First Nations Childrens Programs Get Provincial Funding

Sunday, April 23, 2006 04:00 AM

Front Row - Nellie Prince, United Native Nations Society; MLA Shirley Bond; Chief Dominique Frederick; Back Row - Richard Nault, Metis Interior Community Helping its Families Society; Warner Adam, Carrier Sekani Family Services; MLA Pat Bell; Murry Krause, Central Interior Native Health Society; Barb Ward-Burkitt, Prince George Native Friendship Centre Society; Trevor Williams, Prince George United Way; MLA John Rustad.

Prince George's MLAs delivered close to $230,000 in provincial funding this week to support Aboriginal children in the
Central Interior.

"No one better knows the challenges facing Aboriginal youth than the agencies who work with them day after day. The work these groups do covers a broad spectrum of important issues, from children-at-risk to building self-esteem," says Prince George-Mount Robson MLA Shirley Bond.

Funding grants have been provided to seven Prince George-based Aboriginal agencies:

* The United Native Nations Society, Local 112, is receiving $25,000 to support development of a service provider to organize and implement healthy opportunities to build self-esteem, strengthen personal resiliency and promote cultural connections.

* The Lheidli T'enneh First Nation is receiving $44,750 to support projects in the community that strengthen family.

* The Central Interior Native Health Society is receiving $50,000 to meet the health and safety needs of sexually exploited youth.

* The Metis Interior Community Helping Its Families Society (MICHIF Society) is receiving $44,750 to develop infrastructure to eventually deliver child and family support services that are Metis and Aboriginal specific.

* The Prince George Native Friendship Centre is receiving $25,000 to provide services to urban Aboriginal children and families that are culturally-appropriate and reduce risks to children and families in the Prince George area.

* Carrier Sekani Family Services is receiving $15,000 to form an Early Child Services planning group for the Nechako Valley to assess the childcare and early service needs of member communities.

* The Children, Families, Communities Conference Society is receiving $25,000 to host their 2006 conference, bringing together families and professionals together in a unique conference format.

All of the funding grants are provided through the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

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Posted on Sunday, April 23, 2006 04:00 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on April 23 2006 8:07 AM

I think these problems - sexual abuse, disfunctional families, low self esteem, low personal resiliency ets - have resulted from the reserve and welfare (rights) sytem. There is no way anyone can survive when they are given the idea somebody is going to give you the world.
And then the only way they get more stuff is to destroy what they are given, be it natural resourses or their own health and self respect.
Sell the reserves to them for a buck, cut off the welfare and they will be fine. What they do after that is their own business.
At least they will get their pride back.

Posted by: Zippythedodog on April 23 2006 9:47 AM

Honest to god, Ben, why do you guys post these government press releases? Seriously, I thought this site was supposed to be a different type of news outlet, that would give the readers in the north a better sense of what's going on in their world. If I wanted to know what Shirley Bond says, I'd just go to her website, and read the same damn press release word for word:
http://tinyurl.com/z38kh

Posted by: owl on April 23 2006 11:17 AM

YDPC - the problems you cite are no doubt partially attributable to the situation you suggest. However, they are not unique to First Nation people.

As far as the solution goes, the notion of "selling the reserve" is being worked on. It won't be for a loonie though. It will be more representative of the value of the assets they have lost due to settlers moving into this part of the country about 100 years ago and compensation, if there can ever be such a thing, for their treatmet.

This is a society whose children were displaced by the religious school system, brought into residential schools to de-program them and brainwash them about the world of another culture. As in many other places in the world, that did not work.

The treatment of those who populated this land prior to our arrival not much before the FIrst World War is despicable and presumptuous.

Attitudes which do not recognize that and suggest further slaps in the face as solutions simply contribute to the failed system perpetuating itself further into the future.

Posted by: owl on April 23 2006 11:38 AM

I'll take this opportunity to post some more messages from the government.

Yes, this is from the right wing Liberal government, not a left wing NDP government.

Notice, it is called the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and RECONCILIATION. Reminds me of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa.

Nonetheless, it is a similar situation of an outside state which is far more advanced technically taking over a society which is inhabitng a piece of territory and basically crushing their social structure and economy and putting another in place in which they become no better than subjects of the conquerors.

There is nowhere in the world where this has not led to continuous strife and eventual settlement which includes recognition of the vanquished either by giving them their own nation, or properly accommodating them into the dominant society.

Reconciliation is the act of restoring a relationship which has gone awry. It is time we recongize that our ancestors of not that long ago are the chief architects of that relationship going wrong and that we have to stand up and make sure it does not perpetuate beyond our generation.

Look at it this way. The resources put into these programs will likely stay in this community and this province and this country to a much higher degree than money spent on almost any other program. Many other programs typically see a large part of the money going back east, to the USA and other foreign countries.

http://www.gov.bc.ca/bvprd/bc/channel.do?action=ministry&channelID=-536896053&navId=NAV_ID_province

Posted by: Percy on April 23 2006 10:52 PM

Please tell me how throwing money at these problems are going to change one thing?

The reality is this, if we keep doing the same things now as we did before, we will keep getting the same results as before. How is $230,000 going to change one thing? Percy

Posted by: owl on April 24 2006 9:55 AM

Put money into fixing potholes - next year there will be new ones.

Put money into buying groceries - soon you will have to repeat it.

Pay money for filling a tank with gas - next week it will be gone and you need to do it again.

I do not know the details of these programs. There is a conference for instance. The Omineca Beetle Action Coalition received $800,000, much of which will go to having forums and conferences. Does anyone really think there will be much change from such activities? There will be some who do, and others who don’t.

http://www.forrex.org/events/mountainpinebeetleforum/program.html

In the end, some of these things will make a change, even if it is only for a few people and for a short time. Real change does not happen overnight. In each one of the cases of government giving out tax dollars there will be some people opposed to it and others for it.

For me, the main thing is that the dollars get put back into the economy. The money is not being burned. Food will be bought, space will be rented, people will be brought in and paid for their “expert” opinion and activity, toys will be bought, clothing will be bought, a film will be made ..... whatever ...

As far as I am concerned, putting money into skateboard parks, baseball stadiums, horseshoe pits, dirt bike tracks, ice arenas, running tracks, soccer fields, etc. is spent in the wrong areas. I need free squash and racquetball courts and free downhill skiing. I really do not see why I have to be a second class citizen and have to pay for using such sports facilities while others do not.

Life is tough sometimes.

;-)

Posted by: fedup on April 24 2006 11:39 AM

Why don't we burn down the reservations pay the families a fair market value for the houses and land so they can buy or build where ever they want.I believe money sent to the powers to be on the reservation gets missused before it actually does any good.Maybe if we start living as one unified country and dealing with all our problems as one we might have a stronger better nation.