In this week's edition of the Deh Cho Drum, there are two stories about teenagers who spent part of their summer vacations participating in programs.

The types of programs they attended were widely different from each other. They had focuses ranging from law to sciences to university life to the Canadian Forces. While the programs focused on different things, they also had a few things in common.

Each of the programs was designed to give youth a chance to explore career opportunities and to learn about new things. Three of the programs were designed specifically for aboriginal youth.

With these programs and many like them available, all eligible Deh Cho teenagers should be applying. There is no reason that any teenager in the region who has an interest in travelling and exploring new opportunities should be sitting at home during their summer vacation.

The importance of promoting these programs and getting youth to participate in them cannot be underestimated.

In the region, there are always discussions taking place about how the youth are the future and about the need to foster and support youth so they will be strong leaders and productive members of the workforce. Having youth participate in programs such as the Raven Aboriginal Youth Employment Program or the University of Toronto Faculty of Law's Aboriginal Youth Summer Program are a positive step in that direction.

Teenagers from the Deh Cho need to be presented with opportunities to travel outside of their communities and the region. They need to have the chance to see what is available in the rest of Canada and beyond.

The purpose of this exploration isn't to convince teenagers of the need to live their lives elsewhere, although some may, but rather to help them expand their horizons and make informed decisions.

Many of the youth who attended programs over the summer are now considering different career paths or have reaffirmed that the path they have chosen is the right one for them. The need to go to school and get good grades has also been driven home. If law school, for instance is their goal, skipping classes won't get them there.

With so many opportunities waiting for them, school staff, parents and community members need to promote summer programs and help students apply for them. By attending them, the lives of the students, as well as the region, will be enriched.

Sept. 9 is FASD awareness day and one local group is throwing a community baby shower meant to inspire support and understanding.

It's hard to get the right information out to people who need it, say members of the group.

There are still a lot of myths surrounding FASD. For example: it's OK to drink one glass of wine a day, for the first three months it doesn't make a difference, or as long as you drink water afterwards nothing will happen.

But they're just myths and there is no "safe" amount of alcohol when you're pregnant.

Depending on what stage of pregnancy the mother is in, different aspects of the child are affected.

People tend to focus on the physical characteristics, but that's not the only aspect of FASD.

There aren't any specific numbers specific to Canada that relate to FASD, there are only estimates and they fluctuate widely from community to community.

FASD is something that can affect everyone, says the group. And it's spread across all socio-economic levels.

Part of the problem is people are unwilling to talk about it. No one wants to be seen as the irresponsible parent but a proper diagnosis of FASD depends directly on the admission of pre-natal alcohol consumption.

Yes, there is a stigma attached, but that's exactly what the community baby shower aims to address.

In the past they've shown people how to make mocktails, drinks without alcohol that taste like they're swimming with booze.

They're also focusing on peer support, saying it's important to have friends that aren't always talking about the last great party they went to or that awesome night at the bar.

Part of the unwillingness to talk about FASD stems from people unknowingly drinking while pregnant.

"I had a few glasses of wine while pregnant," said one of the workshop members. "I hadn't taken a test yet and didn't know I was pregnant, but I still felt horribly guilty."

The group wants more awareness and they want to spread the word. If you want help there are people there for you.

Lise Luppen, a dietitian with the Inuvik Regional Hospital, said it's important to show there are other choices out there.

"Not everyone is comfortable talking about it but there are people for you," she said.

"One of the positives to come out of this event we're holding is people can see there are positive role models in the community and there are other choices out there."

Luppen wants to get that dialogue going, saying talking about it can be one step in reducing the stigma.

"Don't be ashamed to have a conversation with your doctor or other health care practitioner," she said.

But in this case, a delay in awarding leases on an additional 35 cabins on Banting, Walsh and Prosperous lakes until next year has the potential to make a bad situation even worse.

The decision by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) to extend a cabin lot freeze until next March to allow for more consultation may encourage even more people to hastily erect squatter cabins.

Lands administration officials met last week with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, whose members had complained about conflicts with traditional land use and the impact cabins and their owners have on the environment.

We're fully in favour of talks with the Yellowknives. In fact, let's go one step further in encouraging the Dene to pursue avenues in which they could generate a stream of revenue for their people from legitimate cabin leases.

That said, the recreational lease policy framework has been in place since 2009. People have seen the writing on the wall and, in some cases, have moved quickly to erect structures before new rules come into force.

Let's get on with it, already. Those who respect the process may well feel cheated by the length of time they have waited to complete their journey through the kilometres of red tape. Is MACA reluctant to act because the controversial policy has become too political?

Not managing the admittedly difficult cabin-lease issue properly is resulting in anarchy, the least desired result.

It leaves the door open for increasing problems created by people who have selected their "choice spot," refuse to leave and are hoping for the best.

The City of Yellowknife should be praised for raising the rainbow flag in Somba K'e Civic Plaza on Friday.

It's a welcome boost for the lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, two-spirited and queer community, and the many orientations and identities by which individuals define themselves. The celebrations included their friends and families for the inaugural NWT Pride festival.

The rainbow flag is recognized internationally as a symbol of diversity, visibility and pride, honouring the myriad expressions of love and relationships shared between individuals in society.

Smiles and laughter shared among revelers throughout the three-day event, which included live music, workshops, children's activities and games for all ages at various venues, were much deserved.

Pride has been prominently celebrated with public events in Yellowknife since 1998, after the former advocacy organization OutNorth petitioned city council three times to recognize Pride Day before it was finally approved that year.

OutNorth disbanded in 2007, but not before starting the annual tradition of serving rainbow-coloured cake in front of the post office every summer, which was also a small part of last week's NWT Pride festival.

A lot of progress was made in the past decade, including sexual orientation and gender identity being included in the NWT Human Rights Act and same sex marriage rights becoming recognized across the country. Those victories grew out of a long struggle for equality.

In 1967, the late Everett Klippert, formerly a mechanic living in Pine Point, NWT, was convicted for having consensual sex with another man. After failed appeals to the NWT courts and all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, he was sentenced to jail.

The same year, then justice minister Pierre Trudeau made his famous statement, "the state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation."

Yellowknifer applauds the organizers and participants of the first NWT Pride festival, and hopes the initiative will grow into an annual tradition.

As Kivalliq hockey fans brace for the possibility of a NHL lockout on Sept. 15, they continue to trade opinions on who to blame for the loss of their favourite pastime.

But whether Kivalliq fans place the blame on the owners or the players, they all seem to agree on one point -- Gary Bettman has overstayed his welcome as league commissioner and has to go.

The funny thing is, Bettman rarely seems to mind being portrayed as the bad guy by the NHLPA or the fans. In fact, his main image problem is that he sometimes comes across as arrogant, and always comes across as smug.

Bettman always seems to think there's more people than not who know, deep down inside, their criticism of him is mostly unwarranted.

It's a behaviourial trait that makes players stare, agents roll their eyes and fans grind their teeth in frustration.

But he's right.

Bettman is nearing his 20th anniversary as NHL commissioner, having accepted the post on Feb. 1, 1993.

Players like to portray Bettman as an owner's lapdog who's always trying to take money out of their pockets. They'll never get what they're truly worth with him at the helm. Really?

When Bettman came along in 1993, the average player salary was $450,000.

After nine full years of the evil Bettman trying to pick their pockets, that number tripled and now the average annual salary has hit $2.4 million.

That kind of throws the argument of never making an honest wage with Gary in charge out with the Zamboni.

And, since agents are paid by percentage of players' salaries, their eyes are only rolling towards their financial portfolios every 10 minutes.

While there's a huge difference between revenues and profits, the fact remains the NHL was bringing in $400-million a year in revenues when Bettman took his chair.

It's now $3 billion.

Bettman critics also like to focus on a handful of struggling teams, with Phoenix being the ice dog to kick for the past few years.

He's failed miserably at exposing the game to viewers outside NHL cities and across the U.S.A. in general. And, they add, the NHL can't be taken seriously if it's not on ESPN. Really?

Bettman added six new teams to the NHL during his time in office and -- long the Achilles heel of the NHL -- negotiated TV contracts of $155 million with Fox in 1994, $600 million with ABC and ESPN in 1998, $207.5 million with Versus in 2006 and $2 billion with Comcast/NBC in 2011.

Critics also like to point to how many teams in the NHL lose money annually. This makes the owners giggle because it's the same song they sing when it's time to bargain. The truth is, in the majority of cases, yearly losses don't mean that much.

A club's true worth, and where an owner gets his payoff, is its franchise value. The average NHL franchise value now sits around $240 million, despite a handful being sold for under $200 million.

In fact, the biggest drag on the game's ability to become more profitable and challenge the other top sports is player salaries being at 57 per cent of hockey-related revenue.

As I head home with my three bags of groceries worth $224.21, I can't help but think: I'll take a Bettman!

When Libby Catling was travelling with her husband at Fort Reliance they were shocked to see a defaced Canadian flag flying upside down at a site maintained by the Lustel K'e Dene First Nation's Ni hat'ni Dene program.

When the flag was still flying upside down a month later, Catling contacted the newspaper, angered that a place maintained by the band and frequented by tourists from around the country would feature what they considered an offensive icon.

News of the flag caused a stir in Lutsel K'e, where the band said it had no previous knowledge of its existence. In response, the flag was removed and disciplinary action was taken against the staff involved.

Ni hat'ni Dene, a program designed to have elders and youth act in unison to watch over the land and provide interpretive services to travellers, is an important and worthy undertaking by the LKDFN. Not only is it a means to reconnect elders, youth and the land, but it also shows the people of Lutsel K'e's commitment to protecting their land and showcasing it to people choosing to visit.

With that in mind, the public face of the program is vital. The flag began as joke by a youth member of the staff at the site and exploded into an all-out controversy. Canadians are not known as the most nationalistic of people, but the flag is a symbol of our nation and a majority of people regard it with respect and even reverence.

It is likely no offence was meant when the flag was put up and LKDFN made a point to say it was not meant as a political statement by the band.

This situation goes to show why it is important to consider public image. Heartfelt testimonials written by youth workers of the Ni hat'ni Dene program are featured on its website. Those words express how important the program is to those involved and emphasize how vital it is for these youth to maintain a connection with the land and their culture.

Hopefully this incident will remind people to consider how one action may affect not only themselves but the people around them and the world they cherish. Ni hat'ni Dene is program that should be viewed with respect and acknowledged for the good it does.

Every member of the community should support its efforts and its staff should ensure its image exemplifies everything the program stands for.

Ten years ago Kelvin Redvers was a precocious Hay River student with his eyes on the silver screen.

Not only did he dream of making movies, he confidently proclaimed that people would one day be watching his movies. At 25 his dream is about to come true. His latest film, The Dancing Cop, is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and will also screen at an international film festival in Germany.

Support for the arts is steadily improving in the NWT as the GNWT makes efforts to improve funding. Over the past few years television and film have demonstrated the massive benefits they can bring to the NWT. Not only have shows such as Ice Pilots, Ice Road Truckers and Arctic Air brought money to NWT communities, they have also attracted tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of the locations seen on TV.

Redvers hopes that the future of the movie industry in the NWT will be bright but in order for that to happen, more incentives have to be offered to attract producers North of 60.

There is a lot of talent in the North and it is up to people such as Redvers and 16-year-old Joel Evans of Fort Smith, who will be starring in Lesser Blessed, the adaptation of Richard Van Camp's new novel, to pressure the GNWT to attract the film industry here.

With so much untouched wilderness, frontier communities and a multitude of interesting stories to tell, the NWT has lots of potential to appear on the big screen.

When Prime Minister Stephen Harper lands in Canada's North, you know any proclamations put forward will not magically fix much of the social ailments plaguing the territory: crippling food costs, scarce housing, overwhelming mental health issues.

However, the attention the federal government has paid to Nunavut year after year is a benefit in itself, along with program funding and leaders appointed to new positions.

During Harper's most recent visit, for the seventh year in a row, he offered a fixed dollar figure attached to the new Canadian High Arctic Research Station in Cambridge Bay, a whopping $142 million over six years to develop it, and $46.2 million over the next six years for its science and technology research program.

This translates into employment opportunities, as well as a future resource to delve into the worlds of Arctic science and technology.

And although some might think the expedition to reveal the whereabouts of the nation's only undiscovered national historic site, the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, is a waste of money, the marketing value for tourism is enormous.

The appointment of Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq as chair of the Arctic Council from 2013-15 puts a strong leader from Nunavut to bring the issues we face to an international stage.

It is true that Nunavummiut require more assistance from the federal government. That's why this year's focus on resource expansion and job creation was a breath of fresh air from the stale platitudes of Arctic sovereignty.

The attention of the country was focused on the North, not because of high mortality rates, low attendance in schools or stand-offs between community members and the police, but because exciting things are happening here.

It is easy to be torn when it comes to mining. On the one hand, it is a source of income for those who choose to get involved. On the other, people must adapt to drastic changes on their land, changes that sometimes leave environmental scars.

In a research project being carried out in Rankin Inlet, residents say they realize the industry creates jobs and income for their families. There are more and more of these opportunities being made available to Nunavummiut. The Arviat Diamond Driller's Training Program finished its second class of the program in April and 19 of the 21 graduates had work shortly after.

Although there is the benefit of financial security through these training programs, residents also acknowledge the negative effects on the land and animals associated with mining.

While mining companies invest millions into their projects that provide many spinoffs, they must still prove to residents that they are serious about taking care of the land.

Everyone has something to gain from these developments, and something to lose.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.