National Addiction Awareness Week runs from Nov. 19-25, and the Tlicho Government has a packed schedule of events planned for its communities.
One of the highlights in Behchoko will be a youth-led addictions workshop, which will give its young participants the chance to lead the conversation.
“Young people bring that creativity and they have potential that they can offer to the community,” said Bipin P. Dhakal, director and lead counsellor at the Tlicho Friendship Centre, where the workshop will take place. “That’s why we decided to bring these youth together and see what they have to say about addiction and substance abuse, and how it impacts them, their family and the community.”
The workshop will run from Nov. 21-23, with local child and youth counsellors Annagretha Kambarami, Ebube Ojukwu and Onyx Walker on site to provide support and supplementary information.
By the time registration ended on Nov. 14, all 20 spots had been filled, making this the biggest iteration of the workshop since the pandemic.
“We have already gotten overwhelming support and participation from the youth,” Dhakal said.
Participants will be between 11 and 24 years old. According to Dhakal, some of them are “already on their sobriety journey” and eager to “tell their stories.”
Together, the participants will spend three days learning about addictions, stigma and support.
They will also divide themselves into three groups, based on their interests and skills, to create a poster, a short video and a skit to promote addictions awareness. They will present their handiwork to the community on Nov. 24.
“The idea here is to give that self-confidence to the youth that we can do something for ourselves, we can do something for our peers, we can offer something to our community in the area of addiction awareness, and we can be part of the solution,” Dhakal said. “That’s the empowerment and engagement we’re looking for.”
Dhakal, who has lived in Behchoko for 10 years and been with the Friendship Centre since 2020, contends that it’s important to take an aggressive approach to tackling addiction in communities like Behchoko.
“If you look at Indigenous communities, with colonialism and all the trauma, it is very important that we address this issue in a more intense way, like what we’re doing in remote communities like Behchoko,” he said.
He added that this is particularly true considering that young people in small communities spend significant amounts of time on the internet, where they can be exposed to misinformation about addictions.
“You would think it’s more common down south, in urban areas, but that’s not the case,” he said. “In small communities where they have internet access, they are more engaged in these internet-based activities. They’re getting some misinformation through that.”
Dhakal is optimistic Behchoko’s youth-led addiction workshop will have a positive effect in the community, and he hopes to keep young people engaged with similar programming in the near future.
“We’re hoping this is just the beginning,” he said. “Our dream is to have a youth group within the community and that they’ll continue to engage in these kinds of activities.”
He also noted that any young people with questions about addictions can approach their school counsellors, as well as those working with the Tlicho Community Services Agency, and at the Tlicho Friendship Centre. There are also online and phone-based counselling available.
“We have resources and help available in the community,” he said. “You’re not alone in this journey. We’re here to support you.
“Reach out for help if you need it. The change agent for your healing journey is yourself. If you want to change that cycle, for you and for your family, you’re the person who can do that. You have that potential.”