Police liaison teaches city youths

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Jim White says he was one of the lucky ones.

He doesn't feel lucky because he found his way off the dead end streets of Edmonton skid row district, or because he was able to realize he was killing himself with alcohol before it

was too late, He doesn't feel lucky because he landed a good job with the city.

White says he's lucky because he found a way to direct other Natives away from same problems that almost destroyed his family.

He is now helping Native children understand there's more to life in Edmonton than they think.

The Native liaison for the Edmonton Police department says his story isn't unique, but it's one that never gets heard.

Like many other Natives in Alberta, White, 37, came to Edmonton seeking a different way of life he couldn't find on his reserve.

But unlike most others, he eventually found a future off the beaten sidewalk of skid row.

"They come in off the reserve, for whatever reasons, and get caught up in the lifestyle. I ended up on the streets as an alcoholic too," he says.

"But I learned from it. We have to learn something from the negative points."

He said he learned a lot about the importance of family unity.

White said his turning point came after seeing Native families being pulled apart by alcohol and drugs.

"I knew I had to do something to keep it from happening. It was the same things that almost broke my family up. It starts with the children," he added.

White said he overcame his own addiction and was hired by the Police department in 1976 to show other Natives in Edmonton know where they can go for help.

"And now I'm here to help work with families and refer them to the resources available. There are services and health agencies that are there to help," he said.

White said there were many Natives who came to Edmonton and became doctors, lawyers or other learned, white-collar professionals.

"But those aren't the ones you hear about. It's always the ones who are down on their luck that you hear about," he said.

The greatest myth is that Native get caught up in a skid row lifestyle and have nowhere else to turn, said White.

"But the truth is," he said, "they just don't know help is there."

He said the problems affecting Native families in the skid row area can be improved with education.

There are alternative lifestyles parents and children just aren't exposed to.

"Families need to know someone cares," White said.

White, who hails from Marlboro, 130 km west of Edmonton, comes from a large family of 13.

He visits schools in the Boyle-McCauley area to tell students about what social services are available to them if there's a problem at home.

"Children learn at home. They learn from their parents. They also need role models," he said.