A First Nations youth facility officially opened in Black Lake Thursday.
The group home provides educational, spiritual and recreational services to at risk youth between the ages of 12 and 17.
Yvonne Wolverine, the executive director of the facility, says the goal of the home is to provide services to Aboriginal youth in a setting that is culturally appropriate.
“It is difficult to be away from home and away from your culture, your language, it gets very difficult when you are growing up, especially at a young age,” she says. “So, the leaders decided in the past, the board members, that we needed to do something to bring our children home.”
The facility that has been made possible through a $500,000 donation from uranium mining companies Cameco and Areva.
Cameco official Darrel Burnouf says his company believes it is important to support northern youth in any way it can.
“This company, we’ve taken direction from northern leaders, which many are here today, and time and time again they’ve told us to invest in our youth,” he says.
Areva official Glenn Lafleur adds his company realizes the importance of northern youth being able to receive services in their home community and this is why they have made a significant contribution to the group home.
“It’s important that the youth stay at home, instead of being sent south, they’ll have family support here at the group home,” he says.
Prior to moving into the facility, the youth had been living in group homes in Regina and Prince Albert.
There are currently six young people living at the home.