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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
About 300 students from five middle schools in Yellowknife marched in the annual Sober March on Monday to raise awareness about substance abuse.

Joe Calendino, program director with the Yo Bro Youth Initiative, stands next to Tommy Mercredi, 12, from Weledeh Catholic School during Monday's Sober Walk. - Svjetlana Mlinarevic/NNSL photo

"Today is the start of National Addictions Awareness Week so to sort of highlight that, or bring that into focus, we're having this public walk to celebrate sobriety and wellness and to bring awareness to drug and alcohol abuse, which is a negative thing," said Derek Pluchinski, the community wellness program manager at the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre, which organized the event.

"You can say 'no' to drugs and alcohol, and people who have gone down that path are on the road to recovery and we're celebrating that as well and it's just keeping that awareness to the community."

For the second time, the Tree of Peace has asked ex-Hell's Angel Joe Calendino to give a presentation to the middle schoolers.

"He was very well received last year and he was voted to come again this year to speak to youth," said Pluchinski.

Calendino, 48, was 14 years old when he started using drugs and 15 when he joined a gang. He became a full patch member of the Hell's Angels in his early 30s after spending 10 years as an underling. But only three years after becoming a full member, Calendino's spiraling crack-cocaine addiction and a violent incident at a Kelowna, B.C., casino caused him to be kicked out of the Hell's Angels.

Now, after five years of sobriety, Calendino is the program director for Yo Bro Youth Initiative in Vancouver. The three-year-old organization's aim is to "identify youth before they are drug, gang or street involved and to offer positive support systems that will enable them to develop resiliency, healthy living skills, proactive coping skills, and avoid the pitfalls that can derail their lives."

"We're seeing this incline on the different kinds of drugs they can use. Yeah, there's a huge difference," said Calendino, when asked if the situation is worsening among today's youth.

"Every time we seem to think we have a hold of something or we are able to develop things for these youth to understand there is either a new drug coming into play or this or that or what have you. Substance abuse now is not at a good place. The drugs are harder now then they were before. Kids are using marijuana more now than they were before."

As for the students, the message struck home as many came up to Calendino to shake his hand and ask questions.

"I liked it," said Tommy Mercredi, 12, a student of Weledeh Catholic School's Do Edaezhe program, which focuses on developing leadership and positive relationships among students using Dene culture.

"I chose (this sign) because it's nice. 'High on life' is doing sports and stuff you enjoy and not being harmful to your body and 'Drunk on love' is like your family and friends, like people you work with and all kinds of students and friends," said Desmond Kochon, 19, a student at St. Patrick High School who carried a sign that read, "Sober Walk. High on life. Drunk on love. "

"Sober walk is pretty cool, I guess. It's awareness for people," said Kochon.

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