Avonlea Collins says she didnB次元官网网址檛 know what kind of show it was that she was applying to when she saw the advertisement last spring, but decided to give it a go anyways.
B次元官网网址淲e didnB次元官网网址檛 hear any specifics about the show, you just applied if you considered yourself to be an adventurous, outspoken Canadian, which I think I am, so I signed up,B次元官网网址� said Collins from her home in Chilliwack.
The show she was applying for, Collins would learn, was for the , and it was going to be a reality, documentary-style show, although the final details werenB次元官网网址檛 delivered until after cast members had agreed to be a part of the project.
B次元官网网址漀one of us knew what the show was going on until the end, as (the showB次元官网网址檚 producers) werenB次元官网网址檛 informative about the specifics (at the start),B次元官网网址� explained Collins.
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Once selected for the showB次元官网网址�First ContactB次元官网网址擟ollins says cast members were filled in on its purpose and the stories producers were hoping theyB次元官网网址檇 have the opportunity to tell through 28 days of shooting in various locations across the country.
B次元官网网址淎t first, I was a little worried at the beginning because youB次元官网网址檙e (always) a little (scared) about how youB次元官网网址檙e going to be portrayed,B次元官网网址� continued Collins.
B次元官网网址淏ut I took that risk, jumped in two feet first, and IB次元官网网址檓 really happy I did,B次元官网网址� said Collins emphatically. B次元官网网址淚 feel like I have received a really positive outcome from the whole experience.B次元官网网址�
However, as they headed into the taping of the show, Collins says she struggled accepting the notion that she possessed stereotypes about CanadaB次元官网网址檚 indigenous population.
Avonlea Collins (centre) tries seal for the first time. Collins, along with five others, spent 28 days travelling across Canada with a camera crew meeting Indigenous people from a variety of different cultures. APTN's "First Contact" airs Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. (Submitted)
B次元官网网址淚 grew up in Pemberton, and all my high school life I was in school with indigenous kids and white farm kids,B次元官网网址� said Collins. B次元官网网址淭here wasnB次元官网网址檛 a lot of diversity, but it didnB次元官网网址檛 matter. We all grew up together (and) had slumber parties. I didnB次元官网网址檛 think I had stereotypes, but through this I learned that I do.
B次元官网网址淭he biggest (stereotype I had) was believing indigenous people are receiving things from the government that I wasnB次元官网网址檛, and it felt unfair. (But) through my journey I learned that wasnB次元官网网址檛 the case what so ever: the money they receive comes from their bands from a trust thatB次元官网网址檚 (not) created (from our tax dollars).
B次元官网网址淏ut now I have a (more complete) understanding of the situation and a drive to learn more,B次元官网网址� added Collins.
A exploration into indigenous culture in Canada, is a three-part series narrated by George Stroumboulopoulos, a well-known Canadian TV personality and social justice activist.
Following the personal journeys of Collins and five other Canadians as they tour indigenous communities from coast to coast, First Contact illustrates the dichotomous relationship still surrounding indigenous communities in an attempt to challenge the perceptions and prejudices about a culture few get to fully experience.
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However, for Collins, shortly after the cameras started following her around the communities they were visiting, she experienced an epiphany: B次元官网网址淲e became able to ask nearly any question we wanted the answer to B次元官网网址� so it made it so I was able to learn more freely, and (the stereotypes fell away) pretty quick when those questions started getting answers.B次元官网网址�
Travelling throughout B.C., the show also went into the heart of indigenous communities in Winnipeg, Nunavut, Alberta, and Ontario.
B次元官网网址淚 couldnB次元官网网址檛 thank the communities more for (their openness and acceptance of us),B次元官网网址� said Collins. B次元官网网址淭hey truly opened up about their hardest times, which is one of the hardest things to do.B次元官网网址�
Taping for First Contact took place over the course of 28 days earlier this spring, and during that month, Collins was not only away from both her husband and two small sons, but her contact with them was limited due to the regions they were visiting, and the directorB次元官网网址檚 desire to have them live their experiences on camera, not on the phone talking to their families back home.
However, Collins says it was worth sacrificing that time with her family.
B次元官网网址淚t was bigger than me and them,B次元官网网址� said Collins of her decision to join the showB次元官网网址檚 cast. B次元官网网址淣ow theyB次元官网网址檒l be able to look back and say, B次元官网网址楬ey! ThatB次元官网网址檚 my mom and she did that for us!B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
More-so, Collins says it was also an incredible personal journey and sheB次元官网网址檚 glad for the experience. B次元官网网址淲e went to a community in Nunavut that I was in awe of,B次元官网网址� said the stay-at-home-mom of two.
B次元官网网址淭he beauty of it and their community, and the way they interacted with each other: itB次元官网网址檚 not about trading for money or anything, it was about uplifting each other.
B次元官网网址淭hey only looked at their neighbourB次元官网网址檚 plate to make sure they had enough, not to see what they can take. TheyB次元官网网址檙e all incredible human beings, and I hope others can see their culture for what it truly is, not what they may think it is.
B次元官网网址滻 really just hope other people can see (the show) and see something of themselves in me and apply my learning and experience back to themselves and ask, B次元官网网址榃ould I have gained the same thing?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
First Contact is a three-night television event, starting Sept. 11 at 7 p.m., comprising three episodes and a two-part reunion special featuring three of the showB次元官网网址檚 indigenous hosts along with the cast members who will reflect on their experiences before a live studio audience.
Sarah.Gawdin@theprogress.com
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