By Bryan Eneas

Well-known indigenous actor visits Muskoday’s youth

Nov 16, 2016 | 3:46 PM

With more sober living initiatives making waves in First Nations communities across Canada, finding indigenous voices to spread the message is becoming less difficult.

Justin Rain, the star of such television shows as APTN’s Blackstone, and the third installment of the Twilight series is one of those voices.

Rain made a visit to the Muskoday First Nations Community School to speak with the youth about the benefits of living sober. Rain is a Plains Cree First Nation, and a Queen Mary’s Community School alumni who now lives in Vancouver.

Ron Quintal, an addictions support worker from the Muskoday Health Centre, said Rain’s presence in the building gave the youth a recognizable face while delivering an important message.

“For me to see someone like Justin come out, it’s a way to give children hope. It’s a way to give teens hope,” Quintal said. “It’s a way to say ‘hey, wait a minute, yeah, we can make it.’”

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Quintal said he went through his own battles with addictions, which lead him to find the position he holds today. Quintal said in his position, the most he can offer people is hope.

“Sometimes when you get into certain communities or areas there’s no hope,” Quintal said. “Because youth don’t see any hope they get caught up into the cycle of addiction, crime, different things like that.”

Rain grew up facing many various challenges as a youth, from not having his father around while growing up, to nearly dying from drug abuse, his road to the silver screen hasn’t been easy. He said for him, acting became a creative outlet and a form of therapy.

Surrounding oneself with positive individuals was one of the main points of Rain’s message to Muskoday’s school children. He said he now surrounds himself with positive, “straight arrow” individuals.

Rain said he believes in the benefits of positive thinking as well.

“If you can’t believe you can do something, then so it will be,” Rain said. “Filling your head with that stuff will make your negative reality come true.”

Rain said partying for him has now become reading books and scripts instead of visiting clubs or bars for a break.

Addictions awareness week is ongoing in Muskoday. Quintal said for him, awareness doesn’t stop after this week.

“I’m a firm believer that even though there’s a designated week for addictions, it’s a yearly thing,” Quintal said. “I do ongoing presentations in the community, wherever they want me to do it… I plan to keep this awareness going basically all year round.”

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas