Elect
Pasula, Sharon (Letendre)
Provincial Vice President
Métis Nation of Alberta, 2011 Election
Contact me ∞ 780 - 456 - 3774
∞ History ∞
Building on strong Métis roots in the community of Lac Ste Anne, I spent childhood summers helping Granny and Grandpa (Caroline and Archie Letendre) during the annual pilgrimage. Typical Métis entrepreneurs, Archie’s ‘stand’ were the only one for many years and helped meet a need for the pilgrims. This was a great introduction to business and hard work! Such was a Métis kid’s life.
My first annual assembly with Aunties and cousins in Lac La Biche was awesome and exciting; it was the first time I was inside a big tent, complete with sawdust on the floor. It was Métis culture at its finest, noisy with laughter, conversation and fun.
∞ Connecting ∞
Sharon connected with her roots in a formal way while in her final year at the University of Alberta. In 1990 she became a member of the Métis Association of Alberta (before it became the Métis Nation of Alberta) then on St Albert Trail in Edmonton. Wanting to ignite interest and spur growth, she supported the community by serving as a local president.
Sharon also served the Métis people in the capacity of literacy project coordinator. This was a new position and a new field at the time, both of which captured her interest and energy. During this time,
Sharon was also a founding member of the Métis Women of Alberta.
∞ Opportunity Knocks ∞
Opportunities presented themselves and Sharon went to Ottawa to serve Métis women as the first Executive Director for the Métis National Council of Women. While in Ottawa Sharon was an active member of the Ontario Métis Aboriginal Association now known as the Métis Nation of Ontario.
From there it was on to Manitoba for ten years, where she was a card carrying member of the Manitoba Métis Federation, again active in the local community. It was during this time that Sharon first attended the Batoche celebration in Saskatchewan, the ‘Jerusalem of the Métis.’
∞ Back Home ∞
After earning her Master of Arts degree in adult education in Manitoba, Sharon returned to Edmonton in 2003. She then registered her consulting business, Sharon A Pasula Consulting.
Her work focused on community and personal development and training. Sharon continued her healing journey, participating in support groups which evolved into group facilitation. Seeing the need for broader grief resolution she developed a curriculum Grief, Loss and Wholeness.
In 2008 Sharon felt the call to formal community support and successfully ran for the position of Vice President, Métis Regional Council, Region Four, Métis Nation of Alberta. She has continued volunteering and joined several organizations for both professional and personal reasons, such as the Aboriginal Women’s Professional Association (AWPA).
∞ 2008-2011 Regional VP ∞
Commitment, perseverance and community support have helped me raise the Métis profile in Region Four. Attending and presenting a Métis perspective at countless community and organizational events throughout the region resulted in numerous invitations to serve on boards, committees and consultation groups. Accepting as many invitations as possible has allowed me to better network members with resources, to field inquiries and to identify ways to meet needs in the Métis community.
I have participated in two of the three active locals in the region, met with mainstream politicians (federal, provincial, municipal) and presented Métis culture and identity to both children and adults in a variety of settings. Other areas of advocacy have emerged. One is to maintain our Aboriginal distinctiveness in the face of growing multiculturalism. There is a subtle and sometimes brazen move to homogenize Aboriginal peoples with multicultural groups, particularly in regards to programming. I also advocate for every program and grant to have an Aboriginal component. Who will help see this through? I WILL !
∞ More Than A Vision ∞
As Vice President of the Métis Nation of Alberta you will see relevant and significant results. I will continue advocacy work. We should also insist that all students take one Aboriginal elective per program. In university it would come from Native Studies for example. This is part of our Canadian heritage after all. Studies show that knowledge and familiarity can help reduce racism as well. The more people know about our contributions toward this country Canada, the less inclined toward racism they could be.
Finally, another area of import to the Nation I’ve witnessed is healing. Too many people operate out of woundedness. Healing/sharing circles and knowledge will aid in alleviating the pain many in our community experience and subsequently pass onto others. Let us revive the Métis Nation spirit. Vote for me on September 6, 2011.
P PASULA, Sharon (Letendre)
PProvincial Vice President
Brochure content written by Sharon Pasula
