Justin Mizu spoke about his life and dealing with addiction at the Wellness Tent in Flying Dust. The Wellness Tent has several speakers talking about different aspects on health and wellness. (Nikita Ganovicheff/meadowlakeNOW Staff)

By Nikita Ganovicheff

Health and Wellness

Tony Cote First Nations Summer Games promotes health and wellness with Wellness Tent

Jul 17, 2019 | 10:38 AM

The Tony Cote First Nations Summer Games isn’t only about competition and athletics, it also promotes different aspects of health and wellness.

Justin Mizu was one of the speakers at the Wellness Tent on Tuesday. Mizu spoke about his early life as a drug addict and his journey breaking free from addiction.

“The reason I came here today is to bring hope and to share my story to tell people that it is possible to change,” Mizu said. “It’s not easy but it is possible.”

Mizu was addicted to crystal meth in his younger days while living in Southern Saskatchewan. He then took part in a year-long drug and alcohol rehabilitation program called Teen Challenge at a centre outside of Saskatoon.

“It gave me the time I needed and gave me the introduction to people around me that were able to mentor me and coach me,” Mizu said. “It’s where I learned to become the person I was created to be and I realized I wasn’t created to be an addict.”

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Mizu said one of the lessons he wanted the children to take away from his talk was you can always change no matter your position in life.

“When you step into that life that you were created for, it’s so much better than trying to get joy or happiness on our own. There’s a life we were created for and when we step into it, it not only helps us get through the addiction but it helps us in every area of our lives.”

Mizu hoped to find a connection with the children taking part in the Summer Games and help steer them in a better direction in life.

“Knowing it’s possible to change no matter how bad it gets, addictions can be a dark hopeless place and whether it’s you or a family member going through it,” he said.

He added children attending the talk were engaged and asked a lot of questions.

“It was one of the things I was really hoping for and it just started to happen. It really shows me they’re engaged, they’re interested. I didn’t have to ask them questions, they put their hands up and they wanted to know more.”

Mizu said he’s thankful for the Wellness Tent being a part of the Summer Games and thankful he’s able to share his story as he feels a lot of people in remote communities have a strong connection to addiction.

“They come to play a game or they come to be a part of an event and they get to hear something that might change their lives for the better,” he said.

The Wellness Tent is located near the Pineridge Ford Arena next to the stage and will have speakers on July 15 to 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Talks range from stories about addiction and identity and talks from elders. Faith Bosse and Myrna LaPlante will speak on Thursday, July 18 about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

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nikita.ganovicheff@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @Nikitaganov