Nechi celebrates 25 years of training programs

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Celebrations for the 25th anniversary of the Nechi Training, Research and Health Promotions Institute began with a round dance held on Jan. 16. It was the first of four events that will be held during the year to commemorate Nechi's service to the Aboriginal community.

Nechi provides accredited courses in counselling for addictions recovery and prevention. During the past 25 years, Nechi has trained more than 3,000 people - a modest estimate, said CEO Ruth Morin. Nechi is one of the few addictions recovery training facilities in the world that is operated by Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people.

Each of the four anniversary events has a theme, said Morin. The round dance honored past and present Nechi board members. Each were presented with a framed plaque for their service to the organization.

One of the most dedicated and committed of the board members is Wilfred Willier. He has been chair of Nechi since it's humble beginnings 25 years ago. He was working with a Metis organization when a call went out for people to assemble a board.

"Eric Shirt was the mastermind behind the Nechi Institute," said Willier. Shirt saw that the need for a training organization was great.

Twenty-five years ago, nearly 75 per cent of the Native population was in trouble because of excessive use of alcohol, Willier estimated, and it was important that Aboriginal people were the ones to provide the help.

"If we were going to fight the problem it wasn't going to be anybody from the outside. Nobody would be so dedicated to our own people as our own people," he said. "We understood the problem first hand."

Back then, alcohol use was not seen as the poison it is today. Alcohol use was a way of life. Business deals were made over a few drinks. People kept bottles in desk drawers at work, had a few for the road and relaxed at home with a drink or two. There was even a stigma attached to a person who chose not to drink.

Today, the dangers of alcohol use have been well recorded, particularly the problems it's caused for the Aboriginal community. Today people are proud of their sobriety and proud of who they are as Aboriginal people, said Willier.

Shirt's vision for the organization was valued but not so easily attained. While the board had an idea of what was needed, getting funds to set up the programs was the greatest of many challenges, said Willier.

Over the years the challenges have changed. In the beginning, alcohol was the focus, but over the course of Nechi's existence, other addictions have come to the fore.

Smoking is the number one killer of Native people, said Willier. And with tobacco use so closely tied to Native spirituality, it is going to require a lot of energy to demonstrate there are both appropriate and inappropriate uses of tobacco. Gambling addiction is also a big concern to the institute.

With so many addictions requiring attention, it would be easy to get discouraged, but not Willier. He's seen the changes in the community, because of the training people received at Nechi.

"How many people have they sobered," he said of the 3,000-plus Nechi graduates. "How many lives have we saved over the 25 years?"

Nechi has made it possible for thousands of people to sober up, said Morin. Sobriety is helping people become more responsible to themselves, their children and their communities.

"You never know exactly how you've impacted people," she said. But she's convinced Aboriginal communities are healthier because of the training provided to participants at Nechi.

Morin also sees new challenges for the organization, particularly in the area of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and HIV and AIDS. She is also committed to reaching young people with the message of living an addiction-free life.

"These are the ones that will be in charge when we are Elders," she said.

She suggests that working with youth will require Nechi to reach out by using the newest technologies, including the internet. Nechi bid on and won the tender to maintain theAboriginal Youth Network website. She wants to provide information that is relevant and interesting to young people and to encourage healthy living.

Morin is excited about the activities planned to celebrate the silver anniversary of Nechi. The next event will be the June 22 graduation where more than 200 participants will receive certificates and diplomas.

The graduation will include recognition of past directors, including Eric Shirt, as well as Dr. Maggie Hodgson, who was a director for 16 years, and assistant director Rena Halfe.

On Aug. 6, 7 and 8, the institute will be hosting a reunion of past trainees, trainers, staff and consultants. Morin invites anyone who has been involved with Nechi over the years to come and camp out. She promises "lots of visiting" a barbecue, golf tournament, open air dance, and fun run. Morin said the large training room will be open for participants to share stories about Nechi nostalgia and those stories will be recorded as part of an effort to gather historical data.

The gala event to top off the year's celebrations will be a banquet held on Nov. 20, the last day of National Addictions Awareness Week. It will be held at Edmonton's Agricom and it will be celebrating the success of the community at large.

Morin said people who have contributed to the betterment of their community will be honored at this event. She invites nominations from family members, organizations and the community about who needs to be recognized at the Nechi celebration.