The staff of Port Alberni Friendship Center hosted a dinner Sept. 16, inviting all community members to a night of socializing with the elders and sharing culture.
According to Shelley Poole, the event was approximately the eighth in a series of gatherings aimed at connecting youth to the elders with culture.
The idea is to build a strong healthy foundation for young aboriginal people through cultural teachings.
The work is being done through a partnership between the BC Association of Friendship Centres and the Canadian Mental Health Association through a program called Connecting the Dots (CTD).
Funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada, CTD seeks to improve the mental health of urban Aboriginal youth by bringing to community together and learning to both recognize risk factors and to address them.
The CMHA recognizes that awareness and knowledge of culture and tradition by aboriginal people goes a long way to preserving mental wellness. Among their tips for mental wellness is ‘remember that practising cultural traditions promotes good mental health.’
At the friendship centre, staff and volunteers served up pizza and salmon soup along with dessert to people of all ages.
The men drummed a dinner song before everyone was invited to sit in a circle and hear stories and teachings from elders Ray and Marie Samuel. The topic that evening was racism, bullying, respect, and self-respect.
Ray talked about the violence he witnessed as a young person. The violence, he said, was the result of alcohol intoxification and it was the reason his family members were warned against drinking alcohol.
Shelley Poole, Connecting the Dots Coordinator, said the program has been running at the PAFC for four years and would be coming to an end in the New Year.
PAFC Cultural Support Worker Darlene Leonew says the evening was a success and people really enjoyed themselves.
Many filled out event surveys and indicated that they would have liked to have taken part in more drumming and dancing.
With limited funding, Leonew is forced to rely on the generosity of volunteers to come in and share their songs and dances with the younger generation.
Anyone wishing to volunteer their time to lead in cultural activities in the future can reach Leonew at the Port Alberni Friendship Center at 250-723-8281.
There will be a final Youth and Elders event hosted through Connecting the Dots program tentatively set for Jan. 15, 2015.
