Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs February 27, 2007 Suicide Prevention Program to Proceed in Sheshatshiu
Government continues to move forward with its commitment to address the incidence of suicide and attempted suicide among Aboriginal youth in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Honourable Tom Rideout, Minister responsible for Aboriginal Affairs, today announced that funding has been made available for the administration of a family suicide prevention program in Sheshatshiu. The program will be delivered by the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation. "As a government, we have committed to take measures to ensure that social issues within Aboriginal communities are being addressed," said Minister Rideout. "This program will provide suicide prevention services for youth and their families in Sheshatshiu, and therefore is an important initiative in helping to achieve a safe social climate within that community." In addition to providing services directly to individuals, the program will also provide for the training of caregivers within the community. It will give local caregivers the necessary skills and knowledge to deal with the effects of youth suicide and suicide attempts on youth, their families and the community as a whole. "This government takes the social challenges within Aboriginal communities very seriously," said the Honourable John Hickey, Minister responsible for Labrador Affairs and MHA for Lake Melville. "I am confident that this program will be quite beneficial in helping to reduce these concerns and I am pleased that the department has made this funding available for this extremely important initiative." In Budget 2006, $120,000 was provided for such suicide prevention initiatives over the next two years. The funding is made available under the Suicide Prevention Grants Program of the Department of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs. A grant of $12,000 has been provided to the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation for their proposal. "In the coming days, similar programs for other Aboriginal communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador will be announced," said Minister Rideout. "Government is extremely pleased to be supporting these programs, and we will continue to support such initiatives as we move forward." The program will run for three weeks and is expected to commence in the coming days. - 30 � Media contact: 2007 02 27 9:10 a.m.
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