Elaine Alec has overcome tremendous obstacles and is using her story to teach others how colonial systems can be overcome in our communities.
The City of Salmon Arm welcomed Alec to host a workshop with a collaborative of local organizations on how to deconstruct colonial systems in our world and specifically within these groups, followed by a public keynote speech in which she shared more of her personal journey.
Salmon Arm was awarded a Building Safer Communities fund, an initiative that wraps up in 2026, and is meant to fund and support services for youth. The Shuswap Youth Services Collaborative was formed to apply the funding where it would make the most impact and a 含羞草研究社榗ommunity scan含羞草研究社� was conducted in spring of this year.
含羞草研究社淩acism emerged as a common theme among the organizations,含羞草研究社� said Building Safer Communities project coordinator Sarah Zuidhof. 含羞草研究社淭o enlarge the capacity for understanding systemic racism with with the hopes of whole systems change, Elaine Alec was invited for morning workshops with 16 member organizations.含羞草研究社�
Some of the attendees of this workshop included the Canadian Mental Health Association, Interior Health, the Ministry of Child and Family Development, the Salmon Arm RCMP, School District 83 representatives and the Shuswap Immigrant Services Society, as well as members of most regional Indigenous bands.
The day-long event was organized to foster conversation around the ongoing work of decolonization. While the keynote addressed Alec含羞草研究社檚 history, traditional Indigenous stories and the general message of healing oneself before becoming a decision-maker, the workshop focused on specific problems within the organizations and ways to address those, said Zuidhof.
Human resources policies are centred on sickness rather than well being, said Alec, with effectiveness and profitability the priority of 含羞草研究社渉umans as resources.含羞草研究社� The focus should always be on health and freedom, which in turn creates more creative and willing employees who make better decisions.
Colonial systems work out of fear and control and the way Alec had always been taught is to work based on trust, faith and love, and this was the focus of the keynote.
Trying to model exactly what she taught, Zuidhof said Alec hosted the morning workshop in a circle of chairs with open discussion, and started both the workshop and the keynote a bit late to allow attendees to centre themselves as the focus was not strict timelines or productivity.
含羞草研究社淚t was about 含羞草研究社榖eing hard on systems and soft on people,含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫 said Zuidhof, echoing Alec. 含羞草研究社淎nd it was an amazing table of community leaders.含羞草研究社�
Alec含羞草研究社檚 name given to her at birth is telxnitkw, which loosely translates to 含羞草研究社楽tanding by Water.含羞草研究社� She is from the Syilx and Secw茅pemc nations, and her introduction included an acknowledgement of 含羞草研究社榓ll our relatives,含羞草研究社� including non-binary and transgender people, as she explained Indigenous languages have words for people with these identities, spoken long before colonization.
A short history of her father含羞草研究社檚 work in the American Indian Movement, trying to get housing and clean water, as well as his sufferings with alcoholism and abuse, were all told in her traditoinal languages before her keynotebegan in English.
含羞草研究社淚 introduce myself like that,含羞草研究社� said Alec, 含羞草研究社渂ecause I was taught to speak my language in every public setting, as there was a time when my parents and grandparents were punished for it.含羞草研究社�
Being raised in her language and the stories of her people is what saved her and kept her alive.
Alec went through addiction, trauma, thoughts of suicide and abuse before finding her hope and healing herself to be there for herself and her son.
Shame and silence stemming from what she含羞草研究社檚 always been told kept Alec in the dark for all of her young life, and she learned 含羞草研究社渟hame and silence are what kill.含羞草研究社� Communication and feeling emotions should be the pillars of reconciliation, she said.
On her journey to healing, from learning how to run on a treadmill to completing a marathon in Jamaica after raising money from her community, Alec learned faith, trust and love, and was able to build herself back up. She is now a successful business owner and author, and is invited to speak around the world, though she said she prefers to stay close to home and family.
含羞草研究社淟earn stories of the land you live in and those will guide you,含羞草研究社� emphasized Alec. 含羞草研究社淟isten with discipline and heal yourself; that is how we support meaningful reconciliation.含羞草研究社�
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