Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in May and June of 2017, a series of meetings were held to solidify feedback from age groups in Fort Simpson regarding community wellness. Information was gathered, compiled, and a community wellness plan was completed in July 2017 that addressed some of the concerns of the community Members. They were:
• bullying and cyber bullying;
• not enough activities for youth and families offered;
• unresolved grief and trauma associated with residential schools;
• not enough mental health services and counsellors available in the community, and information about these services were not disseminated effectively; and
• drug and alcohol abuse;
to name a number of them, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, on April 1, 2017, to date, I would like to highlight some of these things that the community has been doing.
• Interagency meetings were reinstated to improve communication between community agencies and service providers between ourselves and the community.
• A 10-day youth-on-the-land camp was held at the Culture Camp from July 31 to August 9, 2017, and another one is planned this year,
• A three-day on-the-land camp. A workshop for adults, Grieving to Self-Healing, was held in July.
• Liidlii Kue in the Village of Fort Simpson hosted the week long regional youth Dene Games in August.
• The Reel Youth anti-bullying and film workshop was undertaken in October. All students from grades 7 through 12 were given the opportunity to participate, and several films were created.
• The Lights On program started in October. Paid supervisors and adult volunteers kept the high school open on Friday and Saturday night from 8:00 to 12:00 midnight for students from grades 7 to 12. Between 25 and 50 youth attended each night.
• An Elders' Appreciation Dinner was held in December where elders were honoured, received gifts, and were served by a group of volunteer high school students.
• LFKN assisted with planning, presentation, and delivering evening programs for the youth mental health conference that was held at the high school February 2018. I will be doing a Member's statement tomorrow on this.
• A group of 10 students and two chaperones travelled to the Wisdom to Action Youth-Led Suicide Prevention Program conference in Vancouver. I will be doing a Member's statement later on this next sitting.
• An elders and youth film making project is beginning in March. Northern studies students will be creating films of their interviews with the community elders.
• LKFN will operate a four-plex unit that will host four people who have been ---
Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted