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A place of shelter and education for Indigenous men

Ryerson alum Steve Teekens discusses the philosophy of an Indigenous shelter
By: Will Sloan
June 19, 2018
Steve Teekens

Photo: Steve Teekens, executive director of Na-Me-Res (Native Men’s Residence), graduated from Public Administration and Governance in 2017. Photo by Alia Youssef.

For Steve Teekens (public administration and governance ’17), an Ojibwe and member of Nipissing First Nation, traditional drumming was his first love. “Ever since I was a young person hearing that big Pow Wow drum for the first time, it drew me in like a magnet. I wanted to be around it, and I wanted to learn. There was just something that urged me to want to learn.”

As lead singer of the Red Spirit Singers, he has performed at events ranging from World Youth Day in 2002 to the #TorontoStrong vigil at Mel Lastman Square in April. As a music teacher, Teekens saw how the traditional and culture of drumming could be a tool for spiritual guidance.

“I used to work with youth, and once I learned the drumming myself and the teachings that go with it, it helped me to live a better life—live a straight path and not get in trouble. I thought this might be a good intervention for some of the youth we work with.”

Steve Teekens already had a long and multifaceted career by the time he enrolled at Ryerson in 2011. In addition to teaching music, he served for many years in various youth services, and since 2008 has been executive director of Na-Me-Res (external link)  (Native Men’s Residence). “I thought: It’s time to get my qualifications for the role I’m already in,” said Teekens. “I was doing it a little bit backwards, but that’s what prompted me, along with the encouragement of the former executive director, to pursue this.”

In addition to providing emergency shelter for Indigenous men, Na-Me-Res seeks to meet its residents’ spiritual, emotional, and practical needs. The shelter offers life-skills workshops, addiction and mental health support, and creative workshops, as well as activities and ceremonies rooted in Indigenous culture. “I think it’s extremely important for our men that there’s some sort of cultural intervention to make them proud of where they come from,” said Teekens. “We incorporate a lot of cultural programs, services, and interventions: there’s a circle every Friday, ceremonies every Wednesday, drumming classes every Tuesday, classes for Cree and Ojibwe languages—no other shelters do that.”

Teekens came to Ryerson as a part-time student, and found that the career/school balance had unexpected benefits. “It seemed like courses would come along that would be relevant to the things that were going on at work at the time. For instance, the human resources classes I was taking were totally applicable to a time when we were reviewing our HR policies. There was a course on strategic planning, and it just happened to be at a time when we were crafting our new strategic plan.”

Teekens is now pursuing a master’s of public administration at Queen’s University, while Na-Me-Res continues to grow. “We’re continuing to grow—we have our continuum of care for Indigenous and non-Indigenous men who are homeless,” he said.

“More recently we’ve become landlords, so we have two houses in the city that we’re fixing up—that will be 16 units of affordable housing for our men. In this city, it’s becoming more and more challenging to find affordable units, but I figured instead of trying to find things that aren’t there, create them.”

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