Treatment centre helps youth make the right choices

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Established in 1996, the White Buffalo Youth Inhalant Treatment Centre is a nationally recognized residential facility that treats youth who have addictions to solvents. Located on Sturgeon Lake First Nation, the centre is open to youth 12 to 17 from across Canada who come to take part in a six-month residential program.

During their time in the program, the youth take part in a variety of sessions, dealing with everything from personal hygiene to working through grief issues and handling emotions to addictions awareness. All the sessions are delivered through sharing circles, healing circles and in-group counselling.

When the centre first opened, it offered sessions for both boys and girls, with one intake for each group each year. But when Red Pheasant reserve near North Battleford opened up a centre called Eagle's Path that offered treatment for boys, White Buffalo discontinued their boys program and instead concentrated on providing services just for girls.

Then, about two years ago, Eagle's Path closed its doors, leaving no treatment facility within the province to provide services to boys. That may change in January, explained White Buffalo executive director Geraldine Atimoyoo, when the White Buffalo hopes to go back to its original programming, once again adding a boys' intake.

"We have 10 beds per intake and we are now going to have two intakes per year, so that is 20 youth coming through our doors each year. Since 1996 more than 150 youth have been to the treatment program," she said.

Atimoyoo believes that the six-month program offered at the centre is sufficient for the youth because it gives them a chance to work through some of the issues surrounding their addictions. She said that last year the centre did a pilot project where the program was shortened to four months, three times a year, but she saw that it didn't work.

"Sometimes the youth need the longer period of time to stabilize from the addiction," she said.

"What we are focusing on is having them leave here with tools to make the right choices, so they will know that if they continue the same lifestyle they can say that 'This is what can happen to me.' We would like them to be aware of that so that they can make positive choices," she said.

Atimoyoo said cultural activities such as sweatlodge and smudging ceremonies are part of the programming, with two Elders who help the youth throughout the duration of the program.

"We focus on culture here at the centre but we do not push it onto them. We have a sweat once a week, and smudging ceremony each morning. What comes out of this is that the youth learn respect and how to be part of a team. And that is what makes this successful is when everybody can pull together, to be on the same page and have the same goal," she said.

Other traditional activities available to youth in treatment include pipe ceremonies, round dances, powwows and making traditional arts and crafts. They also attend school at the facility Monday to Friday. Recreation activities during the weekend and evenings include swimming, canoeing, fishing, soccer, volleyball and movies.

"We do not only constantly concentrate on the program itself. We take them on outings and to different conferences and activities. They attended the Elders gathering in Nakaneet in August and they really enjoyed themselves. While there they were involved in different things and they were able to observe a lot of different cultural activities," she said.

After the completion of the program, parents, family and friends are invited to a graduation ceremony. After they leave the facility the centre keeps in touch with the youth for two years.

"Many times after the youth leave they call the counsellors just to talk, to get some guidance and reassurance. But the aftercare usually takes place in the community they're from," Atimoyoo said.

For more information about the White Buffalo Youth Inhalant Treatment Centre, visit the centre's Web siteat http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/wbuffalo.