Fort Simpson (Sep 29/06) - When people walk through Betty Bird's office door, they are sure to find an open ear.

Bird is the coordinator for Victim Services. Victim Services together with Tools for Good Living are the two new social programs being offered by Liidlii Kue First Nations as part of the movement towards self-government, said Anne Marie McGuire, the director of health and social programs for LKFN.

Jessie Ketchum, facilitator, Clinton Digness, Natasha Isaiah and Terence Menicoche are part of the Tools for Good Living program being offered by the Liidlii Kue First Nation. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The programs are open to both band members and members of the larger community.

The main purpose of victim services is to listen to people and help them get the services they choose, Bird said. This can involve working with a person from start to finish in a court case.

"The biggest part of my job is just listening and being non-judgemental," she said.

Bird defines a victim as anyone hurt by another person. Since the program started at the beginning of September, Bird has been working to make people more aware that the service is available.

Bird plans to start training volunteers to help deliver the services. The help is needed, said Bird, because her position is only part-time, and violence can happen at anytime. Bird can be found in her office that has a separate door in the Liidlii Kue First Nations office on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.

After working 15 years in positions such as a social worker and a probation officer, Bird said she has seen a lot of need for a service like this in the communities.

"Victims have a voice now, someone who is there for them," she said.

In the Family Cultural Centre, people are preparing for their futures in the Tools for Good Living program.

The program uses a blend of Dene teachings and contemporary methods to provide reality-based life skills and breaks down barriers to employment, said Clinton Digness, the program facilitator.

The program takes a lot of its direction from the students, Digness said. People come into the program already having some skills and this is an opportunity for them to share their experiences, he said.

Natasha Isaiah, one of the five people currently in the program, said she joined to help upgrade her safety training. More life skills are always useful, she said."My time here is well spent," said Isaiah.

Topics the group havs already covered include communication skills, interpersonal skills and anger and stress management.

The program is bringing definition to where we want to go and an understanding of how to get there," said Jessie Ketchum, a participant.

More participants are welcomed to join the program that runs on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.