Fort Providence (Apr 28/06) - The area of East Hastings in Vancouver is said to be the most drug-infested location in Canada.

In March, seven students from the senior class at Deh Gah school in Fort Providence saw the effects of drugs first-hand when they went on a tour of the area.

"It was really shocking," said Marina Sabourin.

The people on the streets looked sick and were wearing dirty and unkempt clothes, said Rebecca Landry.

"Some people were rude and told us to go back to where we came from, but others told us not to end up there and to finish school," said Sabourin.

The guided tour was part of the fourth annual Aboriginal Youth, Violence and Changing Times conference. Students from Fort Providence raised approximately $20,000 to take the trip.

"It was really an eye opener for (the kids) and the realities of getting hooked on crystal meth," said Margaret Thom, who led the fundraising efforts and travelled as one of the chaperons.

"It was pretty sad because there is a lot of despair in that area."

Before they went into East Hastings, the group was told what to expect and given safety tips on what not to do.

"You tried not to stare at people, but just glance and look away," said Thom.

The tour was just one of the activities the students participated in during their week-long trip.

At the conference, they chose which sessions they wanted to attend, said Thom.

Session topics ranged from suicide and depression, to exploring heritage through creative writing. A lot of the focus was on current drug trends, including crystal meth.

One of the speakers was a young man who had been addicted to drugs and cleaned up, said Thom.

Destiny Thom said she enjoyed the entire conference. There were a lot of good programs, she said.

One of the lessons she learned was not to end up in gangs because it leads to trouble with things such as drugs and alcohol, she said.

"It was fun," Destiny said about the conference.

Meeting new people was one of the highlights, said Thom who encourages youth from other communities to attend the conference in the future.

While in Vancouver, the seven students and five adults also visited the Vancouver Aquarium and took a ride on the Skytrain.