PDTCA 2022

Born with Cerebral Palsy and suffering a stroke at the age of 11 has not deterred Cory Johnson from living life to the fullest. He uses his life experiences, inspiration, humour and education to overcome the barriers that others impose on him. Cory challenges each of us to live our lives to our full potential.

Syed Soharwardy takes us through a brief tour of a mosque highlighting the various customs and traditions associated with a mosque.

In this video Kari Shewkenek interviews Syed Soharwardy in a session he likes to refer to as Islam 101. During this interview he will be responding to some of the most commonly asked questions about Islam and Muslims. His hope is to help clear up stereotypes, mis-understandings and mis-communication about the Islamic world and beliefs and how things can and are being distorted by certain factions.

Indigenous males wearing braids is a long-standing cultural practice within plains Indigenous nations and is a symbol of connection to cultural and historical roots. The purpose of Braves Wear Braids is to support Indigenous youth in the efforts of carry on the cultural importance of wearing their hair in braids. We want to encourage, and embolden youth to wear their braids as a physical symbol of cultural strength and pride, and to take an active part in their own histories. We recognize the weight our youth carry by wearing braids, from bullying, to being called girls (de-masculinization), to the weight of trying to retain a significant part of your culture alone. We also recognize the pain many residential school survivors carry in regards to having their braids cut-off, and the shaming involved within that system that has been passed on inter-generationally.

In this session a video will be presented with interviews from Indigenous elders, a well-known Indigenous athlete, and men with braids who can speak to their own experiences of their struggles with keeping their braids, and some who were never taught the value of braids growing up, but who made a life changing decision to grow their braids out later in life. Although this video focuses on Indigenous culture, it is meant to be inclusive in hopes of bringing understanding to why Indigenous men and boys wear their hair in braids. Our aim is to end the bullying that surrounds this issue that can be intentional and unintentional through misunderstanding. We are strong believers in the idea that education is the bridge to understanding. Braves Wear Braids seeks to create understanding by educating people on the significance that braids carry, and how people can become allies to those with braids.

Jackie shares with us her incredible personal journey from being adopted at 2 by a non Indigenous family, to going into the foster care system at 11 and then living on her own at 16 and not knowing anything about her cultural background until she was 15. She shares the power of such customs and traditions as the Smudge, Hair, and Dress and Dance.

Russ explains and demonstrates the purpose of Indigenous hand games and their role in traditional Indigenous societies and their power to generate laughter and healing.

Walter introduces a powerful 8,000 + year old tradition - the Sweat Lodge - and during a forest walk to a Traditional Sweat Lodge shares the incredible connection Indigenous people have with the natural world and the healing power of the Traditional Sweat Lodge. Customs and traditions surrounding the Sweat Lodge are introduced and explained.

First time ever videotaped, Elders Bruce and Deanna Starlight will be sharing the history of the Tsuut'ina Teepee. Using professionally filmed video, they will be sharing the background and details of how the Tsuut'ina nation historically has built their Teepees and how the interior is set up. They will provide insight into the powerful customs and traditions that are a part of the Teepee building process and that have been passed on through the generations._x000D_
Bruce and Deanna will provide context and an understanding of the roles of men and women in their society and oral stories surrounding the history and importance of the Tsuut'ina Teepee.

Walter shares his personal experiences and learnings while sharing some Indigenous traditional knowledge, perspectives and current issues that many Indigenous people are dealing with.

Delegates will register on The Wisdom of Trauma site to access the Documentary after clicking on the video link in Sched.
Zoom and pre-recorded video links will not be active until Wednesday afternoon February 23rd. So if you want to register before that please use this link. You will be asked if you want to make a donation, but you do not need to make a donation to register, so only do so if you want to. https://watch.showandtell.film/watch/wot-pdtca-24022022 You will receive an email with the link to the film. You can watch a trailer using that link for now. The film will only be available during convention starting at 1:00 pm on Thursday February 24th.

The interconnected epidemics of anxiety, chronic illness and substance abuse are, according to Dr Gabor Maté, normal. But not in the way you might think.

One in five Americans are diagnosed with mental illness in any given year [1]. Suicide is the second most common cause of death in the US for youth aged 15-24 [2], and kills over 800,000 people a year globally [3] and 48,300 in the USA [4]. Drug overdose kills 81,000 in the USA annually [5]. The autoimmunity epidemic affects 24 million people in the USA [6]. What is going on?

In The Wisdom of Trauma, we travel alongside physician, bestselling author and Order of Canada recipient Dr. Gabor Maté to explore why our western society is facing such epidemics. This is a journey with a man who has dedicated his life to understanding the connection between illness, addiction, trauma and society.

“Trauma is not what happens to you.
Trauma is what happens inside you,
as a result of what happens to you.”
— Gabor Maté

Trauma is the invisible force that shapes our lives. It shapes the way we live, the way we love and the way we make sense of the world. It is the root of our deepest wounds. Dr. Maté gives us a new vision: a trauma-informed society in which parents, teachers, physicians, policy-makers and legal personnel are not concerned with fixing behaviors, making diagnoses, suppressing symptoms and judging, but seek instead to understand the sources from which troubling behaviors and diseases spring in the wounded human soul.

As this movie is about Trauma, it does include discussion around potential trauma inducing situations. We acknowledge that this content may be difficult for some viewers and we also encourage you to care for your safety and well-being. Should you need to process what you have seen here please connect with the Calgary Distress Center https://www.distresscentre.com/ or call 403.266.HELP (4357).

The attached Screening & Discussion Guide is being shared as a courtesy to professionals who would like to bring together a group of colleagues to discuss the movie that they watch. We are not setting up a formal discussion session, this will need to be organized by individuals of small groups if this is desired.