College of Nursing Participates in 2014 North American Indigenous Games
The University of Saskatchewan College of Nursing, Canadian Nurses Association (CNA), Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association (SRNA), Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada (ANAC) and the Saskatchewan Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing (SCBScN) program worked together to provide a strong and unified nursing presence at the 2014 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) held in and around Regina, Saskatchewan, July 20 – 27th.
From manning the wellness booth during the trade show and interacting with over 3,000 visitors, to volunteering at the NAIG health and wellness station for athletes requiring physical care, College of Nursing staff, faculty, students and alumni were involved throughout the games. “I enjoyed visiting with the athletes, coaches and their families and I found it interesting these young people were so focused on their health, took great pride in their identity and respective communities and expressed eagerness to learn about Saskatchewan's diverse cultures,” said College of Nursing Aboriginal Nursing Advisor Heather Cote-Soop. “What made this event truly unique in my mind, happened on the last day of the games when several of the visiting teams traded team jackets with the locals, signifying a memento of new friendships, exchange of culture and perhaps it was a step back in time, when trade was a dominant social custom. It was a time to remember.”
Every evening during the games, athletes were treated to a feature speaker. On Wednesday, July 23rd, 3rd year College of Nursing student Raymond McKay gave a presentation alongside a nursing colleague from the SCBScN program. “The title of our presentation was Indigenous Wellness: Striving for Balance and the focus was on the idea of holistic health,” said McKay. “This is a concept of wellness that was part of my Indigenous cultural upbringing. In our presentation, we described the concept as a process encompassing four areas: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. We wanted to provide the youth with knowledge based on a combination of Western and Indigenous wellness, not just about physical wellness, which is usually the focus of health. We hope after our presentation, we left the youth thinking about wellness as an overall concept, where all areas (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual) work together in tandem to be in harmony.” Raymond is from the George Gordon First Nation and is completing his Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at the Regina Campus.
Congratulations to the athletes on Team Saskatchewan who placed second overall in the medal standings with 159 medals, just one medal behind Team British Columbia!
About the North American Indigenous Games: NAIG showcases unity, sport, culture, youth, volunteerism and team work between First Nations, Metis and Non-Indigenous communities. As the host city for the 2014 games, Regina saw athletes and teams from the 21 regions in North American’s Indigenous communities come together to compete in 14 different sports. The participating teams included 13 Canadian provinces and territories and eight regions from the United States, with teams ranging in size from 8 – 500 youth per team. The games celebrate and share North American Indigenous cultures through a showcase of language, tradition, art, song, dance and ceremonies. Read more.