CHIPPEWAS OF THE THAMES COMMUNITY STORY - Cottfn

g. Many youth are bitter about the Antler River School. ―We need better academics at
Antler River Elementary,‖ they say. ―We are only 40% prepared for High School.‖
h. There are ―definitely more opportunities for boys to get work than girls. This is not fair.
Boys can get jobs in landscaping, road crews, construction… employers think women
cannot do these things.‖
i. Male youth say that young men need a program on how to care for a woman.
j. Many youth don‘t show up for youth meetings and activities, but then they complain
because there is nothing to do or that no one listens to us.
k. Us youth need our ―dreams supported‖. Many of us need healing and we all need to
learn about the hardships of the past, so we are more respectful and stronger in
knowing who we are.
l. We need to overcome dependency on alcohol and drugs.
m. Youth need more jobs, and not just summer jobs.
n. We need more training, coaching and role models to help us become the best we can
be.
o. Emotionally, lots of youth need a good support person and support groups to help
them with their problems.
p. Some teachers stereotype Native youth because they have a inaccurate knowledge
of Natives. They need to be better educated and go beyond their textbooks from
years ago.
q. There‘s inequality and unfairness in who gets how much help for sports. It‘s not a fair
process and we all know it.
r. We need more of us to graduate. A lot of us don‘t make it.
s. Education should have more options such as choir, arts, Native language, etc. Some
schools have these things, however some do not.
t. If our community were healthy, we would quit the abuse of our women. There would
be fewer drugs and drug dealers, more jobs, enough homes for everyone who needs
them, and it would make the younger generation feel safe.
Chippewas of the Thames Community Story
October 2011
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