IAA All-Chiefs Conference

Page 6

Editorial

Child welfare report touches leaders, opens minds and hearts

A giant step forward was taken at a recent all-chiefs conference in Calgary. Although all of the Alberta's chiefs weren't present, a good number were touched by the findings of a child welfare report that had just been completed. Alcohol, a lack of culture and poor parenting techniques were presented as primary reasons for the breakdown of families and the placement of so many children in foster homes. AS they discussed their own experiences as children and observations of the situations on their own reserves, a healing seemed to take place. In the sharing of their stories a sense of unity was established and a closer look at attacking these problems was taken.

One chief, after hearing accounts of how residential schools had left many people ill-equipped to raise their only families, exclaimed he was "starting to realize that many of us never had the chance to mature emotionally." Another representative pointed out that the class structure on reserves has to go before people can accept the idea of their friends and neighbors getting ahead in life, without putting them down out of jealousy. One chief talked about his own experience as a foster child and how he never stopped thinking about going home and returning to his natural family. He identified with the identity crisis Native foster children go through, and expressed his opinion that repatriation group homes might be the answer to help children returning to reserves to first learn the Native way of life.

The earnest exchange of experiences, feelings and possible solutions was encouraging. Hearts and minds opened as the chiefs re-established they are the key players in bringing about changes in their communities. Here was an issue where there could be no isolation ? subject to reinstate the networking and information sharing system amongst them.

The Indian Association should take pride in commissioning report and initiating this networking system. It is an IAA mandate to preserve treaty rights at the reserve and community level, and it has certainly hit the mark in addressing the issue of child welfare because it is our young ones who must be strong enough to carry the fight on into the future.