First contact story a winner

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Nicole Nicholas, 16, from Victoria has placed first in the 2005 Aboriginal Youth Writing Challenge with her story of first contact on the West Coast.

The Grade 11 student who attends Spectrum Community School wrote about a time when Europeans and Aboriginal peoples were first acquainted with each other.

It was a research project for her and she enjoyed writing the story because it gave her the chance to learn more about Aboriginal history and a lot about her own Haida culture, she said.

"What I enjoyed most about this writing challenge was being able to write about the Haida culture because I learned a lot about myself and it also inspired my mom to learn more."

According to her author's statement, Nicholas wrote about first contact because she thinks that if Europeans hadn't come and treated the Aboriginal peoples as they did, life for all Aboriginal people would have been different. When asked about what would be different she said, "probably not too much but there would probably be more peace with the land."

The writing challenge was sponsored by Enbridge, an energy company active in North American and around the world. The Dominion Institute, a national charitable organization dedicated to promoting Canadian history, organized the challenge. The contest was inspired by the publication of the Dominion Institute's Our Story, which is a short story compilation that includes contributions by nine Aboriginal writers. The book was launched in Calgary on Oct. 20, 2004.

"What's nice about this writing challenge is that not only do the students learn about their own history, but at the same time they are also teaching us who read the stories about those moments in history," said Alison Faulknor, managing director of the Dominion Institute.

"We were really impressed with the quality of stories that came in. The sensitivity with which the students treated the topic was amazing, and the research that they obviously did along with the creativity that they put into it really showed through their work."

Nicholas' thirst for knowledge earned her a $500 cash prize, which she said would stay in her bank account until she decides what to do with it.

Nicole Nicholas also travelled to Ottawa to attend a special event and read an excerpt from her story to a group of Aboriginal leaders and authors.

"I was so nervous about reading my story in front of everyone that I forgot to bring a copy of it with me to read and memorize on the plane to Ottawa," she said.

She only messed up a couple of times, she said, but knew the reading went well because after she was finished some of the Aboriginal leaders and authors came up to her and said they really enjoyed listening to her story and especially to hear it read by the person who wrote it.

"They said it was really inspirational and touching," said Nicholas. "It was a huge confidence booster being there and having people say these things to me."

Nicholas said she was unaware of how big this writing challenge was until she arrived in Ottawa and that's when she said everything started happening. While she was in Ottawa, she met with Adrienne Clarkson, then-governor general of Canada.

"I enjoyed meeting everyone in Ottawa, especially the governor general," said Nicholas. "It made me feel really good that she took time out of her busy schedule to meet with me and sign a copy of Our Story for me. I am still taking it all in that I won."

Nicholas will be profiled in a Canadian Learning Television and Book Television TV feature. Once her interview is aired, Nicholas said she would definitely record it and keep it along with articles about her success. A piece will be taken from Nicholas' story and published in Beaver Magazine, a publication devoted to popularizing Canadian history.

Students who placed in the top 10 in the writing challenge received a $200 cash prize each. All winning essays are published online and all participants received a certificte of recognition for their participation.

The deadline for the upcoming contest is May 6, 2006. Students who are interested in learning more about the contest should visit www.our-story.ca or call 1-866-701-1867.