You’re not alone.
We develop programs, create resources and offer support to make our communities healthy and strong.
Melissa Cook
“What defines us is how well we rise after falling”
I’m a Certified Crystal Meth Prevention Awareness and Community Education Program Training Specialist, graduate of Applied Counseling, Business Administration and Management Development with 15 years experience working on the front lines in First Nation communities in Manitoba.
Most recently, my work focuses on methamphetamine addiction—a plaque that has been attacking every community, big or small. I’ve developed programs, created resources and continue to offer customized workshops based on individual needs.
As an Indigenous student, it was more likely for me to drop out of high school rather than finish it. As an Indigenous adult, I am eight times more likely to commit suicide than the average Canadian and three time more likely to be unemployed. These facts and experiences have inspired me to turn my attentions to our communities. I testified at the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and often speak about being a Complex Post Traumatic Stress Survivor and what that was like as a youth at risk. My father attended the Portage Residential School and I share my experience about how his treatment has affected me.
Crystal Meth/Fentanyl Awareness
The crystal meth awareness material is based on resources from the Saskatchewan Institute of Learning and the Crystal Meth Prevention Awareness and Community Education (PACE) program. The material focuses on the facts such as ingredients of crystal meth (not how to make it), what crystal meth does to the human body, short and long term effects of crystal meth, before and after pictures of crystal meth users, what happens when you stop using crystal meth, ways to detox from crystal meth, some harm reduction techniques, what dual addictions and how life is possible after crystal meth addiction.
Suicide Prevention & Intervention
The suicide prevention and intervention material is based on self-care and harm reduction techniques including learning how to maintain healthy boundaries, characteristics of healthy relationships, steps toward asking for help when you’re struggling, resource mapping, being self-directed, dealing with loss and grief and learning what trauma is (including vicarious trauma), healthy ways to heal from trauma, unhealthy or harmful ways to cope with trauma, learned behaviours inside families and all about catharsis.
Family Tree & Self Awareness
The family tree and self awareness material includes learning what a family tree is and how completing one helps with self awareness. It includes examples of family trees, adoption, details about persons in care and blended families. Each participant will be asked to draft a genogram that will be later transferred to a poster size family tree to take home. By working on a family tree, each participant can reflect where they come from based on the recommendation of the report from The Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going? Some participants may not have all the information, so using creativity and being self-directed and self-defining is important.
Bullying / Lateral Violence Awareness
While defining bullying, gossiping, rumour mongering, misogyny, abuse cycles and lateral violence, we learn about boundaries, learned behavior (healthy and unhealthy), inter-generational effects, what a healthy relationship looks and feels like and much more. We discuss labeling, the power of name-calling, cyber bullying and exclusion. One exercise involves participants writing harmful labels on paper, later to be burned. Ee will replace the negative labels with positive ones. Each participant will have a piece of blank paper fastened to their back/shoulder area and we will anonymously write positive, uplifting and healthy comments to replace the negative labels.