BY DIANE GILHULA
A centre dedicated to assisting aboriginal people who are living in Greater Sudbury is thriving in the downtown.
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It started out in one room on Ignatius Street. In 1972, the centre was officially incorporated under the name, The Indian-Eskimo Friendship Centre.
Its name changed in 1983 to the NÂ?Swakamok Native Friendship Centre which means Â?where three roads meet.Â? The centre is now located in a distinctive three-storey building on Elm Street that houses services and programs for native people.
Â?We assist aboriginal people who are moving into the city as new residents or those who are living here on a permanent basis,Â? says the centreÂ?s executive director Marie Meawasige.
She estimates there are more than 10,000 native people living in the Greater Sudbury area.
Â?Sudbury is a migration point from all parts of Northern Ontario and the Far North.Â?
The biggest challenge native people face when they move here is housing, says Meawasigne.
The Friendship Centre makes native housing referrals to the Native People of Sudbury Development Corporation.
The centre is a warm and inviting place with murals and paintings on the wall. Every inch of the three-storey building is well used.
The Native Alternative School has 90 students. It is one of just three schools of its kind in the province, and is affiliated with Sudbury Secondary School.
It is not a Â?regularÂ? school setting, says Meawasigne. Students aged 16-50 work at their own pace. Teachers work one-on-one with the students who are working on literacy courses, and many are completing high school credits.
Â?The one good thing about the school is they get a lot of support here,Â? says Barb Stevens-Burns, who is president of the centreÂ?s board of directors.
Â?All of the staff offer support programs for people. If thereÂ?s a problem it gets sorted out here and issues donÂ?t get out of control.Â?
The cultural activities at the centre are also important to clients, says Stevens-Burns.
The NÂ?Swakamok Friendship Centre celebrated its 30th anniversary last week. A large banquet and other festivities were held on Dec. 18, which is the exact date of its incorporation in 1972.
Executive director Marie Meawasigne has been an employee of the centre for 25 years. She remembers when they moved in 1982 into their present location on Elm St.
Â?This has been a great location for the people we serve as we are near the health clinic, the employment office, bus routes and other services with offices downtown.Â?
The centre played an integral part in the establishment of the native health centre on Applegrove Street.
Â?IÂ?ve seen the Center grow to serve the lifelong needs of native people,Â? says Meawasigne.
For more information, phone 674-2128.
