SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Sometimes addressing issues like homelessness starts with a simple gesture and 12 St. Patrick High School students have an idea to help improve the lives of Yellowknife's homeless.

Gabriel Apple, a Yellowknife resident, receives a "We Care" backpack from Dana Goldney, a student at St. Patrick High School, on June 8 near Franklin Avenue. - Heather Lange/NNSL photo

The students in the Leadership Resiliency Program at the school handed out "We Care" backpacks, backpacks filled with personal hygiene items, to Yellowknife's homeless on Wednesday.

Sophie Thrasher, a woman who has been homeless off and on for years in Yellowknife really appreciated the gesture.

"There is a lot of people who are homeless now and they do need stuff like this. It is good to see others who care," said Thrasher.

Kathy Lovatt, a teacher for the program, said the idea is about giving back to the community and developing leadership skills.

"The program is locally developed and it helps to increase positive factors and decrease negative risk factors like peer pressure and drinking for the students. This program is for students with potential, who may not have had the opportunity to show their leadership. The 'We Care' backpack is part of our service learning projects where we try to do good things for the community," said Lovatt.

Student Gloria Francis, 16, said it's about giving the homeless a hand up.

"I know what it's like not to have lots of things. Most of this stuff, we complain if we don't get what we want but some people don't have it at all. I hope through this project they know that somebody does care, and maybe it will motivate them to do something with their lives," said Francis.

Another student, Dana Goldney, said it feels good to help people, as her classmates nodded in agreement.

The Leadership Resiliency Program had a coin drive where they collected coins from each class at St. Patrick High School, as well as the Yellowknife Catholic school board and raised close to $200. Yellowknife MLAs also dug into their wallets to donate to the "We Care" backpacks.

Any extra bags will go to the Yellowknife Day Shelter on 52 Street.

Past projects included handing out home-made caribou stew to the homeless in the winter and trips to the hospital to hand out baskets full of necessities. The program is a semester course with the option of taking it for two semesters. The students earn five credits when they complete the course.

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