Rec nights aim to involve youth
Friday night activities take pressure off for Fort Simpson teenagers
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, October 15, 2015
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
On Oct. 16, the second instalment of Sober Sally/Steve is set to take off at the Fort Simpson recreation centre.
Jackie Thompson is running Sober Sally/Steve nights at the Fort Simpson recreation centre. - April Hudson/NNSL photo
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From 9 to 11 p.m., youth aged 12 to 18 will be able to participate in a late-night soccer game.
Jackie Thompson, the Grade 5 teacher at Bompas Elementary School, has been organizing the nights since the summer. Although a number of them had to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances - sewer back-ups at the recreation centre, double-booking and community tragedies - Thompson is determined to make Sober Sally/Steve a regular event for Fort Simpson's youth.
The Friday night activities, which if successful will occur regularly every month, are aimed at giving young people alternatives to more dangerous activities they might feel pressured to take part in, such as drinking or trying drugs.
Eventually, Thompson said, she plans to hold game nights, craft nights and movie nights - a range of activities that could draw more youth in.
"I want to get our youth doing some kind of activities on Friday night where the potential for peer pressure is high," she said.
The program was sparked by a trip Thompson took in May with six graduates to tour universities.
"Those kids told me some pretty scary things about the amount of pressure they face to drink or try drugs," she said.
"I told the girls, 'Why don't you try being sober sallies?' "
The name stuck. The first Sober Sally/Steve night, which featured carnival games such as bean bag tossing, water guns and a bouncy castle, pulled in between 65 and 80 youth.
For that one, Thompson credits Liidlii Kue First Nation, Dezoa Gogha and Fort Simpson's high-performance soccer group for providing funding for prizes.
Nathan McPherson, Fort Simpson's recreation manager, said the monthly events are helpful for youth.
"I think it's a wonderful program. It's a great addition for the kids in the community," McPherson said.
"Having (Thompson) volunteer to run a program like that is wonderful. We could always use more people like that."
