INTERNATIONAL STORY HOPE ON WHEELS: How skateboards are being used to bring Indigenous communities together BY REBECCA BOLLWITT The non-profit Nations Skate Youth fosters bonding through skateboarding in Indigenous communities throughout British Columbia, Alberta and the Yukon. Megaphone spoke to its founder and those working with her. ONE PANEL DISCUSSION in a room of 200 people a few years ago has resulted in hundreds of donated skateboard decks, visits to more than two dozen First Nations communities, positive change in the lives of hundreds of Indigenous youth, and a mission being fulfilled for Rose Archie with the creation of Nations Skate Youth. It all started in 2019, when Archie curated a panel at the Vancouver Skateboard Coalition’s All Aboard Festival on Granville Island. The topic was the impact of skateboarding on education, mental health, and social awareness. Archie shared her story about her own youth, her passion for skateboarding, and how she dealt with the loss of her sister, who died by suicide. Having been born and raised on a reserve in the B.C. Interior, Archie spent her teen years hitch-hiking for hours to the nearest skatepark in order to skateboard. Through this experience she made a connection with the skateboard community that would last the rest of her life. After the panel discussion, many people reached out to Archie personally to thank her and tell her they were going to see a therapist or talk to a counselor. She then made it a mission to normalize talking about mental health issues— particularly in the skateboarding community. “I wanted to go back to the traditional healing ways,” said Archie, who hails from Tsq’escemcl (Canim Lake, B.C.). “I didn’t even know what that was or what it looked like until my friend got me back into the sweat lodge, and I was talking to more Elders that I didn’t talk to before, asking them for guidance.” She says she realized she needed to work on her own mental health, but didn’t know how to do that. The more she talked to other skateboarders, the more she realized she wasn’t the only one suffering and looking for help. “Even I learned about what intergenerational trauma was – words that [for me] have never been said, never been used – and being on my own healing journey, I was able to share with people in an open, respectful manner about what helped me.” The momentum – and the conversation – was growing. That’s when Archie sat down in her living room with fellow skateboarders Joe Buffalo, Dustin Henry, Tristan Henry, and Adam George and developed the idea of Nations Skate Youth – a non-profit society that empowers Indigenous youth through the positive impacts of skateboarding. Launching in early 2020, the group members aimed to share their stories with First Nations youth in a meaningful way. “The disconnection is there where you don’t have a connection with your culture, your language, or your traditions,” Archie said. “But you’re never too old to start learning.” Nations Skate Youth members began to plan trips to Indigenous communities around B.C. and Alberta, where they would give talks, tell their stories, and center the events around skateboarding. “It’s something as little as skateboarding that we’re bringing to a community, but it’s much more than that when we leave,” said Archie. The group started with a GoFundMe fundraising goal of $10,000 to cover travel costs and other expenses, and within 12 hours, it was reached. Within the first year, Nations Skate Youth was able to crowdfund an additional $92,000, which helped the team get to 25 communities. Archie, who is president of Nations Skate Youth, says the support has been overwhelming and rewarding. By engaging with youth and inspiring them, she says she sees an instant impact. The Nations Skate Youth team – currently made up of Archie, Buffalo, and Dustin and Tristan Henry – roll directly into Indigenous communities (where youth feel comfortable and at home), bringing skateboards, clothing, and shoe donations, and even their own ramps if need be. Dustin and Tristan are Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation. Dustin is a professional skateboarder and Tristan has been skateboarding for 15 years. Buffalo is from Maskwacis, Alberta and is a member of the Samson Cree Nation. Skateboarding helped Buffalo overcome the trauma of residential school and he shares his experiences to inspire a new generation of First Nations skateboarders. Starting in a circle, Archie will often burn sage, then make introductions. It’s at that point they have the full attention of the youth. “The communities that we go to, we can really see the statistics of drug and alcohol abuse, struggles with mental health and suicide rates, and how it affects the next generation. A lot of the kids that we see in the communities are still in the foster care system, so when we’re talking with them, they can get easily triggered by what we say, so we have been learning a lot with that part of it,” Archie said. “It’s can be as simple as something like, ‘Oh, did your dad teach you how to skateboard?’ and [the youth] break down and cry because they don’t have a dad raising them. We learned that really early on.” The community’s youth coordinators are usually present during the skateboarding events for support so the team can reach the kids in a sensitive and effective way. Dustin and Tristan Henry share their personal stories of feeling disconnected and how they used to be ashamed to tell people their father was Indigenous. Archie says Buffalo’s story also leaves a big impression on the youth, demonstrating through his own life choices to never give up. “He went to residential school and he fought with drugs and alcohol. Him sobering up and being on the [recovery] path – I think that’s why I was so inspired to have him because he’s now 45 years old. I know the old Joe, I know how far he came to get to where he’s at.” In 2021, in addition to the sharing circles, Archie introduced another element to the team members’ visits: they give the youth their own skateboard to assemble on site. From picking out their deck, to applying the grip tape, the action builds connection. “We’re teaching them something new, because a lot of the time, they haven’t had that opportunity,” she said, adding that skateboarding is an expensive pastime, with most new brandname models costing $200. The team provides skateboard lessons, helping the youth learn to stand up and get comfortable on the boards. It’s also a great social opportunity for kids who have been so isolated due to COVID-19 for the better part of the last two years. “At the end we do a circle talk again and ask how everyone’s doing, and what they loved about the day. It’s awesome. We see the impact right away when they’re like, ‘Oh my God, it was so fun, I learned something new, I was really scared and now I’m not so scared.’ The good thing about skateboarding is that no one’s JENNICA PIERR, 7, LEVI RATCLIF, 5, AND ANGELINA LEARMONTH, 8, TRY SKATEBOARDING FOR THE FIRST TIME. JILL SCHWEBER PHOTOS. FAITH TURNER, 16, LEARNS HOW TO PUT TRUCKS ON A SKATEBOARD WITH ARCHIE IN THE (SEMA:TH) SUMAS FIRST NATION. JILL SCHWEBER PHOTO. 10 DENVER VOICE February 2022
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