Case Study

With the final touches on the beautiful space just finished, Yvonne Wolverine and her team opened the doors to the Yuthe Dene Sekwi Chu La Koe Betsedi, a group home overlooking Stony Rapids on the Black Lake First Nation in January of 2014.

The group home provides educational, spiritual and recreational services in a warm setting. It also offers therapeutic and family counselling, cultural programming and holistic addiction and trauma recovery plans that incorporate language and traditional living.

“It’s so important for us to help our children, youth and families find healing close to home. Our goal is to see the children requiring therapeutic services grow into healthy individuals,” said Yvonne Wolverine, the executive director of Athabasca Densuline Child and Family Services. “We are grateful for the support we have received to make this work a reality.”

Cameco and AREVA contributed $500,000 to the facility.

“We’ve taken our direction from northern leaders, many who are here today, and time and time again they’ve told us to invest in our youth,” said Darrel Burnouf, manager of business development and northern affairs for Cameco.

Six children, between the ages of 12 and 15 moved into the home right away. They had previously been living in group homes in Regina and Prince Albert. The home has 12 beds in total and serves the Athabasca Denesuline First Nations and surrounding communities.

Since it’s opening, traditional programming has continued to grow. Elders teach the children how to prepare and preserve dry meat and fish, bead, and tan leather. The children also plant and tend a vegetable garden on site.

Wolverine says being close to home has made a huge difference in their healing and is keeping families together.

“Communication is easier when it’s happening in our Dene language, and it’s much more convenient to arrange when there isn’t great distances to travel.”

The communities in the area have cited high rates of alcohol and drug addictions, and the need for long- term recovery plans and counselling to face issues of abuse, grief and trauma. In the past, family members had few resources to support their children when they returned from programs in the south.

Many of Cameco’s employees and their families live in the basin, making the decision to provide support an easy one, according to Burnouf.

“This project makes the basin stronger, so we felt it was important to support it any way we could.”