Alan Lore: Men, Mentors and Mental Health

Part 10 of the “Made on Haida Gwaii” Series
June 2012
By April Diamond Dutheil

The Made on Haida Gwaii series tells the stories of fifty talented young people who call Haida Gwaii home. In this vast country, our major urban centres tend to soak up most of the attention. This collection of success stories, about young people living on these beautiful but remote islands off the Pacific coast, aims to disrupt the dominant myths of what it means to grow up in Canada’s North.

June 2012- Alan Lore in Tlell, British Columbia. Photo credit: Patrick Shannon.

“We breed a different kind of young people,” replies Alan Lore, a response to the question if growing up on Haida Gwaii limits opportunity for young people. He goes on to explain, “It’s a special place for a special people. Lots of the kids who are born here will leave and never come back. But for the ones that do come back, they will understand what makes this place a little bit different.”

Alan, who grew up on the islands, attended the College of New Caledonia and the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. He now works with the Haida Family and Child Services Society (HFCSS) to counsel and mentor island youth.

His passion for this work stems from the positive impact that local role models had on him while growing up. “I’d like to be one of those people who has a huge impact on a kid’s life,” he says, “When they look back when they’re 20, 30, and 40, I want to be one of those people where they’re like ‘man, I’m glad that guy was there.’ ”

When asked what he’s working on now, Alan replies, “I’m working on everything right now.” And he’s right. In addition to working with HFCSS he’s organizing rugby twice a week for the Haida Gwaii Rec After School Sport Initiative, operating a seven-bed hostel in the heart of Port Clements, developing an outdoors camp concept for island youth, and somehow amongst all of this, still finds time to play soccer and go surfing.

Alan wears many hats in the community, which he admits can have repercussions, both good and bad, in small communities. When working on Haida Gwaii, “Your social life and your work life are the same thing. Your family life, it’s the same thing. And that’s a very interesting aspect,” he says, “If you’re a good person, people will see that in everything that you do. If you’re a bad person people will see that in everything that you do.”

Perhaps young people in small communities are held to a higher standard, given the number of social contracts they’re pressured to fulfill, from their professional, family, and peer circles.

An example of this lies close to home for Alan. Working with youth has shifted the way in which he lives his life. “I definitely have a different lifestyle than when I was attending university,” he says, “I feel that I have to be a role model a lot more…That’s a good side about working this job. You have to think about how everyone is viewing you and what you’re doing and what shape you’re in.”

This is an important message to hear, especially here where alcoholism and substance abuse is high and it’s effects multiplied in a small knit community.

“More young people here need not to be on the booze,” says Alan. “It’s not really helping anybody and the kids need to see that it’s not ok. You know, find some anti-drug. Start doing sports, start hiking, start writing, start singing, whatever, just find other things to do,” he says.

Alan envisions a future where more is invested in mental health and wellness for youth. He would like to continue working with youth and thinks that bridging the fields of mental health, sustainability, and skills-based training would be an interesting way to achieve this.

Alan also advocates for men’s mental wellness. “There’s a piece of me that is pulling me towards helping men, there’s a problem here with violence and alcoholism and substance abuse with young and old men alike,” he says. In the North, general mental health programming is lacking. This means that men’s specific mental health services are limited and in most cases, completely absent. “There’s no men’s centre here,” says Alan, “I could see a men’s centre being very useful here.”

Age: 24
Location: Port Clements
Personal philosophy: “You can only become a better person by helping someone else to become a better person.”

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Erica Ryan-Gagne: How Dancing at the 2010 Olympics Catalyzed Entrepreneurial Vision

“Made on Haida Gwaii” Series, Part 9

July 17, 2012
By April Diamond Dutheil

The Made on Haida Gwaii series tells the stories of fifty talented young people who call Haida Gwaii home. In this vast country, our major urban centres tend to soak up most of the attention. This collection of success stories, about young people living on these beautiful but remote islands off the Pacific coast, aims to disrupt the dominant myths of what it means to grow up in Canada’s North.

Skidegate, British Columbia- Erica Ryan-Gagne displays Eri-Cut & Nailed signage outside of her new salon location. Photo credit: Evil Patrick Shannon.

Winning double gold medals in hockey was a prominent memory from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. But Erica Ryan-Gagne remembers the Olympics differently than most Canadians. For her the 2010 Olympics catalyzed an entrepreneurial vision, one that she has turned into reality and continues to iterate upon.

Erica, who is of Haida heritage, was invited to perform along with over 300 Indigenous Canadians at the 2010 Olympic ceremonies in Vancouver. In addition to performing, Erica was introduced to a series of workshops and speakers organized for Indigenous performers. One topic was on entrepreneurship.

For Erica this introduction to entrepreneurship was timely, “I was finally ready to hear it,” she says, “It just sunk in and planted the seed.” Equipped with inspiration, Erica returned home and took the next step. “I asked myself, what are some of the demands in my community and how can I fill that demand,” she says.

In October 2010 Erica launched her first enterprise, Eri-Cut & Nailed, a one stop salon providing manicure, pedicure, and hair cutting services to the residents of Haida Gwaii.

Filling a niche, Erica provides a much-needed service to people of Haida Gwaii who prior to Eri-Cut & Nailed despaired over dry cuticles and disproportionate nails until their bi-annual trip to Vancouver. She also provides scissor and clipper haircut services for men.

Not limited to cosmetic incentives, Erica notes the therapeutic benefits of her services, “Eri-cut & Nailed provides a get away for people to relax, if only for an hour,” she says.

From a purely economic analysis, the northwest is depressed and unemployment and underemployment is high. Providing low cost and healthy ways for people to feel good about themselves makes good business and social sense.

Nearly two years from the launch of Eri-Cut & Nailed, Erica and her husband, Joshua Gagne, are finishing renovations on a new space. With plans for a grand opening in the near future, Erica describes her new salon as “clean, relaxed, funky and professional.”

This is exactly how Erica pictured her vision, “The business was a way for me to live my life the way I saw it, I wanted to have kids and I wanted to be mom but I didn’t want to entirely give up working I just didn’t see it that way,” she says, “It’s great that I can do both and make that happen.”

However, the road to where Erica is today, as for most, was not a path of linearity or planned prescriptiveness, “I kind of wandered and did a lot of random jobs, worked really hard for a lot of other people,” she says.

Erica hopes that the story of her journey can be conveyed to young people facing similar questions about what to do next, “When I get my hands on young people I just encourage them to look to that same route that I took.” It’s possible to discover what you love, be happy and to make money doing it she says.

Erica was named Young Female Entrepreneur of the Year by the BC Achievement Foundation and is a recipient of the New Relationship Trust’s Young Entrepreneurs Symposium travel scholarship, the Hollyhock Social Venture Institute scholarship, Haida Gwaii Community Futures small business loan, and the Northern Savings Credit Union Be Remarkable Micro-Loan.

She is a graduate of the Aboriginal BEST program and the Marvel College Cosmetology School and Hair Salon.

Matching personal with professional growth, Erica and her husband recently welcomed a new baby girl into the world.

Age 28
Location: Skidegate
Philosophy: When you do what you love it doesn’t really feel like work in the end.

Hear more stories by joining Project Gwaii at ProjectGwaii.ca
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Leigh-Anne Mathieson: Solver of Big and Beautiful Problems

“Made on Haida Gwaii” Series, Part 6

June 14, 2012

By April Diamond Dutheil

The Made on Haida Gwaii series tells the stories of fifty talented young people who call Haida Gwaii home. In this vast country, our major urban centres tend to soak up most of the attention. This collection of success stories, about young people living on these beautiful but remote islands off the Pacific coast, aims to disrupt the dominant myths of what it means to grow up in Canada’s North.

Summer 2012, Vancouver, BC- Minutes from her computer science lab, Leigh-Anne Mathieson takes a research break at the University of British Columbia’s treetop walkway. 

“Big complex problems don’t scare me anymore, they’re exciting,” tells computer scientist Leigh-Anne Mathieson.

For the past three years Leigh-Anne has been conducting bio-computing research at the University of British Columbia. Her research scope explores the computational difficulty of problems that model the folding of ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules. Although RNA research can have implications for strengthening knowledge of life sciences- including genetics, biology and human health - Leigh-Anne’s research is more theoretical and sets the stage for understanding how RNA functions at its most basic level.

“I was interested in computer science quite early, but I didn’t love the field until I did research,” she admits. Doing research allowed Leigh-Anne to work on complex real-life problems, “a big part of the appeal was that the answers weren’t at the back of the textbook,” she adds.

Recently finishing a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from the University of British Columbia, Leigh-Anne has presented at numerous North American conferences, received research grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and is a contributor to academic publications (the first in 2010, with a second on its way). Among 350 applicants, Leigh-Anne was also selected as one of 36 students who will take part in a computational biology research project this summer at Oxford University. 

A competent problem solver, Leigh-Anne is aware of the social forces dictating the direction and limitation of the computer science field. A relatively new area of study, women, first nations and those from rural communities are largely under-represented (in some cases absent) from the computer sciences. As a young Haida woman from rural Canada Leigh-Anne is disrupting her industry’s status quo in the best possible ways  - contributing a refreshing message that she belongs in the computer sciences

“I love computer science,” she says, “but I do think that within [computer science] if you have the same people from the same backgrounds it’s going to be difficult to get ground-breaking results.” The solution? “Computer science needs people from rural communities,” she says, “people raised in rural communities have unique perspectives - if we don’t start to support these different experiences we won’t be able to move forward in the field.” Leigh-Anne responds similarly when asked about the role of women in computer science, “we can’t afford not to have more women involved,” she says.

Calling for diverse viewpoints to be included in all industries, Leigh-Anne remarks, “I find it scary to think that this same group of people, at all levels, are the ones who are predominantly shaping our world.”

Leigh-Anne knew from an early age that she wanted to do something in science and engineering. She came to this conclusion while attending grade eight at George M. Dawson high school. Knowing where her passion was, Leigh-Anne left home to complete her grade 11 and 12 science courses, “moving to Vancouver was a big adjustment for me,” she says.

Being from Haida Gwaii “will always have a huge influence in my life,” says Leigh-Anne, “because I was raised on Haida Gwaii I got the unique and rare opportunity to be raised by the whole community.” Familiar with the benefits of belonging to a community, Leigh-Anne strives to foster a similar sense of community, regardless of where she may be in the world.

Growing up on Haida Gwaii has helped Leigh-Anne understand the importance of finding a work-life balance, “as soon as I left home I was struck by how people in the cities were doing so many things at once and always rushing around- it was hard to tell what was important to them.” Influenced by the realities of her homeland, Leigh-Anne shares that it may be more valuable to “think realistically, slow down and decide what is most important so that you can do those things very well.”

After Oxford, Leigh-Anne’s next move includes finding work in the computer sciences, then pursuing a master’s degree when the time is right. Leigh-Anne’s long term vision is to support young students from rural communities who are considering a career in science or technology, “in rural communities it’s harder to grow to love the sciences, the opportunities aren’t there,” she says.

How can young people from our communities love science? How can they get the skills to pursue a science and technology career- instead of playing catch up with students who have access to more resources? These are all questions that Leigh-Anne wants answers to. Serving as an inspiration for many northerners, she provides us with a valuable message. A career in science and technology is possible for rural youth – but for their aspirations to flourish they deserve appropriate programming and support. 

Age: 22

Current location: London, England

Philosophy: Make changes you intend to keep for the rest of your life.

Source: Haida Gwaii Observer, Rabble.ca, Project Gwaii

Alison Fraser: “What’s it like to empower someone?”

“Made on Haida Gwaii” Series, Part 5 

May 17, 2012

By April Diamond Dutheil

The Made on Haida Gwaii series tells the stories of fifty talented young people who call Haida Gwaii home. In this vast country, our major urban centres tend to soak up most of the attention. This collection of success stories, about young people living on these beautiful but remote islands off the Pacific coast, aims to disrupt the dominant myths of what it means to grow up in Canada’s North.

July 27/2011, Mekelle, Northern Ethiopia - Alison Fraser with women from the Healing Hands of Joy Center. Photo credit: Lulseged Beyene.

“It just shapes who I am,” reveals Alison Fraser when discussing what it means to be from Haida Gwaii, “when you live there you see the world in a different way,” she says.

Fortunate to work with communities from around the world, including Kenya, Guatemala, Mexico, Ethiopia, and most recently inner city New York – Alison stays true to her roots, “everywhere I go I tell people about the magic of these small islands,” she says.

With a passion and talent for social development, Alison has made a difference early in her career. She has worked in international refugee camps, with youth from Vancouver’s downtown eastside and with women in trauma and conflict situations.

A first-hand witness to how aid is distributed in refugee communities, Alison is critical of how traditional aid relief often leaves the recipient with limited agency or voice,  “How do you provide restoration? What is it like to empower someone?” she asks. Alison wants to see the narrative of dependency change in these communities, “I don’t have all of the answers, but I can contribute and learn,” she says.

One way Alison has been contributing is through her work with Healing Hands of Joy, an organization that supports Ethiopian women with childbirth injuries. Identifying a need for this work to continue she would eventually like to set up a similar program to support mothers from refugee camps throughout the globe.

For the past three years Alison has been working as a teacher through Teach for America in New York City. Named one of Fortune’s magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, Teach for America works with recent university graduates to provide high levels of education in under-resourced urban and rural public schools.

Alison is currently teaching math to third grade students at an Achievement First Charter School in East New York, Brooklyn. “I never though I’d be teaching math,” she jokes. Discovering a talent for transforming math education, Alison is helping to support math classes from across the Achievement First network by writing and giving feedback on math plans and lessons.. “The kids are my cause,” she says, noting her classes’ latest exam averages ranged from 93-95%.

Declining her acceptance into law school for the fall, “I decided to continue teaching,” she says. Passionate and invested in her work, “I’ve grown so much,” says Alison, “but it has been hard work- I get up at 5am every morning!”

With a Bachelor’s Degree in Honors International Studies from Trinity Western University in Langley, BC and a Master’s Degree in Education from Hunter College in New York City, Alison will spend her summer studying forced migration at Oxford University’s Refugee Studies Centre. “It might seem like I’m doing a lot of random things,” she says, but at the root of her work is a deep commitment to social development.

When asked if she would return to Haida Gwaii Alison says, “Absolutely, I would definitely go back to live there and raise kids- there’s no place in the world like it.” Growing up on Haida Gwaii was an adventure -“these experiences don’t exist in the suburbs,” she says.

Age: 25

Current location: Manhattan, New York

Philosophy: Be respectful of individuals and their experiences.

Source: Haida Gwaii Observer, Rabble.ca