Cultural advantages Training valuable to volunteers

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The Frontiers Foundation/Operation Beaver is looking for Alberta Native volunteers, 18 yrs and over, male and female, to work in northern Ontario Native communities or NWT Dene communities.

Ray Yellowknee, Western Co-ordinator for the Foundation and former resident of Wabasca Demarais, made the bid for aid during a recent meeting in Lac La Biche. Yellowknee was part of a group promoting support for an FM radio station to be set up in Wabasca/Desmarais.

Yellowknee says young people who volunteer must commit their time for at least two months although they will be welcome to stay longer.

"The Foundation doesn't pay any wages, however, all expenses are paid and the volunteers will learn valuable skills in the construction field."

He points out there is the added benefit of working hand-in-hand with other young people from differing cultures, traditions, languages and lifestyles to bring a definite advantage to a community.

The non-profit Foundation relies entirely on donations from the private sector and government grants for its funding. Since 1964, Operation Beaver has helped build or renovate approximately 1,120 homes in disadvantaged areas, 26 community and adult training centres, a tannery, several schools, three parks, an outdoor sport arena, fishery co-op, renovations of churches, two log pit houses, two hockey rinks, three greenhouses, ten frame cabins for children and a host of others. Over 1900 volunteers have worked on 298 varied projects. There were 23 Canadian projects and two overseas.

Local projects include four homes build in Peerless Lake in the late 1970's and the Wabasca/Demarais Recreation & Sports Center. The logs and lumber for the sports center were cut entirely from the Bigstone Band timber lease nearby and many social activities were carried out there.

Yellowknee says the Foundation is recruiting because "in many Native communities we find there are too many young people with a lot of free time and free time and problems usually go together."

Most times, he says a change of environment is the best medicine for preventing problems.

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer may contact Yellowknee at Box 1895, Slave Lake, AB or may telephone collect to 849-5497.