“Now I’ve got my foot in the door and I can be an advocate for our people,” Onida Banksland declares. She is originally from Aklavik but now lives in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. She has worked as the elders day program coordinator and later for the territorial government. She longed to work for an Indigenous organization and found a role where she gets to help her own people.

When she was twenty, Banksland took the Recreation Leaders program at Aurora College, a two-year diploma program. She liked working with the public, helping people and participating in events. After attending conferences and touring various facilities down South, she felt inspired to try to offer more services to elders in her home community to reduce travel and wait times. She became the elders day program coordinator at the regional hospital, a role she remembers fondly because of the opportunity to visit and cater to elders daily.

She has since completed two courses from the Banff Centre on Indigenous leadership and she is striving towards a diploma from there. Banksland also got her culinary arts diploma from NAIT, something that has allowed her to make more money from catering gigs on the side of her regular work. She’s observed a lack of dining opportunities in her community and reinforces how needed culinary skills are where she lives. In her community, she also loves to help with fundraising for local organizations and her son’s sports teams.

Her advice for Indigenous youth leaving their home communities to seek out opportunities is “Don’t be scared. Go!” She emphasizes how many of their people can be found in places like Edmonton and Calgary to show they would not be alone. While it may be intimidating to leave one’s home community, Banksland says, “You’re going to step into a whole new world and it’s going to be busy! The time is going to fly and you’re going to be gaining so much knowledge.” She recalls the community and support she found in the Indigenous support centre at NAIT and knows these kinds of resources are available in many schools to help with times of loneliness and homesickness.

Thinking back on the obstacles she’s faced, she struggled as a young mother with things like childcare, but found organizations that could help her. Doing her homework as she made dinner, Banksland carved out time every day after they ate for family time together. Learning what worked for her and finding balance in her responsibilities helped, too. She encourages others facing similar challenges to reach out for help to friends and family.

Funding was another challenge Banksland faced. With student financial assistance levels struggling to keep pace with accommodations, she recommends preparing early and saving ahead of time and applying for as many bursaries and scholarships as possible to have the best chance to be successful.

Looking back on what she would tell her younger self, Banksland says she wishes she listened to her parents about getting up and finishing school early, before fun and play. She also would have liked to be told to start saving, travel the world, get her education and to do everything on her bucket list.

Inspiring her to do what she does in her education and her work, Banksland points to her dad. He was a vocal advocate who was part of the land claim negotiation. “I always knew I wanted to be a big voice like him one day,” she beams.

Helping her people every day, Onida Banksland enjoys her role and is passionate about working within an Indigenous organization. After struggling as a young mother, she found the resources she needed to thrive and advance in her career. Following in her father’s footsteps, she is active in her community and representing his legacy.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.