Interfaith mental health conference comes to YK, Hay River

A conference intended to create dialogue among different religious groups is coming to two NWT communities.

The annual Voices for Peace event will mark 15 years when it reaches Yellowknife’s Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre on September 22, organizers said.

Mozaffar Ahmad, an imam with Ontario-based Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Canada, said the event’s discussion focuses on the topics of mental health and resilience.

“It’s a topic that spreads throughout every community, regardless of faith or culture,” Ahmad told Cabin Radio on Thursday.

“It’s an interfaith event where everyone comes together and speaks on this important topic, and gives different avenues on how to address this topic, and how to honestly help one another.”

Ahmad said the conference first happened when people from the Ahmadi Muslim community in Calgary drove to Yellowknife “to spread the teachings of peace” and get to know the residents.

Ahmad believes turnout at the event has gradually increased over the years.

The discussion previously happened at the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre before organizers decided to move to a bigger venue. During the pandemic, the event briefly moved online. This year, Ahmad said they’ll try to set up a livestream so people can join virtually.

Yellowknife deputy mayor Garett Cochrane will be in attendance to moderate the discussion. Speakers include Shutoatine former broadcaster and chief Paul Andrew, longtime Yellowknifer Patrick Scott, Imam Aizaz Khan and NWT chief public health officer Dr Kami Kandola.

“They are going to express maybe how they would address mental health and how it relates to them, or how it relates to their faith or their community or background. For example, we have people from the Aboriginal spiritual community, the Christianity community and the Islamic community,” Ahmad said.

“It’s also something we’re really looking forward to in the sense that it shows all the different avenues and all the different ways we can help each other, as well as learn from each other. To see the similarities that we have, not just the differences.”

On September 23, Ahmad will travel to Hay River to represent the Ontario charity as an imam at a similar event being held for the seventh time in the town.

Speakers at Hay River’s recreation centre will include Mayor Kandis Jameson, Kátł’odeeche First Nation Chief April Martel and Diamond Jenness Secondary School principal Lynne Beck.

Ahmad said organizers are working toward bringing this form of discussion to smaller communities in the territory.

“I have visited Fort Providence and Fort Smith as well. We haven’t had official programs there yet. We’ve had more one-on-one conversations and meeting people of those residences, but we travel throughout the Northwest Territories,” he said.

“We don’t have anything on that scale yet, but we’re working towards it, and Inshallah, we will be able to have something at a larger scale for all of these different areas.”