SAIT’s pumpkin carving event for Indigenous students offered them a fun and relaxing way to focus on their mental wellness.
Janelle Minoza, a SAIT advisor, came up with a creative idea to blend mental wellness with Halloween and bring together different customs and traditions from various cultures. Indigenous students gathered up to celebrate the event in Natoysopoyiis, giving them an escape from their stressful everyday environments.
The Indigenous Lodge at SAIT recently got a new name called Natoysopoyiis, which means “holy wind lodge” in the language of the Blackfoot people.
The SAIT Indigenous group has received funding from several institutions, including Suncor Energy Foundation, TD Insurance, Xerox, Shell, Fining Canada, Sodexho, and more. These collaborations between the public and commercial sectors have enabled SAIT to deliver services, grant scholarships, assist Indigenous students with career opportunities, and plan unique events and activities.
“We were funded a mental health grant, this grant was allocated for Indigenous students, We just use the funds to incorporate some fun activities that focuses on mental health, therefore we just had our students take part in this mental health event,” said Minoza.
According to the WHO, mental well-being is a critical issue that has to be addressed since high levels of stress can frequently lead to depression. An estimated 700,000 people lose their lives to suicide each year. The fourth most common cause of mortality for those aged 15 to 29 is suicide.
SAIT promotes intercultural communication and learning within a diverse society by promoting an awareness not just of Indigenous values and culture but also of those of other people.
SAIT has been organizing various events for Indigenous students for their physical and mental wellness, and pumpkin craving was another example of it.
Local students gathered up at the Chinook lodge to participate in this event and showed their pumpkin craving skills. The event gave students a chance to unleash their creativity and inner child by carving pumpkins.
Farrah Hart, an Indigenous student at SAIT from the Ghana tribe and Treaty 7 Blackfoot area, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity. She has been studying at SAIT while also working as a full-time mom.
“I think it’s really important for us to take time for our mental health especially with studying and I’m also a full-time parent so yeah sometimes it’s just nice to do something fun and silly,” said Farrah.
In order to make the event more interesting, Minoza concentrated on making it somewhat competitive and included a Pumpkin carving contest.
I think it’s really important for us to take time for our mental health
“I think it’s just a really fun activity and then we also created it to be a contest so that our students could do a contest and then we all just vote who has the best pumpkin carving,” said Minoza.
Making jack-o’-lanterns are a popular Halloween custom that came from Ireland and spread to North America. Scary faces, witches, ghosts, and a variety of other Halloween-themed themes are frequently used in designs, giving homes and communities a festive and spooky feel.
Minoza intends to offer more events in the future and is committed to supporting students’ mental health while upholding their cultural traditions.
“We will be hosting event for Indigenous students here in our lodge, beading a puppy for Remembrance Day, [where] we will have an Indigenous teacher who focuses on the importance of beading in our traditions and Indigenous communities,” said Minoza.
