This spring, some Canadian students will start bringing more home from school than just books; they’ll also be carrying some valuable lessons with them that can help them to deal with some of life’s toughest choices.
This month, the RCMP will roll out its Aboriginal Shield Program (ASP) in ten Aboriginal communities across the country. Designed to help Aboriginal youth make informed choices about drugs, alcohol and other high-risk lifestyles, the Program will be made available to students in grades 5/6 and 7/8 in the following communities:
1) Arviat, Nunavut
2) Igloolik, Nunavut
3) Agassiz, British Columbia
4) Fishing Lake Métis Settlement, Alberta
5) La Ronge, Saskatchewan
6) Saint Laurent, Manitoba
7) Nain, Newfoundland/Labrador
8) Burnt Church, New Brunswick
9) Waswanipi Cree Community, Quebec
10) Walpole Island, Ontario
Created by the RCMP’s Drug and Organized Crime Awareness Service, (DOCAS), the program has recently been updated to reflect a greater diversity of Aboriginal cultures and to incorporate the latest facts about Canadian drug issues. It also includes lessons on emerging social challenges like Aboriginal gangs, a growing problem where children are being recruited at shockingly young ages.
“The Program has been revamped with the purpose of better connecting with the predominant Aboriginal cultures found in Canada; the Métis, the Inuit and the First Nations. The RCMP plays an important role in these communities, and we want to build on that even further by helping youth to stay on the right track during this very pivotal stage in their lives, ” stated Inspector Dan Quirion, Officer-in-Charge of the DOCAS programs.
As part of the launch, community members from the above mentioned Aboriginal communities participated in a five-day training program hosted by DOCAS in Ottawa in November 2009 in order to certify them as Community Facilitators of the Aboriginal Shield Program. The Program’s lessons will be delivered over the remainder of the school year.
