Tracy Kovalench
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jul 13/98) - In a little building across the street from a highrise of GNWT offices, the Native Women's Association of the NWT goes about its business one day at a time.

From their headquarters in Yellowknife, a staff of about 10 aboriginal women and a handful of female volunteers try to serve the needs of First Nations women across the western NWT.

Lack of government funding limits the group geographically, but 85 percent of the association's walk-in clients are from outside the city, says executive director Bren Kolson.

"Somehow they find their way here," says Kolson, with a hint of sarcasm. "A lot of small communities don't have the services to help them."

Aboriginal women who come to Yellowknife, usually to escape an abusive situation, manage to find the Native Women's Association by word of mouth or through referrals by other organizations, says Kolson.

When Kolson accepted her position nine months ago, her main objectives were to raise awareness, increase visibility and encourage membership.

The association plans to elect new members to its regional board of directors at its annual general meeting, held in Hay River this year. Scheduled to run from Aug. 19 to 24, the meeting is open to women from communities in each of the six regions of the western territory.

The annual general meeting will also provide grounds for the second phase of a counsellor's workshop, designed to deal with family violence linked to residential school syndrome.

"Intentional, incurred and reoccurring abuse," says Kolson, noting the effects of residential schooling on the aboriginal population.

Kolson stresses the connections between many social difficulties facing aboriginal women today. Issues such as abuse-awareness, education, health care and employment are difficult to separate, she says.

The Native Women's Association of the NWT runs four programs out of its Yellowknife office. Each is both distinct and closely linked.

Victims Services provides a support network for women who have experienced or who find themselves caught in abusive situations. Ten to 12 trained volunteers and a program co-ordinator work closely between abused women, the community and the RCMP.

The association's newest project, the Urban Aboriginal Employment Initiative Program, helps aboriginal women alleviate financial burdens and assists them in finding sustainable employment.

"We have found that the program has become a clearing house to correct a lot of little problems," says Kolson, who adds a lack of self-esteem holds many women back.

The program helps women sort through the paperwork of past loans and also helps them work through past hardships both economical and emotional. Eight months old, the program boasts 153 interventions and has also branched out, assisting aboriginal youth with student loans and resume skills.

Another wing of the association, the Native Women's Education and Training Institute, offers a life-skills and adult basic education course for aboriginal women. It receives over 65 applicants, says Kolson. Due to funding cuts, though, enrolment is limited to about 15.

Kolson is optimistic recent discoveries regarding previously unknown monetary rights may help boost classroom numbers in the future.

Kolson also looks toward taking steps to improve NWT women's health care and long-term integrated social projects.