Published January 15, 2001 Teresa Rowland coaches her son Brandon in the finer points of pond skating. Photo by Pamela Sexsmith Centre offers programs for Saskatoon youth by Cheryl Petten Year 2000 for Aboriginal youth was unforgettable by Chris Tyrone Ross Study details child sex trade Contributions recognized by Cheryl Petten Conference encourages young Aboriginal writers by Cheryl Petten Liaison speaks for Aboriginal families in school system by Pamela Sexsmith This is only a partial list of the stories featured in the January, 2001 issue of Saskatchewan Sage. If you are not receiving your own copy of Saskatchewan Sage, then you have missed all this information. Click here for Saskatchewan Sage subscription information. Centre offers programs for Saskatoon youth By Cheryl Petten Sage Writer SASKATOON Youth living in Saskatoon's inner core have a new place to go to enjoy sports, crafts, or just socializing with friends, at the Saskatoon City Centre. The centre, located at 602 - 20th St. West, officially opened its doors Dec. 19. "What we're trying to do is offer a wide variety of holistic programs for children in need, to meet all their different needs - health, fitness, mental and spiritual," said Gary Beaudin, executive director of the centre. "We kind of work from a child-centred philosophy - children's needs met in a healthy way." "Basically the aim is to provide healthy educational learning and physical programs to the children and families in this community," Beaudin said. The centre, he explained, will help to fill existing gaps, providing programs and services that up until now haven't been accessible to families in the area, by providing the programs in the neighborhood, and providing them free of charge. Creation of the centre was the result of a joint effort by the City of Saskatoon, Saskatoon District Health, the Saskatoon Tribal Council and the Métis Urban Council. The project also received funding from Western Economic Diversification, which helped with the cost of renovations to transform a former grocery store into the new centre, and from Canadian Heritage, which provided funds for programming through the Urban Multipurpose Aboriginal Youth Centres (UMAYC) initiative. The new centre boasts a large gymnasium, workshop, fitness room, and a large commercial kitchen where life skills programming can be offered. An addictions worker, Elder services and a primary health care worker are located on site, as well as counselling services, some dental services, and a preschool. Sports and crafts programs are currently being offered to youth at the centre, as well as educational programs and social activities. And although the majority of programs offered are geared to children and youth, some family programs are also offered, including some parenting programs. Among the projects currently in development are an education program geared to kids who have been out of the school system for quite a while, after school programs, and martial arts and self-defense classes. Beaudin said once a schedule of programs has been developed, the centre staff will produce a newsletter or monthly calendar and distribute it in the community to let everyone know what programs are available. Saskatoon City Centre is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays from 2:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. For more information about Saskatoon City Centre and the programs and services offered there, call the centre at 306-653-7676. Year 2000 for Aboriginal youth was unforgettable By Chris Tyrone Ross Sage Youth Columnist The year 2000 was one not to forget, one filled with many great stories on Aboriginal youth and their contributions to their community. We've seen Aboriginal youth receive honors at the SaskTel Aboriginal Youth Awards of Excellence, and seen them graduate with the class of 2000. The year 2000 also marked the beginning of a new era, the new millennium. However, some people may argue that the new millennium doesn't begin until the year 2001. If so, can we say we are a year ahead of our time? Fortunately our people have known this for hundreds of years, which is why 'Indian Time' is now something to be proud of. When I look back, I can't help but look at the many controversial issues our Native leaders and organizations have dealt with, which probably made it difficult for them to place Native youth as a priority. First there was the PST issue, where the province made off reserve Indians subject to the provincial sales tax, which was part of a treaty right that was lost. There were the Aboriginal men who were allegedly dropped off to freeze to death outside of Saskatoon by the City Police. Then before everything came to rest, the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) went under fire when their CEO Dutch Lerat was accused of mis-spending SIGA funds. Before the year ended, an audit of SIGA's expenditures was released by the province, revealing more mis-spending, and the entire board of directors was fired. The year 2000 was a controversial year for First Nations leaders and organizations. It was a year of mistakes and a process of learning. This probably made it hard for leaders to make issues facing Aboriginal youth a main priority. Hopefully the year 2001 won't be so controversial, and leaders can take a more aggressive approach to handling Aboriginal youth issues and, of course, the government. As for Aboriginal youth, the year 2000 was all but an average year. Yes we received awards, participated in large sporting events and had some challenges along the way. But the statistics remained unchanged - same unemployment rate, same drop out rate, same crime rate, and an increase in suicide in other parts of the country. Which makes me wonder, are the governments initiatives to decrease the social problems of Native youth improving or declining? Are First Nations leaders doing their job to see positive changes on the reserves and in the urban areas where many of our youth suffer? I can't really say that change has been created with initiatives that governments and Indian organizations have promised for Aboriginal youth. However, I can say that the annual events have still benefited Aboriginal youth, such as the Winter and Summer Games and the SaskTel Aboriginal Youth Awards. These events have brought thousands of youth together, to compete against each other and honor each other for their achievements. There were many youth conferences as well, such as Leadership Choices 2000+, which brought over 2500 youth to learn about career development and career opportunities. Overall, Aboriginal youth have seen the year 2000 as a time that should have improved social problems, however nothing much has progressed since. Many governments have not seen how they failed to reach the youth and work with them. So who do we blame for this poor year of failed youth initiatives? In the 'Indian System' it would be wrong to blame our leaders, because it wouldn't make us look good as Aboriginal youth, right? What about taking a cheap shot at the Canadian Alliance? Then again what did they ever do? Leaders need to work with the youth, and understand their needs are just as important as Native people in general. Besides, we will be in power in the next 20 years. Aboriginal youth are our future, they are the next leaders, blah, blah, blah, we must invest in our youth, blah, blah, blah. Please, let's stop talking about it and do something, for the year 2001 and beyond. It's a new year, a time to make a difference. As a nation, we need to work with our youth, in creating youth initiatives and events that will positively affect them and their future. We cannot be greedy adults, making money off the word 'Aboriginal youth' and not see them benefit from it. It cannot be a business move to make our white counterparts happy. It cannot be another initiative that will make more money for the economy. I've seen it happen. Aboriginal youth is a great word to use in a business proposal, and corporations buy it. If Aboriginal youth are not benefiting, it needs to stop now. Young people have fresh minds, and older people have the experience to guide them. It is the year 2001, the beginning of an evolution and a baby boom of Aboriginal youth. Let's empower the youth, so they can have the power in the future to lead our nation. Before I go I must give props to the Prince Albert Grand Council for setting up an office for the 2001 First Nations Winter Games. In this office, Aboriginal students will participate in the administration and co-ordination of the games by working with mentors to gain work experience. This is a fine example of how our leaders should work with youth, and how everyone can win in the end. Until next month, peace out and Happy New Year. Study details child sex trade Writers and children's advocates Melanie Mark and Cherry Kingsley have completed a remarkable study on commercial sexual exploitation of Canadian Aboriginal children and youth in 22 communities. Their report, Sacred Lives, documents five months of meetings that gave a voice to youth on all issues arising out of the sex trade, including abuse, exploitation, prevention, healing, exiting, public attitudes, crisis intervention, harm reduction, and especially youth participation. The result, they hope, is a solid base of recommendations from Aboriginal youth that will spur governments, service providers and communities to action to stop the exploitation. The document has been welcomed by the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Matthew Coon Come, and the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, both of which are pressing for more money from governments to help young people trapped in the street life. FSIN also says if governments and the people of Saskatchewan cut the demand for young Aboriginal people to exploit, the First Nations will cut the supply. Sacred Lives points out that in Canada, national surveys show anywhere from 14 to 65 per cent of youth in the sex trade are Aboriginal. Recently, that number has been estimated as high as 90 per cent in some cities. In addition, it says that although research studies, policy and laws have been created around the topic of commercial sexual exploitation, most of this has not led to viable programs to defeat the problem. Another failing Mark and Kingsley identify is that the studies of commercial sexual exploitation leave out Aboriginal youth as an identifiable group. "There has never been any work done specifically with Aboriginal children and youth in the sex trade," Sacred Lives states. Their work begins to remedy that. Several agencies working with current or former sex trade workers contacted by Sage were aware of Kingsley and Mark's study and some said they had just received a copy of Sacred Lives but had not had a chance to read it. Many of them too were in fledgling programs to help get youth off the streets. All identified the sex trade as the purview of the young and agreed with the report's findings that no more than 20 per cent of prostitution takes place openly. Most indicated young people typically were drawn into it between the ages of 14 and 16, when they did not have adequate life experience to assess the risks until it was too late. While some said Aboriginal youth were greatly over-represented considering the percentage of Aboriginal people in the general population, they found it hard to believe their involvement could be anywhere near 90 per cent. Figures of 30 to 40 per cent were cited as more typical. Lonny Slezina, a project co-ordinator for Sun County Child and Family Services' PCHIP project in Lethbridge - Protection of Children Involved in Prostitution - said commercial sexual exploitation of children is hidden in his town. Their project only started last May and they have seen eight to 10 youths, half of whom are Aboriginal. He cites similar reasons for children ending up on the street as other front-line workers: the reasons are usually mixed and could include a "poor home life or a child not fitting in at home, alcohol, family violence, sexual abuse, substance addiction, mental illness, fear and coercion, and sometimes including youths with fetal alcohol syndrome because it is hard for them to make decisions." Low self-esteem is always a factor. Kari Thomason, who works with under-18s at Métis Child and Family Services in Edmonton, was among the resource people consulted by Mark and Kingsley and whose agencies are part of PCHIP. "We voiced our opinions, our concerns, the programs needed. We're still actively involved in the PCHIP. We have two Aboriginal staff working at the safe house, and we also have an Aboriginal community follow-up worker." Thomason said when she was a front-line worker, three out of the nine she tried to help actually left street life during the time she worked with them. "Many people don't indicate that. There are a nice percentage of children that have left the street life because of this program."

Contributions recognized

By Cheryl Petten
Sage Writer
REGINA

Fifteen exceptional people were recognized for their achievements during the 2nd Annual Métis Recognition Awards and Banquet, held in Regina November 24.
The event, organized by the Regina Métis Women, was held at the Ramada Hotel, with about 260 people in attendance.

The awards were handed out in 11 categories, with each recipient receiving a keeper award and Métis sash, and having their name entered on the permanent award.

The awards in the Science and Technology category were given to Jacqueline Lukey and Ray Gosselin.

Lukey has a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree and a Masters degree in Environmental Studies. Her Masters thesis was titled "Native and Non-Native Perspectives on Traditional Environmental Knowledge." Lukey is currently employed as a project manager with Public Works and Government Services Canada. She has also worked developing the curriculum for an environmental class offered by the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College.

Gosselin is an architect who applies his knowledge of Aboriginal people and Native architecture in his designs. He has worked on a number of Aboriginal-related projects over the years, including the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Civilization in Hull, Que. and the Turning Stone Casino and the Children and Elders Centre, both located in Verona, N.Y. Gosselin has also worked on a number of healing centres, museums, schools, hospitals and casinos in Saskatchewan, and is currently working on housing projects for Aboriginal people.

Joyce Racette and Ray Hamilton were recipients of the Community Service Award.

Racette started her career as a summer student with the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan, working as a youth worker, then became a secretary, then bookkeeper for the organization. She became a certified alcohol and drug addictions counsellor, and joined the Native Alcohol Council, now the Métis Addictions Council of Saskatchewan. She started as bookkeeper, rising up through the ranks to become executive director. Racette left the council in 1998 to become representative workforce coordinator for the Regina Health District.
Hamilton was recognized for his many years of community service. He was the first Aboriginal person elected to City Council in Regina. He served as a commissioner on the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Commission and the Regina Police Commission. He also served on the Mayor's Task Force on Indian and Métis Initiatives and as provincial secretary of the Métis Society of Saskatchewan, and was a founding member of the Native Council of Canada, the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan's Saskatoon local, and the Saskatoon Métis Friendship Centre.

The award in the Youth category was given to Shannon Lejour. The fourteen-year-old is in Grade 8 at St. Michael's Community school, where she is very active in school activities. Lejour has been involved with the Terry Fox Run, Jump Rope for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and the Regina and District Food Bank, as well as being a member of her school's student council. She has also completed baby-sitting and first-aid courses, and has been involved in arts, athletics, public speaking and drama. Lejour's career goal is to become a United Nations peace keeper.

Calvin Racette was recipient of the Métis Culture Award. In 1980, Racette graduated from Gabriel Dumont Institute with a Bachelor of Education degree, and in 2000 became the institute's executive director. In between, he spent time working in the institute's curriculum department, producing booklets and education materials on Métis history. He also spent five years as principal of Bert Fox high school, where he taught Native Studies and Math, and coached volleyball, basketball and track and field.

Rhyse Cardinal and Ken Schaffer were recipients of awards in the Arts and Entertainment category.

Cardinal uses traditional Aboriginal styles to create modern abstract art. His work has been sold at the Regina Centre's annual art auction. He has also been contracted as a guest illustrator and contributor for the Kids With Diabetes magazine. Cardinal completed the Multi-Media Communications Program at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) in 1998, and currently works for the Saskatchewan Communications Network (SCN) in the areas of programming, help desk support and web site design. Cardinal is the first Aboriginal person to work at SCN.

Schaffer was recognized for his work both behind and in front of the cameras, most notably in the production of Metcom, the first television series about Métis history, culture and art.

The series, which began production in 1994, is now broadcast nationally on APTN, as well as on the SCN. Episodes of Metcom have also been purchased by the Gabriel Dumont Institute and are part of the CD-ROM released by the institute last year. Some episodes are also included in the curriculum of the University of Northern B.C., and have been included in the National Film Archives of Canada.

Tyrone Fisher and Georgina Fisher received awards in the Social Work category.
Tyrone Fisher is a social worker, currently working with the separate school board as a counsellor for Aboriginal students. Prior to taking that position, he worked as a medical social worker with the Regina Health District for 26 years. He has volunteered with a number of organizations, including Family Services Regina, the Regina Child Abuse Prevention Committee, Compassionate Friends, Cystic Fibrosis, the Saskatchewan Association of Social Workers, and the Regina Airport Authority Consultation Committee.

Georgina Fisher has been employed with the Department of Social Services for over 25 years. Currently a post adoption worker within the Family Services division, Fisher works to re-unite adult adoptees with their birth mothers and families. Her past employment has included work in the Native Foster Home Program, the REACH adoption program, and the Family Connections program. She has also counselled many women who were abused as children, as well as children living in foster homes.

The Health and Medicine Award was given to Brent Robison. Robison has worked in the areas of health and education in a number of capacities, including health administrator, counsellor, lecturer, advocate and Aboriginal liaison person. He is currently working as administrative assistant with Wasakaw Pisim Native Counselling Services, where he acts as an advocate for Aboriginal patients, while supporting the medical staff in their provision of health care.

Marilyn Poitras was recipient of the Law and Justice Award.

Poitras is a crown counsel with the constitutional law branch of the Saskatchewan Department of Justice. Poitras has also been an assistant professor at the University of Victoria's Law School, and was involved in negotiations for self-government for the Beaufort Delta region. She was also director of a summer legal studies program for Inuit people preparing for self government in Nunavut.

As crown counsel, Poitras provides legal advice on constitutional, Aboriginal and human rights laws, acts as legal advisor for Treaty Land Entitlement negotiations, and sits on the government's employment equity committee.

The Education Award went to Corinna Hayden-Fidler, principal of Herchmer Community school in Regina, where she works to ensure Métis and First Nations history, cultures and traditions are incorporated into her students' education. Hayden's previous positions have included principal of Regent Park school, teacher and vice-principal at the Kakisheway school on Ochapowace reserve, principal at St. Pascal school in Green Lake and teacher and vice-principal at Wallaston Lake school. She also acts as a consultant to Aboriginal educators at the University of Regina and the Department of Education.

Fred Desjarlais received the Elder Award. An accomplished Métis fiddler, Desjarlais is interested in transferring his knowledge of Métis music and dance to younger generations. He plays at dances and for square dancing troupes, and is currently teaching his three-year-old great-grandson Ashton how to play.
Marty Klyne was recipient of the Business and Commerce Award. Klyne is president and CEO of the Regina Regional Economic Development Authority. He is also a member of the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board, the Access of Capital Board, the Clarence Campeau Development Fund, the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board Youth Committee, Tourism Regina and the Regina Research Park Advisory Board.

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Conference encourages young Aboriginal writers

By Cheryl Petten
Sage Writer
PRINCE ALBERT

Aspiring young Aboriginal writers in Northern Saskatchewan will have a chance to listen to and learn from successful writers during a conference organized by Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (SIFC).

Writing the Territory Ahead: Young Aboriginal Writers' Conference will be held February 16 to 18 at the SIFC Northern Campus in Prince Albert.

Students aged 14 to 18 and their teachers are invited to attend the conference, with workshops aimed at both groups planned as part of the event.

Christine Watson is one of the conference organizers. She said the conference is being targeted at any student interested in writing, and wanting to learn more about Aboriginal literature.

"They don't have to ever have written a word," Watson said, adding that oral storytelling will be included in the conference along side the written word.
Teachers have been included in the conference, Watson said, "because they're going to go back to their schools, and we want them to be able to say, 'Okay, well we learned all this great stuff at the conference, now what are we going to do with it?'" And that's where the teachers come in. That's where the teachers have to say, 'Okay, well, here's some ideas that I got from the workshops and from the leaders, and lets try and do this, or let's write a book together.'"

By passing the information on to the teachers, Watson explained, the effects of the conference will continue to be passed on to students long after the kids attending have graduated and gone on with their lives.

Among the writers scheduled to take part in Writing the Territory Ahead are poet Gregory Scofield; Alice French, author of My Name is Masak and The Restless Nomad; screenwriter Jordan Wheeler; playwright and humourist Drew Hayden Taylor; poet and lecturer Randy Lundy; Shannon Avison, program coordinator for SIFC Indian Communications Arts; Nelson Bird, CTV broadcaster and host of Indigenous Circle; poet Marilyn Dumont; and storyteller Tyrone Tootoosis.
Watson said one of the reasons such a variety of writers were invited to take part was to provide the students with a better idea of the different kinds of writing, and the different writing opportunities available to them.

And for students looking for information and assistance about how to get published, representatives from the Saskatchewan Writers' Guild will also be at the conference.

The conference will begin Friday evening with registration and readings by some of the Aboriginal writers taking part.

Saturday's schedule includes two workshops during which workshop leaders will share their own experiences as writers, as well as information about opportunities available to young Aboriginal writers. Students will also work on their writing, and get feedback from others about their work. A third workshop will involve students in a group writing project.

Teachers' workshops will run at the same time as the students' workshops, providing teachers with information on how to incorporate creative writing or storytelling into their teaching curriculum.

Also planned for Saturday are an Elders panel on storytelling with local Dene and Cree Elders, and a feast and round dance.

The conference wraps up Sunday morning with presentation of stories created during the previous day's group writing workshop.

The college decided to organize the writer's conference for a number of reasons, explained Watson.

"We actually held a similar conference five years ago, and it went over so well that we decided it was about time to hold another one," Watson said.

The decision to hold that conference at the Prince Albert campus, Watson explained, was made to provide northern students with access to successful Aboriginal writers. While writers often travel to the larger centres to do readings, that isn't the case with smaller communities in the North.

"Plus, we like to promote our northern campus, to let the northern students know that, when they do graduate, that there is a northern campus. Because sometimes they don't realize.

"They don't want to have to come all the way to Regina. And we want them to know that there is a northern campus, and if they've seen it - they're actually on campus at the time - whether they're in Grade 9 or Grade 12, then they may be more familiar with it and it may seem less frightening if they want to go on to post-secondary stuff."

The SIFC English department is also hosting the conference to mark the college's 25th anniversary.

"For the English department, it's a great way to celebrate because considering, if you think about 25 years ago, there was virtually no Aboriginal writing at all. And if you look at the Saskatchewan Book Awards this year, there were tons of Aboriginal writers at the book awards, being nominated. So it's a really exciting time. And if we look back on 25 years of Aboriginal writing and think, 'Wow, look at where we've come from', it's just a really good time to celebrate, "Watson said.

There is no registration fee for the conference, and food will be provided for conference goers from breakfast Saturday morning to Sunday lunch. Schools taking part are responsible for their own accommodation and travel expenses and arrangements.

Organizers would like all registrations in by Jan. 31.

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Liaison speaks for Aboriginal families in school system

By Pamela Sexsmith
Sage Writer
LLOYDMINSTER

She doesn't see her job as window dressing.

As one of two Aboriginal liaisons in Lloydminster's Catholic school system, Teresa Rowland's primary job is to create a buffer zone, a safe place for Cree and Métis students in the cultural minefield of a preeminently white, urban society.
It is a job in which a little empathy goes a long way.

"The Cree and Métis families see me primarily as a comfort zone, someone who will listen, translate and most important, who won't get it wrong," said Rowland.
"It is very easy to make a wrong assumption based on your own cultural expectations. I am a bridge between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students, families and teaching staff, a clearinghouse for misunderstanding, fear and anxiety," said Rowland.

Métis on both sides of her family, Rowland grew up in a big family, the youngest of 13 children, sharing traditional Métis lifestyle and food. Her grandparents spoke Cree and French, her parents a smattering of both, along with working English.

Language issues are familiar territory for Rowland.

"If your first language is Cree, there can be a real communication gap between parents and teachers. One of my jobs is to sit in on parent/teacher interviews and act as a translator, to iron out wrong assumptions on both sides," she said.
She works out of Father Gorman Elementary School on the Saskatchewan side of the border city, with a Native student population that ranges from 25 to 35 percent.

"There are lots of transient Native students in a city that is close to many big reserves. Lloydminster is transient, as a whole. Two factors that really affect Native people are the seasonal fluctuation in the oil industry, and the nature of the extended tribal family in close proximity to reserves, kids moving back and forth between parents, grandparents and other caregivers," said Rowland.
Part of her job includes home visits.

"Many Native families are not comfortable airing personal situations. I go in and find out what is happening during a home visit. A big part of my job is confidentiality. The families are more comfortable coming to school after I've been to their homes and had coffee with them. Working one on one, I help them to understand that their children are not being discriminated against," she said.
As Aboriginal liaison, Rowland also co-ordinates cultural programs, Native arts and crafts, field trips to the Syncrude gallery and Sacred Heart Church in Edmonton, interschool powwows, storytelling circles and Elders visits.
Rowland, who got her feet wet as a classroom volunteer, became a full time liaison in 1996.

"The first four years have gone fast, in a job that throws new curves and challenges on a daily basis. Our Aboriginal families know where they can find me and that I am here to speak for them," said Rowland.

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