New program reaches out to youth

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There is a brand new sense of vitality, energy and enthusiasm in the air at the Lloydminster Native Friendship Centre (LNFC), due in no small part to new staff members Lawrence Gervais, Kelly Zacharias and Rhonda Smith, and their innovative programming for Aboriginal youth in the Border City.

Record numbers of teens are finding their way to the LNFC, from the city, surrounding towns and nearby reserves.

For 18 students from Lloydminster, Onion Lake First Nation and Kitscoty,Alta., the summer highlight of the new youth outreach program was a three-day trip to the Wolfchild Cultural Camp, located near Morinville, Alta.

Facilitated by respected teachers and spiritual advisors William Blake and Carola Cunningham, the camp was set up in a tipi village located on 27 acres of preserved natural land, complete with lake and forest settings.

Travelling by van on July 17, the students and counsellors left the comforts of town behind, knowing that they would be learning to raise their own lodges, gather fire wood and cut willow branches for a sweatlodge.

It was getting up early with the sun and going to bed by sunset that proved to be the greatest challenge, along with washing their faces in an ice cold lake, explained counsellor Rhonda Smith.

"We were all responsible for raising our own tipis, and to test ourselves, we had a tipi challenge, males against the females. I was surprised at the time it takes to learn the skill. It doesn't just happen," Smith said.

In the males versus female tipi challenge, the girls beat the guys hands down. The champion tipi builder turned out to be Michelle Daniels.

"I learned pretty quickly how to raise a lodge, and even with way more boys than girls, we still beat them at putting up the tipis," said Daniels.

"Michelle did help the boys with their tipis, gave them some support and helped give them back their dignity," explained Zacharias, with a laugh.

"Historically, that was their role. The women did it all; put up lodges made of 13 bison hides sewn together weighing over 800 pounds, wrapped around 14 poles," he added.

During the camp, the girls helped prepare a feast of hearty traditional foods while the boys gathered wood, tended fires and built a sweatlodge.

"Everyone but one female joined in the sweatlodge," said Zacharias.

"One girl was on her moon time, and Carola explained to everybody, especially the boys who had asked, why this girl did not go in. She talked about the Native spirituality and the values within it, and how this young girl was more powerful than the sweatlodge during her moon time and why she could not go in because of that.

"Willie and Carola made it very clear through their teaching, that women were like the Mother Earth, that they are more powerful than men and always would be; the givers of life, and that in our Native culture, the women would be the ones who would lead us back to ourselves. They taught us that along with the respect," said Zacharias.

This groundbreaking trip should set the stage for future expeditions that emphasis hands-on learning of traditional culture and survival skills.

"It was a very good experience for our youth and hopefully we will have the funding for more camps next summer," said Gervais, the new director of the LNFC.