Bringing health and hope to the community

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For more than 105 students from St. Albert's Nechi Training Research and Health Promotions Institute, a sense of pride, accomplishment and anticipation filled the air during their graduation ceremony held on June 14 at Hawrelak Park. Nechi provides training to addictions counselors, both Native and non-Native, in order for them to go out to the communities to promote addictions-free lifestyles. The courses are available to people who've had and overcome addiction or people who just would like to help their community.

The ceremony, attended by more than 400 people, included speeches, entertainment and a barbecue. Nechi chief executive officer Ruth Morin said she was proud of the graduates because she saw the hard work they had to do to get where they are today.

"In addition to all the education they receive at the institute, they also obtain a vast knowledge of community, languages, culture, on where they came from and why they do the things they used to do. I also challenge them to think about the people out there that need them. I tell them to think about those people, the casualties in society who are in addicted lifestyles. I say to them, 'Now you have some training, so go and help them. Help somebody, because someone was there for you'."

She said that Nechi rarely gets anyone who attends the courses or programs whose lives have never been affected by some sort of an addiction.

Class valedictorian Grahame Sampson, who is from the Gitxzan Nation in northern British Columbia, ended his speech to a round of applause and shouts of victory as he said, "We can all tell ourselves that we did it. We have, every one of us, accomplished our vision and I believe that our vision was to obtain the necessary wisdom and skills to make a difference in people's lives."

Graduate Loretta Bulldog from the Beaver River First Nation in northern Alberta said that she quit drinking 14 years ago because she wanted her kids to have a better life than she did.

"I now lead a good life. I have a good job and I have a good husband. Today, I'm really happy, but when I used to drink I used to have a lot of anger. I used to be mean. But through Nechi, after taking the community addictions program, it's helped me a lot and it helped me deal with a lot of issues in my life," she said.

Her daughter Leanne, 15, said that she was one when her mother stopped drinking. She said that her mother is a terrific person and she is proud of the work her mother does in their community.

"She is helping people. My family is always asking her for her advice and she will help them. She is a role model in our community. She does not drink or do drugs," Leanne said.

"This graduation is quite nice. I learned a lot about myself and that there are a lot of nice people in this world," said graduate Stan Spence, 46, of Calgary. "I used to drink a lot and now I want to give something back to the community. I struggled for a lot of years. Back then there was no way for me to give back, so I started to do my programs, one day at a time, and Nechi gave me a lot of hope, and strength to keep going. So if I can help someone, one day at a time, it will make me feel good."