
The counsellor he was talking to asked him whether he could see the Northern Lights.
He was at a payphone and told her that he could, and that they represented the spirits of people he had lost in his life.
The counsellor asked him if she could get him help in his area but they lost their phone connection.
The boy called the same counsellor the next day to thank her and say that he had gone to get help.
“It was one that, of course, makes me tear up,” said Kobayashi, the regional director for Kids’ Help Phone in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nunavut.
“It was one that, of course, makes me tear up,” said Kobayashi, the regional director for Kids’ Help Phone in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nunavut.
The organization wants to better support Aboriginal youth through ad campaigns, such as one developed by Aboriginal youth and elders in five First Nations communities in Ontario.
They have also expanded their website to include a First Nations, Métis, and Inuit section.
Carrie Bourassa, Professor at the First Nations University of Canada, who gave the keynote address at the organization’s Being There for Kids Breakfast, commended them.
“They’re trying to be diverse and reach youth in different ways,” she said.
Any kid can contact the free, anonymous and confidential phone and online professional counselling service 24/7.
More changes coming soon to Kid’s Help Phone:
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Aboriginal Awareness Project – Counsellors trained in cultural sensitivity and intergenerational impact of residential schools
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Tip sheets made available to teachers, and parents specific to better assist Aboriginal kidsFirst Nations, Métis, and Inuit section on their website
- Mental health Tips
- Bullying Tips for parents
- Bullying Tips for teachers
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Discussions with First Nation Groups to target Aboriginal youth
Partnerships:
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Embrace Life Council– for suicide prevention in Nunavut
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Red-Cross Respect Ed Program -to discourage bullying and relationship violence
