Crystal Amos, proud Ditidaht First Nations member, honoured nominee of the upcoming elections for the open seat on council.
I have been thinking about why members felt the need to nominate me for these elections and let me inform you on why that may be so. I believe strongly that there are some positive changes that need to be made and I am a strong advocate for our members in need. I am passionate about my beliefs/culture and feel our language is something we strongly need to grasp onto. I am active in our community when it comes to supporting all community events and I am always there physically, emotionally, and willingly.
My late grandmother was Evelyn Marshall. Her mother was Grace Thompson, the eldest sister of Mike Thompson, who is one of our fluent speakers here in our community. My Grandmother played a huge role in raising me and was strongly connected to her culture and spirituality. She taught me many good teachings, including a teaching that I hold dear to my heart and that is to help people out when they are in need, no matter what. You do it without being asked and I do. If our Nation has lost someone, you show support in any way possible.
I helped bring our youth to the National Aboriginal Indigenous games, I book my vacation time around the Tlu-piich games, so that I can help run the canoe races, along side my husband Peter Amos, the community’s canoe coach, who was the head coach of Team BC for the past 2 Nationals, where we helped support our Ditidaht youth so they can achieve their goals and bring home the gold. I volunteer many hours and days to community events and attend as many cultural gatherings as possible because I am proud of who I am and where I come from. I give so much of my time because as a youth, I grew up urban and depended on the Friendship center recreation workers to keep us busy and motivated. I had those active role models in my life and want to pay it forward to our youth of today by being that same role model. I know the challenges of living away from home and want to support everyone, both community members and urban members as well. We should all be one, without those labels.
I hold my diplomacy in Early Childhood Care and Education, which specializes in Infants/Toddlers and special needs. I have worked with the school district 70 as a Native Education Worker, I have worked for Tseshaht’s Recreation Department for Elders and youth, I worked in the Tseshaht Daycare until I came across a job opportunity 12 years ago to come home to our Nation and work at the Asasabuus Daycare (Ditidaht daycare). I started as a floor support and worked my way up to now the Manager position. I have sat on the USMA board here in the community and the parents club for the Ditidaht Community School. I now sit on the Language Committee board and sit on the Ditidaht Economics Development Corporation Board as well. I have attended and completed our first year of Adult language class, which gave me University of Victoria credits for completion. I have always worked with our youth, wherever I went and continue to do so. I also believe that teaching children our language at an early age, is key to grasping onto that dialect and giving our leaders of tomorrow, the strongest head start. With that, they will gain that same sense of pride and resiliency with the support of our loving elders.
I want to strive to be one. To break down that wall of division between our community and urban members. I want to move together in the right direction and support our housing department especially, so that we can work towards more housing for our Nation to provide more opportunities to move home. I want to create a healthy environment. I see firsthand of what areas need support and want to help members reach that healthy environment together. To let go of our hurt and pain of residential school intergeneration traumas, heal and grow. I want to create a strategic action plan that supports members to achieve all their goals to their greatest potential, whether that be with education, work certifications, parenting classes, family treatments, you name it, we can get there together. I strongly believe a strategic action plan for more work opportunities are also a must and being on the DEDC board, I know that this is possible in so many more ways than one, if we can all work together and support one another.
I have been on a healthy healing journey myself. I am not perfect and do not try to make myself appear so. I have had my own tough journey and personal healing. I chose to live the sober life and have been much happier on the red road of being alcohol free. I want to be the best role model to my children and others watching. I feel very proud of where I stand and all my achievements and hope you can trust in me to be there for our Nation, to listen with an open heart and show my empathy with future challenges that we will face as one.
I am not shy at all when it comes to public speaking. I feel more band meetings are a definite must so that our issues can be addressed, and our members can be heard.
Thank you for hearing me out. If you have more questions, feel free to email me at [email protected].
You can also call me at 250 731-4756 (c) or 250 745-3313 (w)
