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Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Object ID |
2023.22.5 |
Object Name |
Video Recording |
Title |
Sheldon Kennedy Interview |
Scope & Content |
Sheldon Kennedy interview, 2021. Born digital MP4, total viewing time 00:12:56. Transcript: Jeff Marek: Pleased to be joined now by the newest inductee into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. I know there's a smile in there somewhere, Sheldon Kennedy. And there it is. Quite the honor. How do you feel about it? Sheldon Kennedy: Well, I mean, it's a huge honour and I guess upon reflection, it's just a lot of gratitude. I never would've thunk that Sheldon Kennedy would be in any hall of fame or receive any awards, and definitely not during my NHL career for sure. But we've come a long ways and we've managed to hang in there and do some work around issues that carried a lot of fear, and I'm just so proud that people value the work that we're doing enough to acknowledge how important it is to say that this deserves to be in the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Jeff Marek: Listen, you've helped thousands and we can't say thank you to you enough as Canadians. Who do you think of at a moment like this? Sheldon Kennedy: Well, you know what? I have a very good friend of mine, his name's Wayne McNeil. He's been with me from start, since 1998 when we rollerbladed across this country. I think of Wayne. I also think of all the people that helped along the way. When we started talking about these issues 24 years ago, they weren't real popular. But you know what? There was enough leaders within sport and within our communities to say, "You know what? This is important and we're going to make a difference." And that's who I think of. And I also think of all of the other athletes that have brought their voice to the table over the years. And I also think about how we've shifted the way we think about these issues. There's one thing about the incident, and then there's another thing, what we really deal with, and that's the impact. And the impact is real, even though a lot of times we can't see it. But when we talk about mental health issues, a lot of them come from these types of incidences that happen to kids and as young athletes or young students, or whether it's in the family home or wherever it might be. So there's a lot of people that I think about. This hasn't been my own journey as far as doing this stuff myself. I have a lot of people that have helped me along the way. What we've learned is that sports has a platform. We had a platform to make a difference in our communities beyond sport. Jeff Marek: Sheldon, there must have been along the way... And listen, I can only imagine the nature of the conversation when you began your rollerblading across the country in '98 to where it's at now. I would imagine along their way, there must have been some tent pole moments, some impact moments where you realized, "Hold on a second here, this is taking root and we're eventually going to see some fruit because of it." What were some of those moments where Sheldon Kennedy said that this is changing and for the better? Sheldon Kennedy: Well, Jeff, one of the biggest fears that I had was that nobody's going to believe me when I was thinking I was going to tell my story, and I'm probably the only person that this has ever happened to, and I was left basically with no choice, that I need to tell my story or I probably wouldn't be around. So I did, and people believed me. And what I found out when my story hit the papers was that I wasn't the only one. We had received thousands, tens of thousands of letters from individuals around the world telling their stories, and it seemed to be people wanted me to be that voice. I don't know if I've ever made a decision to say, "This is what I'm going to do." People have kept bringing me back into this space to be the voice. And I'm been very honoured to do that. But that was one. I knew I was never alone. The other one was when I was rollerblading across the country, this conversation had to happen outside of town in most places. People couldn't tell us what was going on in their life and they had to wait till we were outside of town on the road, rollerblading down the road, and they would disclose to us something that was going on in their life. And what I realized is that this was not just about sexual abuse. This was about all forms and all types of abuse. And what I realized at this point was that the type of abuse, the person, the place, the time was different, but the impact was very, very consistent as we went across the country and what people were struggling with. Depression, mental health, anxiety, addiction, I mean, the list goes on. So that was another one. And then I think one of the big things was Jeff Nachuk out of the Sport Manitoba saying, "You know what? We're going to make this mandatory training for all of our coaches." Wayne, my business partner, and I formed a company called Respect Group, and we trained coaches and parents, school teachers and corporations across this country. We've trained over 1.4 million people. Those were big points for us, and where we've really got to, and I think I've had a realization about five years ago, Jeff, is that when we first started doing this work, if you had a prevention program in place, that meant you had problems in your organization. We're at a point now where if you don't have a prevention program in place, we're not signing up. So it's gone from, "Oh boy, we're not signing up because they have problems," to basically a retention and a recruitment and an expectation of an organization. Jeff Marek: That that's outstanding. And Sheldon, when I think of you and you go in as a Builder, and again, we all owe a big thank you to Sheldon Kennedy. I think you've been a light, I think you've been a ladder, I think you've been a life raft. You've been a lot of things to a lot of people. Going back to when your journey began, what are you most proud of? Sheldon Kennedy: Well, I'm most proud of basically finding a way out of it. I think becoming healthy myself. And I think for a long time I wasn't healthy. And I know even when I first started telling my story, even though I was doing the best I could with what I had, I still had a lot of work to do because what I realized quickly, Jeff, is that by telling your story, it almost makes things worse until you can figure it out. And I think by getting healthy, it's allowed me to shift the message from telling Sheldon's story to really being able to work with organizations and to be able to understand these issues, to be able to move and push legislation. We spoke at US Congress. I mean, we've changed all types of pieces of legislation. And I think would've never done that if I hadn't have A, got sober and continually deal with my mental health and the impacts of what happened to me. And I think that's probably been the biggest gift. And I didn't get there alone. I mean, had lots of people helping me get to that place, but being able to have a family I think is absolutely critical. And I have a new son in my life, 22 months old, so he keeps me hopping, keeps things real. And I think that is what I'm most proud of, because the rest of it... I think it's important with these issues, we have to show people that there's a way out and that you can get better and that you can get well. And I when I think of Sheldon Kennedy and the issues that I represent going into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, I think that that shows hope. Hope for others. Not just Sheldon, but the issues that we represent. If I look at my career, I was best known, Jeff, for going into treatment centers, mental health hospitals, psych wards, and being arrested. Who would've ever thunk Sheldon Kennedy would've ever been in a hall of fame? Not very many people. So I think to me, when I look at it, that's important because what I know about these types of issues and a lot of the mental health issues that people struggle with is that they never believe that there's light at the end of the tunnel. They never believe that they can feel better or they can achieve that. So I think that's what I'm most proud of, and being able to stick with it. Jeff Marek: Those are beautiful words. I do want to ask, what's over your left shoulder right now? It looks like the dream catcher hanging on your wall right now must have a story attached to it, Sheldon. True or false? Sheldon Kennedy: Very true. That dream catcher, I received that in Sydney when I was rollerblading across the country, and I received that from an elder lady, and they presented me with that to give me strength along my journey around the rollerblade across this country. Well, that dream capture is probably four feet by four feet, and it sat in the back of our RV all the way across Canada. It sat in the storage room as I was trying to figure out where I was going to live. It sat in the Child Advocacy Center, the former Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Center, with 15,000 kids that had been through that, all at a level that they could rip it and tear it, and it never broke. And so it is here in my office and it gives me strength every day. And I spent a lot of time getting well in sweat lodges and fasting. And I spent a lot of time, and I think that our Indigenous culture gave me some guidance in finding a higher power and getting sober. Jeff Marek: It gave you strength and you and your work have given Canadians strength for years. Before we conclude, I do want to ask you, what does this honour mean to you, Sheldon? Sheldon Kennedy: Well, like I say, I think, Jeff, I didn't do this work to receive awards, but I'm absolutely proud and honoured to receive this award for the issues that we represent, because for a long time, the issues of abuse, bullying, harassment, discrimination, never received any awards. And I think that it places a value and importance on making sure that we're doing everything we can as a community and as a society, as country, to make sure that we're addressing these issues. So that, to me, is what I feel this represents. And for me personally, I kind of go with the issue. So I'm proud. I'm proud of it. And I think it gives you time to reflect of all the people that have helped along the way, and a lot of people. Jeff Marek: A lot of people. It takes a lot and it takes someone to lead the charge, and that has always been you. You have made this entire country richer for your existence and all the work that you've done. It's a great honour. We can't think of someone who deserves it more than you, Sheldon. Congratulations. It's a great look on you, Sheldon. Sheldon Kennedy: Thank you very much, Jeff. I appreciate that. |
People |
Kennedy, Sheldon |
Search Terms |
Sheldon Kennedy Ice Hockey Respect Group Inc. Child Advocacy Centre Order of Canada 1988 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship |