Children in care

Two white fiberglass canoes made in the Nuu-chah-nulth dugout style quietly slipped into the Somass River on the morning of June 17, to the cheers of crowds gathered on the riverside. The 36-foot canoes were commissioned by the NTC’s Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family and Child Services program to help children and youth in care connect with their cultures in a hands-on way.

Tseshaht people welcomed Usma staff to Paper Mill Dam that morning to lead the blessing ceremony from their traditional territory.

By the time Kyle Harry aged out of foster care at 19, he was full of resentment towards the system that oversaw his upbringing since infancy.

“I’m still angry. I didn’t like Usma,” said Harry. “But I’m glad where I come from, from Ehattesaht.”

He recalls living in 12-15 different homes in Ahousaht, Kyuquot, Campbell River and Port Alberni over his childhood.

A group of Hesquiaht children in foster care arrived at Usma offices with their caregivers for an evening of cultural activities, socializing and dinner. The event, called Connections, took place May 16 in Port Alberni.

The Huu-ay-aht First Nations has released an independent evaluation of its Social Services Project that reveals the number of children in care is decreasing.

Launched in 2017, the goal of the project was to ensure all Huu-ay-aht children grow up in safe and healthy homes that are connected to culture. 

When 21 per cent of the nation’s children were in foster care in 2018, Huu-ay-aht declared a public health emergency.

Dozens of Nuu-chah-nulth-aht and Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council staff gathered at Maht Mahs parking lot Aug. 5 to hear an important announcement from Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family & Child Services.

A white, fiberglass Nuu-chah-nulth-style canoe rested on a trailer. It served as a backdrop as Linus Lucas, with support from his mother Julia, offered up a prayer chant.

October is Caregiver Appreciation Month in British Columbia and Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family & Child Services is celebrating by delivering gift baskets to its 146 care givers. Each basket has Indigenous-inspired creations, like home-canned salmon and jam.

In previous years Usma would celebrate care givers by hosting a dinner and offering prizes and gifts. But with the pandemic still posing a danger, they had to come up with alternative plans.