Western walkers on a mission join eastern powwow

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On the occasion of the Aundeck-Omni-Kaning powwow, Chief Patrick Madahbee praised 15 people who were walking to Ottawa to draw attention to the problem of youth suicides. The walk began April 1 in Nanaimo, B.C., and concluded June 17 in Ottawa.

The purpose of the walk, according to organizer Gina Meldrum, was to reach out to all Canadians to raise awareness about the overwhelming problems facing young Native people.

Although the walkers' goal was to reach the nation's capital by June 21, eight of the group completed the entire trip and arrived in Ottawa four days ahead of schedule.

Their purpose is to establish a facility in Nanaimo offering support to youth in crisis. They also want to establish a 24-hour help line.

Steve Rush, the spokesman for the suicide prevention group, urged young people not to hold their feelings inside when they feel depressed.

"Sometimes things get triggered and they have to be released," he said. "See someone you can trust; go to your mom or your dad or your grandparents. Don't suppress it; learn to talk about it. Let it come out so that you don't get depressed."

A Manitoulin health worker, Joe Laford, also praised the British Columbia walkers for their campaign. "I am so proud of these walkers," he said. "Suicide is a severe problem."

In his work as a trainer in suicide intervention, he has observed that many youth are rejecting psychiatrists and social workers. He asked the community to maintain a heightened awareness of so called "accidents" involving youth. From his experience, today's young people may be committing suicide through "accidental drownings and car crashes.

"They want us to listen to them because they are the ones carrying the pain," he reminded the assembly. "So dig deep and support the walkers in their journey to Ottawa because they are doing a darn nice thing."

Since suicides are under-reported in Canada, statistics on the prevalence of suicide vary. Youth workers report that suicide rates among youth aged 10 to 25 have increased over the past 15 years.

According to University of British Columbia researcher Rod McCormick, the suicide rate for Aboriginal youth is eight times higher than that for their non-Aboriginal peers.