Gift of new gear helps young Quebec Innu heal through hockey

Warning: This story contains details that may be distressing for some.

Growing up in Uashat Mak Mani Utenam, an Innu community based in Sept-Îles, Que., Normand Thirnish-Pilot says he remembers feeling isolated and struggling with his self-worth.

Last February, he heard his neighbours down the coast in Pakua Shipu, another Innu community on Quebec's Lower North Shore, were reeling after a 12-year-old girl who lived there took her own life. He decided he wanted to help.

"I was really in pain for them ... especially for the youth," he said.

"On reservations in Canada, at least here where I'm from, we have a lot of suicides. I first heard about suicide when I was seven years old."

Thirnish-Pilot, who's now an RCMP officer stationed in Sept-Îles, says that's how old he was when his uncle took his own life and his grandmother explained to him what that meant.

He says his uncle was one of many people he saw "disappear" from his home community as he grew older and he continued to see Innu people deeply hurt by similar losses later on in life.

"I was a police officer here on the reservation before the RCMP, I had to deal a lot with suicide, I know how it affects families, how it affects the whole community," he said.

"When I heard about the passing of that young girl last year, I had to do something."

"Since I know that hockey is really important on reservations, I decided that we should ask for the help of the NHLPA."

Hope through hockey

Thirnish-Pilot formed a sports committee called Innu Auasset with three other community members, one from Uashat and two from Pakua Shipu.

Through the committee, he reached out to the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), shared what the Innu youth were going through and applied for funding from a program called the Goals & Dreams Fund, a charitable initiative that helps grow hockey programs for disadvantaged youth around the world.

"They agreed to help us with our initiative by giving us 25 sets of hockey equipment for players and two sets of hockey equipment for goalies," he said.

In late November, a shipment of brand new gear arrived in Pakua Shipu.

Regional transportation company Relais Nordik agreed to ship it all for free and Thirnish-Pilot says other sports stores and a local printing company also chipped in, adding a couple pairs of goalie skates and hockey pucks, designing a logo and donating stickers.

"It became something bigger than I expected," he said, "because a lot of people got involved and everybody was moved by the story about what happened in that community."

Community ceremony

On Nov. 25, Thirnish-Pilot made the trip to Pakua Shipu to hand out the new gear to a group of young people, ages eight to 18, who were eagerly awaiting his arrival.

"The kids received a lot of love," he said. "It felt like a Christmas morning, because they were unpacking all the sets of hockey equipment. It was all brand new stuff and they were really happy."

Elders, teachers, school staff and parents were all on hand for a special ceremony that included Catholic and Innu prayers, a deuikan (sacred Innu tambourine) performance and presentations from local elders, Thirnish-Pilot and another Indigenous RCMP officer.

"We also held a minute of silence for the young girl that passed," he said. "It was a beautiful afternoon. There was a lot of love and tears."

The Innu Auasset committee Thirnish-Pilot helped create will continue its efforts to give the youth in Pakua Shipu more opportunities to participate in sports. This winter, a group of young people will be flying to Trois-Rivières to compete in a hockey tournament. 

He hopes hockey can teach the young people values like discipline and teamwork and also be used as an incentive to pursue their education.

As an Indigenous officer in the RCMP he also hopes he can set a strong example. When he shared his story with the youth in Pakakua Shipu, he stressed that he knows how hard it can be growing up in a remote Indigenous community and feeling like there's nothing out there for you.

"I want them to know that it's not true and they can achieve everything they want," he said. "It's okay to go see things outside of the reserve, to go explore."

"When you have someone who's older and is interested in your well being, I know how much it can help," he said.

"That's all I want, for them to know that they are loved."

If you are in crisis or know someone who is, here is where to get help:

• Canada Suicide Prevention Service: 1-833-456-4566 (Phone) | 45645 (Text, 4 p.m. to midnight ET only) crisisservicescanada.ca

• In Quebec (French): Association québécoise de prévention du suicide: 1-866-APPELLE (1-866-277-3553)

• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (Phone), Live Chat counselling at www.kidshelpphone.ca

• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre