Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (July 23/99) - Some young people in Fort Simpson have formed a senate to work together to help keep kids in school and, at the same time, learn more about each other.

Part of a national program through friendship centres, the Simpson youth senate is the first of its kind here. Chair Bianca Cazon said the Deh Cho Society Friendship Centre approached her class with the idea for the senate.

"I was president of the student council at the high school," Cazon said. "Cam (Lehman) attended one of our council meetings and told us about the UMAYC (Urban Multi-purpose Youth Centres) funding project and asked us if we wanted to form a youth group to come over for a meeting at the friendship centre.

"I started to come to all the meetings, we had elections and I was elected as chairperson," she said.

The senate appealed to her on a few levels, Cazon said.

"I became interested because I'd not only be helping other students, but I'd actually be initiating the program and putting it all together," Cazon said. "It's not just for the students, but for other youth who don't go to school between the ages of 15 and 25."

With several fund-raising activities planned for the summer, Cazon said the senate is still in its infancy and they plan to learn as they go.

"It's a totally youth- driven program," she said. "This year is going to be trial and error basically, because it's our first year. We haven't received our funding yet, so we'll be holding a few fund-raisers around town."

The senate was able to secure $25,000 in funding from the federally funded program, said Cam Lehman, who oversees the program for the friendship centre.

"The funding came from Urban Multipurpose Aboriginal Youth Centres," Lehman said. "This funding is aimed to bring youth together and try to keep them in school."

While the youth are pretty much left on their own for most of the workings of the program, Lehman said he and Gerald Antoine make themselves available for any problems or to help with the senate.

"We steer them, to make sure they don't get off track," Lehman said.

"If there's some assistance they need they'll ask us and we'll provide that guidance," Antoine added.

Antoine said they leave the friendship centre entirely at the disposal of the senate, should they require any of the facilities or equipment.

"We have a resource centre here, the kitchen, computers are all at their disposal," Antoine said. "It's not only for them, but for the community."

He said the community will benefit from the program as much as the individuals will.

"We try to encourage youth from the community -- whether they're in school or not, to encourage each other to further their careers."