On a path fraught with obstacles, it’s helpful to have a guide

One year after a wildfire altered the way forward for so many Jasperites, local residents are being empowered as Pathfinders.

Spearheaded by the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre and supported by the Municipality of Jasper, the Pathfinders program is creating a network of support within the community. 

A Pathfinder, in the Jasper context, is a caring community member who has training and tools to support others during the town’s recovery.

“Pathfinders starts with the recognition that the wildfire was a mass trauma event,” says the JRCC’s Doug Olthof. “We recognize we can expect to see a major increase in vulnerability to stress and mental health impacts across the population.”

Many locals are impacted by the crisis, but not everyone affected will know where to turn for help. Furthermore, not everyone will feel comfortable accessing traditional health services. Pathfinders are local volunteers who meet people where they’re at—whether they require help finding the right services, or just need someone to talk to.

“Some people won’t take it upon themselves to walk into a clinic or an outreach worker’s office,” Olthof said. “The idea is to train Pathfinders to be people’s first point of contact.”

Newly-minted Pathfinder, Miranda Raven, is one such waypoint. Having moved here three years ago not knowing anyone, the 28-year-old was quickly captivated by Jasper—something about the town’s relative isolation, the size of its population, and the powerful landscape helps nurture a sense of community, she surmised. 

Whatever the recipe, Jasper enamoured her, so when the fire happened last July and she and 25,000 other people were evacuated, there was no question of whether or not she’d be back.

“The reason I’ve stayed in Jasper is because of the community,” Raven said. “It’s not like anywhere else.”

But when Raven came back to town following the town’s three-week evacuation order, not only was Jasper even less like anywhere else she’d been; it didn’t look anything like how she had left it. And neither did her friends and colleagues.  

“People who I love and know were absolute shells of their former selves. They were barely recognizable, and many of them had this five-mile stare, like robots,” Raven said. 

“That impacted me as much as seeing the burned out structures and the carnage of the wildfire.”

Raven grew up in small town British Columbia. She’s spent time in other mountain communities and worked in other national parks. But almost immediately after moving here, she felt a connection.

“There’s something so special about Jasper. People genuinely care about their neighbours. I feel like everyone has each other’s backs.”

Now, being a Pathfinder means she can reciprocate that compassion. Moreover, the program helps normalize talking about grief—something she’s personally prioritized.

“I’ve used mental health services my whole life,” she said. “I’ve always been a very firm advocate for making sure that people are taking care of themselves.”

Pathfinders like Raven aren’t counsellors or therapists, but they know how to help people through the many challenges of recovery—from managing stress and uncertainty, to navigating rebuild processes. Pathfinders are committed to supporting their neighbours and helping guide them to the right resources, Olthof said.

“We hope to train a large number of people within the community in these fundamental skills and then allow them to function in their social networks.”

To gain those skills, the program takes participants through four modules: peer to peer supports; navigating the rebuild; mental health first-aid; and suicide prevention. The more Pathfinders the JRCC can put through the program, the more capacity Jasper will have. Particularly around the one-year commemoration of the fire, Olthof suggests people’s struggles could become more acute. The busy summer will exacerbate rebuilding challenges and anniversary reminders could be triggering.

“We’re anticipating folks will need more assistance,” he said.

For that reason, the JRCC is growing the Pathfinders program. Thanks in part to a generous donation from Pursuit, the program has extended its funding, and is creating incentives—such as childcare assistance and honorariums—for residents to nominate themselves or their peers. It’s also making efforts to make its graduates more visible—Pathfinders wearing backpacks or garments with the Pathfinder insignia signal to other residents their availability, and their commitment. 

“We’re trying to cover as diverse as spectrum as possible,” says Jenna McGrath, Social Recovery Coordinator with the JRCC. “So that whoever you are, you’re only a couple steps removed from a Pathfinder.”

In many ways, Jasper’s population of 4,000 people is key to its connectivity. But on the other hand, for those feeling vulnerable, Raven has found, Jasper’s smallness can exacerbate feelings of social isolation. In the wake of the fire, some community members’ understandable pain and grief has been directed unfairly at fellow residents, she said.

“Especially for people who literally lost everything, that can get placed on other members of the community who are also in pain and suffering and trying to do their best to live through a traumatic situation.”

Raven, for one, is trying to help shift the perspective from one of blame to one of understanding. It won’t happen overnight, she says, but she and her Pathfinder colleagues are committed to help guide people through their uncertainty.

“If we let these things slide, Jasper won’t be better off.”

To find out more about the Pathfinders program or to nominate a Pathfinder, visit the Municipality of Jasper’s website .

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com