Transcipt of Candice’s Interview
Can you please tell us who you are and where you’re from?
Hello, my name is Candice. I am from Cheslatta, which is just outside of Burns Lake. I’m a 60s scoop child, so I was adopted out into a white family and I was raised here in Victoria. I have worked doing family support and healthcare my whole life and I really enjoy that kind of work.
I’ve been living on Tsawout land now for almost two years, and I absolutely love the communities here. I love my involvement and I’m really glad to be working in the communities, getting a little bit of culture, even if it’s not my own.
Would you be able to speak to the education and experience that you bring to the role you’re doing right now?
My education is that I have done my family support certificate with Camosun College. I also did my RCA certificate at Camosun College too, RCA being healthcare. I have a number of years of experience working with families and children.
I also have done training in just small little side things. So I have training in doing ASQs, which are assessments of babies and toddlers. On kind of a personal level, some of the fun stuff that I’ve done is SCUBA diving, lifeguarding, and sign language. I have quite an extensive knowledge of sign language.
What’s your role at NIŁ TU,O?
I am a family support worker, so my role is to, if a family would like a little extra support, then I am somebody that they can call on. I can help them with a lot of different issues in regards to making appointments, getting hooked up with professionals, supporting them, just in terms of getting out and about and getting things done. Sometimes, you know, it can be the everyday tasks that have just built up and have all of a sudden become overwhelming. So I’m there to help try to make things a little less overwhelming. Basically, I’m on the side of the family and I’m there to help the family. I can join families on meeting with MCFD or legal aid if the family would like another person there to ask questions or to listen to the information/plan being discussed for the family.
Do you have anything else that you would like the community to know?
I think basically what I want anybody to know is that I’m just really happy to be here, to be working with the community. I love my job and just in terms of getting help, I know sometimes it’s really hard to ask for help. We all need to have a little assistance and a little support every now and then, and there’s no shame in that. We’re just here to help support in any way we can, and so, yeah, that’s my passion.
