Native Counseling celebrating 20th anniversary

Page 9

The 20th annual meeting of Native Counseling Services of Alberta (NCSA) ended as more of a promising look to the future than a celebration of the past.

The rapidly-changing trends and attitudes in Alberta's diverse Native COMMUNITIES will dictate the focus of the agency in the coming decades, said organization president Wilson Goodstriker.

"We have to slow down and reflect on things we haven't done so we can grow stronger," he told more than 80 staff workers on the last day of the annual conference held at Edmonton's Regency Hotel June 19-22.

"We have a responsibility to respond constantly to change on the community level."

Goodstriker, a Blood tribe member from Cardston, pointed to the large migration of young Natives from reserves to urban centers as an indication of the need for more advanced counseling.

He said Native Counseling will have to address the needs of young Natives before they get into trouble with the law.

The conference marked the 20th anniversary of the organization, the largest Native organization of its kind in the country designed to help Natives deal with the Canadian justice system.

This year's theme was Back to the Basics which Goodstriker said was a fitting reminder of how important it is for Native Counseling not to stray from its original intent.

"We have to constantly redefine our emphasis," he said.

Meanwhile, the organization is coming off a $350,000 deficit and is facing additional budget cuts that have already resulted in a staff decrease of 20 people across the province to 130.

The group has been plagued by management problems which director Chester Cunningham blames on a lack of communication between regions.

The agency has set up a task force to evaluate the current system to recommend changes for future administration development.

During the conference members emphasized the importance of providing counseling to Natives in remote regions of the province.

Some board members shared their shattered personal histories to express the importance of maintaining a role in Native communities throat the province in the coming decades.

"I was on both sides of the fence," said board member Dan Sinclair. "I don't regret my past life, but I realize I have to talk about it to help others. We (all) have to talk about it. That's why it is essential NCSA keep going." he said.

Sinclair, who went back to school at age 44 to become a probation worker, said he was in and out of jail most of his life which enables him to sympathize with other Alberta Natives in the same bind.

Other board members include Joe Cardinal, Dan McLean, John Samson, Sharon Braglin and Zella Harris.