PATRICIA MARTIN is from M’Chigeeng First Nation onManitoulin Island. She grew up in Toronto, Ontario and completed high school at William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute. Following graduation, a family member recommended she go to Miziwe Biik to help her with resume writing and finding a job. She connected with employment counsellor Sarah Belisle, and recalls the Career Assessments they did to be especially beneficial. The Strong Interest Inventory, SkillScan and Values Card Sort were helpful to reflect on her values and passions in terms of employment. It gave her a better idea of potential career paths.
Patricia completed training at Miziwe Biik for First Aid/ CPR, Mental Health First Aid, WHMIS and Food Handlers certifications. She found employment funded by Miziwe Biik, at Aboriginal Legal Services as their Administrative Assistant Trainee. Working at ALS, she gained administration, human resources, and reception skills. She also learned how to write funding proposals and reports for Miziwe Biik. Patricia reflects that ALS was an amazing place to work and her manager Edith Moore was the best. “It was amazing to see a strong Indigenous woman at the heart of an organization.”
Currently, Patricia is the Human Resources Coordinator at Canadian Roots Exchange, a non-profit organization that seeks to develop relations between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous population in Canada through dialogue, understanding and relationship building. CRE convenes meetings of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth across Canada for exchange programs, youth leadership development, educational workshops and national gatherings. The National Indigenous Youth Network will launch soon, stay tuned! Patricia’s long term goal is to be able to give back to the community by providing mental health and wellness services. In the next five years she hopes to be enrolled in university for Counselling Psychology
