Hi, my name is Bryson Rogers, and I am from Norman Wells, NT.

My parents are Nicky Richards and Chris Rogers.

My parents and I moved away from Norman Wells when I was three, then my mother and I moved back to Norman Wells when I was six without my father. Stuart Pope stepped into our lives shortly after that and has taken the role of my father for many years. Stuart taught me the ways of the Sahtu; How to treat the land, how to hunt, love, and respect our beautiful home for its bountiful nature and unsullied grandness.

I grew up in Norman Wells as a lost child, trying to find my way in a confusing social system. I struggled with seasonal depression, anxiety, anger, fear, and confusion. I coped with these issues by abusing alcohol and drugs, trying to forget all that pain; it never worked.

I am now two years sober and finally healing from all that pain. True to myself, I am growing every day, and I understand now that escaping through any means doesn't free you from your pain so much as it suppresses and compresses it tightly inside you.. It's confusing being a human, and it's confusing understanding how to process internal pain. I believe bringing clarity to this topic is important to our region's healing and growth.

I am in love with our region, our land, and our way of life. I can sense that the tradition I felt as a boy, and the connection with nature, are diminishing. It's about time the Sahtu revitalized its connection with nature, tradition, and language.

The SSA strives to tackle our collective pain with a traditional way of healing, through educating our people on how to process their pain healthily, reconnecting with the land, the language, and the culture, using community and unconditional support. We are here for you all.

Thank you all for being here, I am so excited to build this association with all of you!

President of Sahtu Support Association

Bryson Rogers