Around 50 people turned out for the screening of A New Warrior for Hope — a short film cast with Stoney Nation members, directed by Jason Gondziola of ycmedia.
The screening was part of the gang prevention program run through the Bearspaw Youth Centre — where the screening was held.
The short was filmed on the Nation over the course of one year, with some 15 Stoney cast members and a handful of youth on deck as storywriters.
It’s centered on youth Weddu (Gage Beaver) who struggles with issues such as drugs and bullying, as elder (played by Sykes Powderface — who has background as a professionally trained actor) tries to steer him down the right path.
The film is a message of hope in the face of growing problems on the Nation — including gang violence, prescription drug abuse, family violence and suicide.
Cathy Arcega is the program manager for the Stoney Nation Youth Engagement Strategy.
Since beginning her work with the gang prevention program two years ago, Arcega has seen interest more than double; the program was given the original funding through Alberta Justice in 2013 and received top-up funding last year through Alberta Health.
She credits the growth of the program to the efforts of community members. “It’s due to a team effort, including young adults and volunteers for stepping up.”
Arcega’s vision is to see the Bearspaw Youth Centre become the ‘go to’ place for youth.
“I just want it to become the community centre for youth — a place where they feel safe, where they can do their homework or their resumes or just talk to someone.”
She said the afterschool and evening programs held at the centre run on weeknights and are growing in participation.
According to Arcega, gang violence continues to be a problem of growing concern on the Nation, where an estimated four different gangs are known.
“The concern we do have is people (involved with gang violence) from other First Nations communities who have been migrating down here, after being forced to leave their own communities (for gang-related activities),” said Arcega, noting that some of these individuals have been migrating from Maskwacis (known as Hobbema until 2014; the community, located within Ponoka County, has been in national media many times, known for its problems with crime and gangs).
Changes to funding and structure (through Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission) saw the loss of two Morley Enhanced Policing Members at the end of 2014; while Arcega noted this as an unfortunate loss for the community, she and others involved with the gang prevention program would continue to encourage fostering positive relationships between the Nation members and the RCMP. Const. Donald Vanderrick is the current Morley RCMP officer, out of the Cochrane detachment.
Arcega and Gondziola will be highlighted speakers at the North Central Teachers Association 2015, which will be held Feb. 5-6 in Edmonton; they will be speaking about the film as it relates to Stoney culture and gang-related issues in the community.
Visit ycmedia.ca to learn more about the short film.
