Youth Development for Aboriginal Communities
Bill Wilson

My big idea springs from my concern for Aboriginal people and the abominable conditions in which the vast majority have to live in British Columbia.    Sadly there has been little success despite the billions of dollars being spent on government programs, Aboriginal organizations, conferences, committees, task forces, treaty negotiations, justice initiatives, healing circles and reconciliation efforts.

The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development will spend over ten billion dollars this year supposedly serving the needs of Native Indian people in Canada.   When you include other federal services the figure rises at least to twenty billion dollars extracted from the federal treasury on the excuse of my people’s suffering.   Our provincial treasury is on the hook for another ten billion dollars per year in an ever increasing recognition of its responsibility to its First Nation citizen.   With the exception of a few reserves, the conditions of Native Indian people grow worse each year.   “Indian Business” in this country is a large factory that gobbles up huge resources and produces nothing at the other.

Even with all of my experience garnered over 64 years, I do not know why all of this money produces no relative change in the lives of Native Indian people.   It is true that physical conditions have improved but relative to the rest of society Native Indian people continue to exist at the bottom end of the social and economic ladder. 

One lesson that I have learned is that we do not spend the money where it is needed most – on youth development.   Instead we devote the vast majority of our money to those members of our tribes who have failed, some many times.  Too often the development of our young is ignored in favour of the so called healing programs for people my age who have probably exhausted all of their opportunities.

We must instil pride in our children and provide them with the basic human skills to fully explore their potential.    While I have sympathy for my people who have failed, I would rather spend our time energy and money on the young ones who still have a chance to succeed.   We will not see real progress unless we return to the basics and properly develop our children as our most important natural resource.

Here in BC Aboriginal children are marginalized even before birth.  It seems that their lot in life is merely to become fuel for one of the “Indian Business” factories that could not exist without them.

BC’s history has been based on harvesting and developing our natural resources with an ever growing immigrant population.  This has produced the place which despite the present recession has a brilliant future.   It may not be the Best Place On Earth but it is my favourite place, not that I had any choice about my settlement here.   I believe that we have a resilient future but only if we do not make the same mistake of ignoring the huge potential in every Aboriginal child.  Our children should not be the fuel for do-nothing service industries.  They should not be the “cannon-fodder” between or among competing agencies, Indian or otherwise.   We cannot allow them to continue to be groomed for foster homes, prisons, rehab centres or the Downtown Eastside.

I whole heartedly embrace the philosophy of the Moccasin Footprint Society, a newly registered provincial society devoted to developing Native Youth as our most important natural resource.  The philosophy was stated eloquently by Bev Sellars in the following quote, “We have to start with happy and healthy children.  They have to know who they are, who they can become, where they belong and how they can excel in life. They have to understand the challenges, opportunities and obstacles in life.  They need skill in managing money, problem solving, work skills, relationship skills, knowledge of nutrition and physical health and all the other basic skills in order to succeed in life.  They must learn the consequences that flow from one’s actions.   Accepting responsibility for all of one’s actions is progress.”   

If British Columbia truly has a resilient future we must find the ways to accommodate and encourage the training and growth of Aboriginal youth.  The future will be a sorry reflection of the past if we do not succeed in ensuring Aboriginal children their rightful place in this society.

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