Virtual FASD Awareness Day Pow wow a big success despite COVID-19 challenges
By Rick Garrick
THUNDER BAY — The FASD Awareness Day Pow Wow 2020: Honouring Mothers, Honouring Families was held as a virtual event this year due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Available online via YouTube and Facebook, the virtual FASD Pow Wow was organized by the Indigenous Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day Planning Committee. Other event organizers also include Anishinabek Nation: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Program, Anishnawbe Mushkiki, Beendigen Anishinabe Women’s Crisis Home and Family Healing Agency, Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek (BZA), Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinabek, Children’s Centre Thunder Bay, Dilico Anishinabek Family Care Health Services, Ontario Native Women’s Association, Thunder Bay District Health Unit and Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre.
“Normally they do a traditional Pow Wow for International FASD Day on Sept. 9, but they had to look at creative ways of doing it,” says Katie Bortolin, program manager at Beendigen. “So they offered it virtually this year due to COVID-19 — it was still very successful. The message was relayed that FASD still does exist and is one of the most [preventable] birth defects.”
Bortolin says the virtual FASD Pow Wow, available via Youtube has had more than 800 hits as of Sept. 17.
“They [stressed] the point that as challenging as it is to reach out to families during this time, we’re still willing to go over and above to support families and to make sure people still feel supported in these times,” Bortolin says.
The virtual FASD Pow Wow featured an opening prayer by BZA Elder Jim Mishquart, comments by Fort William Chief Peter Collins, Anishinabek Nation Regional Deputy Grand Council Chief Edward Wawia, Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, and Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro. Also featured was information about the Red Shoes Rock FASD awareness campaign and Dilico’s FASD support services and a closing prayer by Biigtigong Nishnaabeg Elder Beatrice Twance-Hynes.
“I want to recognize all the people who organized this virtual Pow Wow,” Chief Collins says during the virtual FASD Pow Wow. “This is a new way of life for us and a new way of dealing with things in our communities and a new way of dealing with things as leaders.”
Chief Collins says FASD is a “longstanding issue” in the communities. FASD is lifelong disability that impacts the brain and body of people who were exposed to alcohol before birth.
“It is a challenge — it continues to be a challenge in our communities and our folks but we continue to deal with it,” Chief Collins says. “I take on the challenge and I expect each and every one of us to work hard to eradicate FASD in our communities and look for the positive outcomes as we deal with this.”
Regional Deputy Grand Council Chief Wawia says there are millions of people around the world who are affected by FASD during the virtual FASD Pow Wow.
“The only way to stop it is not to consume alcohol while … pregnant,” Wawia says. “In today’s society, there is lots of help out there for mothers in need, whether you are a social drinker or you have major problems with alcohol. There are many agencies out there if you can’t stop drinking.”
Bortolin says Beendigen’s Crisis Home remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic as violence against women shelters were deemed an essential service by the provincial government.
“Granted, we did have limited capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions, but a lot of organizations gathered together to ensure no one was left behind,” Bortolin says. “We also received additional funding through MCSS (Ministry of Community and Social Services) and ONWA (Ontario Native Women’s Association) that assisted us in providing our community with PPEs and any other needs they required.”