5 minute read
Davonna Kasook
Davonna Kasook
LEADING THE NEXT GENERATION INTO POLITICS—AND THE FUTURE
My name is Davonna Kasook. I was born in Inuvik, where I spent the majority of my 24 years. For about 4 years in my early childhood, I lived in Aklavik, until the passing of my late grandmother Pauline Kasook. During the time I lived in Aklavik, I grew up in poverty and was surrounded by drug and/or alcohol abuse on an almost daily basis. As a result of this, I experienced physical and verbal abuse quite often and in some cases I experienced what I would consider neglect. There were days where my brother and I would have cereal for breakfast with milk that was months past the expiry date but still tasted fine, or when there was absolutely nothing to eat for supper, we would eat just crackers alone.
I was raised by a single mother, so there definitely were a lot of struggles we faced together as she was raising me. I have to give a lot of thanks to my friends’ mothers and fathers, who, despite being single parents themselves, supported and took care of me when I was in need.
During my time in Aklavik, I experienced a lot of bullying. I’m fairskinned with coloured eyes, so to come into a small indigenous community looking different from everyone else made me a target. Despite the negative experiences I faced as a kid, those experiences gave me the opportunity to be alone in my thoughts and teach myself how to fend for myself when no one else was there, but also how to be humble and kind because I knew what it felt like to be singled out. These experiences blessed me with my independence.
I had what I would call the “best of both worlds” growing up. When my stepfather and my mom separated in my early childhood, I was constantly moving back and forth between the two, up until my early teens. The reason why I say I had the 'best of both worlds' was because I lived two lives. One of them was a life that was structured and disciplined, where I was never wondering where my next meal was going to come from; I was shown love and affection and taught to work for what I wanted. The other was a life with little to no structure or discipline, one filled with alcohol and drug abuse, physical and verbal abuse, neglect, and constant searching for my next meal. But on the bright side, I was free to do what I wanted when I wanted and able to explore my surroundings.
I think back about how dangerous this freedom could’ve been for me and all the unsafe situations I was put in, but I’m thankful for every single one of those experiences because they shaped who I am today. My life experiences showed me how important education and hard work are to success. I learned by example how important education was. My mom constantly reminded me of how important it was to go to school every day and that if I didn’t finish my education, I would struggle to raise my future kids the way she did. She also led by example and went back to school while working parttime to provide for me.
I ended up making it through high school and college, and eventually decided to pursue a career with the Inuvialuit organization I am currently employed with. I plan to continue my post-secondary studies again in the future to further my knowledge and skills, and inspire others to continue their education, because I do believe it is the number one key to success.
Advice I would share with a young Inuvialuk would be to stay true to yourself and your beliefs, be proud of your individuality, speak your mind whether it’s good or bad, always work hard, and never give up on anything— especially yourself. I would also tell a young Inuvialuk the same thing I tell all my friends, family members and peers when it comes to education: “better late than never,” and “finish/go back to school when you are physically and mentally ready; don’t let anyone else determine your future."
When it comes to politics, I’m fascinated by how much of an impact one voice can make. Once I learned how strong my voice was, I wanted to be a voice for my peers, my fellow youth. As soon as I seen the advertisement for RYAG I knew this was something I wanted to be apart of. I wanted to learn more about what I could do as a young person to help educate and guide other Inuvialuk youth, and even just youth in general, to pursue things that are beneficial to them. I never had this sort of guidance from my peers growing up. I was always mentored by the adults in my life and I knew that peer-topeer influences were meaningful and impactful —and I wanted to lead by example. I never knew what I was getting myself into—I just had this thirst for knowledge that needed to be quenched.
The only advice I can give to those wanting to do the same thing I did and get more involved in politics (or just more involved in general) is to be ready for the learning curve. Be ready for the challenges and the hurdles, and be open-minded and willing. Have an open ear and an open mind and you’ll succeed in whatever it is that you choose to do. I never realized how important all this knowledge was until I obtained it.
(LEFT) Kasook was awarded a NWT Outstanding Volunteer Award in the Youth category in 2019—only one of two territory-wide honours she took home this year!
I think it’s important that us young people get a better understanding of the different policies and legislation that exist in our territory and our region because these are the principles that govern our people, our wildlife and our environment. In my opinion, the only way to make politics more engaging and open for us youth is for it to be youth-driven and youth-led with assistance and guidance from our leaders. We’re the next generation of leaders and the only way we will be equipped to succeed as leaders is by practice. Practice does not make 'perfect', but it does make 'better'—and that’s something our leaders and us as youth need to strive for when it comes to politics and leading the next generation of youth into the future.
