08/07/2017
Sewakwatho Family Empowerment Camp 2017
From Sewakwatho staff, Board Members and the families who participated in this event, thank you to the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Akwesasne Community Partnership Fund for making this wonderful weekend possible.
It was a wonderful weekend along the St. Lawrence River at ATSIAKTA “By the River” where Camp Sewakwatho took place from July 28 to the 30, 2017. We were blessed with blue skies and outstanding conditions for camping and we took full advantage. The weekend started with Missy Francis Sewakwatho Board Member and Karakwas Doxtator providing the Ohenten Kariwatekwen - Thanks Giving Address. Debbie Martin Sewakwatho Program Manager welcomed the families and provided each camper with a special gift bag that included a beach towel, a journal, a pen, a flash light, I AM THE LIGHT bracelet. The gift bags for kids included the above plus a teddy bear and a compass. Each family also received an abalone shell & sage.
A delicious meal was ready at 5pm and for the next hour campers spent time exploring the property and getting familiar with each other. At 6:30 pm Shannon Hall from the Good Mind Project talked to us about the project and restoring peace, pride and unity. We sat in full view of the river as she talked, her words encouraged us all to have a Good Mind and to share our knowledge of culture with each other.
Children played and laughed along the river side as parents were sitting together watching, talking and enjoying the magical evening. At 9:30 D&T outdoor cinema set-up and what a special time it was enjoying popcorn and watching a movie under the cool night sky. We cheered and laughed as we watched Ghost Busters III late into the evening until little yawning faces were carried to their tent and cuddled to sleep.
The next morning many parents sat together talking about the “monster” that roamed the grounds during the night and how thankful we were to have survived. Of course, we all thought the “monster” (possibly a hungry raccoon) was out to get us but good thing he couldn’t get in our tent. A hefty selection of cereals, fruit and yogurt was ready for breakfast at 8am and after a long night boy were we hungry.
After breakfast, we gathered along the river for a Tai Chi Class with Shannon Hall. Shannon gave a wonderful class demonstrating the movements of Tai Chi and teaching us how to breath and move the energy. The movements are slow and controlled but work the body from head to toe, it was a truly enjoyable experience.
At 10 am PJ Burnes and Norman King pulled up to the dock in their fishing boats ready to take the kids out for fishing. PJ brought with him 12 fishing poles, reels, tackle bags and life jackets, all provided by the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police. The kids were so excited to receive these new gifts and for some of them it was their first fishing pole and first fishing experience. Two of the children caught fish and were very proud fisherman! It was a joy to see the smiling faces as they came walking off the dock after their fishing trip. Although the time slotted for the fishing excursion was only two hours, the memories will last a lifetime.
Cubby Jackson set up and for a couple hours as she offered all parents and grandparents an amazing 15-minute chair massage. The massage was absolutely wonderful, for some it was their first time and for others it had been a while but everyone felt so good after. A blessing, we are so happy Cubby was able to be there for our special weekend.
After a delicious lunch, Shannon Hall facilitated a family team building activity that consisted of a handful of uncooked spaghetti, 6 marshmallows, 3’ piece of string and 4’ piece of scotch tape. The task was to build the tallest tower using the items provided, you can cut any of the items but a full marshmallow was to be at the top of your tower. This activity was fun and stressful at the same time, we had to work together, plan together and build together. After the winners were determined and awarded with a yummy bag of marshmallows it was on to a “Rock, Paper, Scissors” tournament. Two people play and the winner of three rounds moves on to the next round, but the person who lost becomes a cheerleader to the person they lost against. By the end of the tournament half the group was cheering for their team and the other half was cheering for their team. So much fun and excellent cheering by the wining team. After this challenge we moved outside where Shannon separated the group into two teams, team 1 and team 2. This challenge consisted of a 10x10 tarp and a tennis ball and the rules are you have to hang onto the tarp, you cannot let go but you have to flip the tarp and keep the ball on the top. Team two was still thinking about how to complete the task when Team one figured it out and won. The next challenge was for both teams to stand on top if their tarp and to work together and flip the tarp over without falling off. This time Team two won this challenge moving quickly and working together. Super fun and excellent team work activities. Hats off to Shannon Hall for encouraging us to work together and for bringing us all a little closer.
We had time for a short break than it was craft time as Charity Lazore provided all the supplies for a “I AM” canvas art project. We received a blank canvas that we painted the color of our choice, when we were done painting the canvas we put it in the sun to dry. We than cut put a silhouette that we would later glue onto our canvas. Next, we read over a couple pages of words and chose the ones that best describes us like “Honest” “Brave” “Creative” etc. and then cut them out and pasted all the pieces onto our canvas. Beautiful, we were in the company of artists and you can see the creativity that came through in the complete project.
It was now time for swimming and did they ever enjoy themselves in the water, laughing and splashing around. It may have taken some of the younger swimmers a little longer to get in the water but when they did there was no stopping them. It’s a good thing supper was ready at 5pm because the only thing getting the kids out of the water was food.
After supper, we gathered along the river for another Tai Chi Class with Shannon Hall. Because we learned the basic moves and techniques that morning this time around it was a little easier to follow along. We were facing the warm early evening sun as we moved quietly and slowly together, it was a truly enjoyable experience.
Shortly after we wrapped up with Shannon DJ White arrived with Josh Sargent with drums and rattles for traditional singing and dancing. As DJ and Josh sang little ones rocked in their chairs or nodded their heads to the beat. Some were a little shy to get up and dance but a little encouragement from DJ and Josh and everyone was up in no time. DJ sang as Josh guided us in the round dance and for the most part, everyone participated and enjoyed the time. Thank you, DJ and Josh.
Around 9:15 pm as the sun was slowly setting D&T Outdoor Cinema arrived and we set up our chairs and wrapped up in blankets to watch “the Secret Life of Pets”. It was a day of new experiences, being creative and having fun and now it was so nice to unwind and see the little ones settling in and enjoying the movie. Soon little ones were falling asleep and it was time to call it a night and slip into our tents one final time.
Our final day together started with an over the top delicious breakfast buffet that included a ham and cheese omelet, sausage, bacon, home fried potatoes, fruit, toast, coffee and juice. Darlene Cooke catered all our meals for the weekend and she did an excellent job, we ate like kings and queens.
After breakfast, we gathered to talk about what the weekend meant to us and to say thank you to Sewakwatho for having us. Charity Lazore helped us translate those thoughts and feelings into a creative card project.
At the conclusion of the weekend we heard many kind words of thanks and statements like “I never had so much fun”, “I can’t thank you enough for this weekend”, “This was a blessing”
We are very thankful and we have many amazing people to thank for making this wonderful weekend possible. The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Akwesasne Community Partnership Fund, The St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police, Tsiorasa Barreiro, Shannon Hall, Karakwas Doxtator, D&T Outdoor Cinemas, PJ Burnes, Norman King, Rob White, Danielle Oakes, Charity Lazore, DJ White, Josh Sargent, Cubby Jackson, Darlene Cooke, Janine & Marshall Rourke, Missy Francis, Andy Cook, Derek Cook, Andrew Cook, Tammy White. Nia:wen Kowa, you are forever in our hearts.
Sewakwatho is a grass-roots program born out of a need to provide a gathering place for community members in recovery from alcohol and drugs to continue their journey of sobriety, and was established in August 2014. The program provides a safe place for participants to hold meetings, conduct fellowship events, share meals, and attend 12-step meetings. We provide space for recovery meetings, a lounge and TV room, a kitchen, a meditation room, a reiki room, and during the summer months there is outside meeting space. There is no judgment in our program and it is our intent that no one is denied the opportunity to succeed in the quest for sobriety.
