N.W.T. RCMP youth program gets $10,000
An RCMP program in Hay River, N.W.T. that connects youth to the land is getting a financial boost.
Every year, about 150 kids head out on the land, where they learn to hunt and trap in a traditional way.
This week, the RCMP foundation gave the program $10,000 to help keep the camp going.
Const. Steve Beck has been part of the RCMP program for the past two years, but has been running camps for kids for 17 years.
He was born in the area and said he remembers when elders taught him how to live off the land. Now he's showing kids at the camp the same.
"I had to promise them is that we continue to pass it along. So I made that promise and I'm sticking to it. It's an opportunity for us to show them that we're people as well and that with the police doesn't always come bad," he said.
Lilian Sinclair is at the camp to share her traditional knowledge with the youth.
"When they're out of their community on the land like this, they learn more hands on than they would from a book or from a classroom," she said.
Beck said he plans to use the $10,000 to help fund future camp programs.
