Indigenous Games help youth succeed through power of sport

Growing up on Walpole Island, golf has always been medicine for Steve Tooshkenig, who uses the lessons he's learned striding fairways to help Indigenous youth avoid life's hazards through competition and sport.

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"We believe that sport has the power to change a person's pathway," said Tooshkenig, the southwest regional coordinator for the Aboriginal Sport and Wellness Council of Ontario. "Not everyone is going to be professional athletes but what they will become is a person willing to make changes and try and make those shifts in their life." 

Tooshkenig is the manager for the Team Ontario golf team that will tee it up next month at the North American Indigenous Games in Toronto. More than 5,000 athletes, including 550 from Ontario, will be competing in 14 events ranging from archery to swimming to wrestling between July 16 to 23.

Many of the young athletes see the Indigenous Games as the highlight of their competing careers. One of those young stars is Evan John, who lives in LaSalle and who will represent his Oneida First Nation at his second Indigenous Games on the track and field squad.

The 17-year-old Sandwich Secondary School student first competed three years ago when he took home five medals. As John tears up the tracks in North American competition, he hopes to one day be a leader for other youth who need someone to inspire them.

He already volunteers with several groups, including the Can-Am Indian Friendship Centre, where he works with young athletes, hoping to inspire them. 

"I like sharing what I can do to help others. I dream of bringing other kids to NAIG and tell them how I did my NAIG and how they're going to go do theirs. That's the dream for me."

Athletics and reconciliation

Athletes heading to the Indigenous Games have embraced the hashtag #Team88, referring to recommendation 88 in the Truth and Reconciliation Report, which calls on all levels of government to "take action to ensure long-term Aboriginal athlete development and growth" and continued funding for the games, including team preparation and travel.

"The number 88 is very significant because it calls to action all levels of government to assist in some capacity the future development of our youth," said Tooshkenig. "Sport plays a vital role in the health and wellness of our First Nations, specifically our youth, our next leaders."

Educational opportunities will be built around the number 88 and other key recommendations of the report so "youth will have a better understanding of what it means in their life and how they're playing a significant role in that healing and wellness."

As a mentor and coach, Tooshkenig has witnessed first-hand the transformative power of sport, watching young athletes blossom into respectful, productive leaders.

"There are those leaders in First Nation communities that are making a difference and they are using sport as a catalyst," said Tooshkenig. "They used the power of sport and became leaders not only in their communities but for their Nations. They started to believe in the power of their leadership skills and they became chiefs and council members."

Connecting athletics and culture

Competing with other Indigenous athletes was an eye opener for John, who was 14 when he first made it to the Indigenous Games, held that year in Regina, Sask.

"I didn't know there were other people like me out there," he said. "There's not too many First Nations people around track. I always get asked if I'm Middle Eastern, Mexican or Italian. This was the first time I saw a whole track team of natives. I didn't feel as alienated."

Growing up, he started using his native language among his teammates, while at practice or at competitions. Quite quickly, other athletes were inspired to take language classes and were embracing their culture even more.

"We'd almost get into a competition about who knows more about themselves being native," said John, who gives his family much of the credit for recognizing his love of athletics and supporting him. 

He says his parents taught him some valuable lessons along the way, which he is already sharing with others.

"We win with dignity, we lose with dignity," he said of his family motto. "Sports is just life, it's all a life lesson."

Teaching youth to share the talents and abilities they have been given is an important component to athletics, explained Tooshkenig.

"When you share that talent and that ability, other people have the same opportunity to share theirs," he said. "If you've been given that gift, it's only a gift if you use it and you use it for the betterment of your community. These are the things that we share with our youth."

John is already learning that lesson. He says he has seen Tooshkenig around at many of his competitions and one day hopes to have a similar job with an organization like the Aboriginal Sport and Wellness Council of Ontario.