ABGC and SRMT Education Host "Hope 4 The Wounded" Seminar

On Friday, January 13th, The Akwesasne Boys and Girls Club and the Education Division of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe hosted a free seminar for the community. This event provided families, teachers, administrators, counselors, and leaders in the community who work with students an opportunity to relearn and gain more understanding about wounded students and how to make a connection with them that can really change their lives. The objective was to help educate and inform adults with leadership roles in the community on how to help youth who have experienced trauma in their lives, by giving them tools and insight on delivering compassion and understanding.

Vendors and informational booths were also set up to look at between speakers and on breaks. Every participant was entered in a drawing for an Apple iPad.

The event had two sessions, one in the morning and one in the evening that was open to the public. Around 150 administrators, teachers, counselors, and other leaders within the community attended the morning seminar. The evening seminar that was open for the public had around 30 people attend, and included a meal. The first speaker was Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Chief Beverly Cook who spoke about the traumas that students in our community are faced with, and also discussed some of the historical contexts that go along with that.

"This whole evening for you is going to be about hope," Beverly said to conclude the seminar introduction.

Following her was Dr. Joe Hendershott, founder of the Hope 4 the Wounded, and a nationally recognized advocate for dropout prevention and intervention for wounded students. Dr. Joe Hendershott told a story about his son being injured as a young child, and how he was then rushed to the hospital. On the way there, they were pulled over for speeding due to the emergency, but the police officer disregarded the charges when he saw the young boy who was injured. This was an example of critical care training. The police officer could see there was a larger issue on hand, and took the appropriate precautions. He then asked, "how many people felt prepared to deal with the trauma, wounds, and issues that the kids are coming in with?" and received a low response at the beginning of the seminar, but by the end everyone was well equipped with tools and knowledge to deal with these types of situations. This event was a great way to bring awareness and knowledge to our community about this issue and how to deal with situations when they arise.