The Vancouver Sun featured concerns for the youth of the Hazeltons, with an explosive front page feature story in this past weekends Saturday paper.
It's an eye opening account of the troubles that are walking among the young and not so young of that northwest community, where since January of this year police, doctors and health officials have struggled to respond to a staggering 111 suicide attempts and eight deaths. A total that is four times higher than reported figures of just one year ago.
The article holds nothing back as it explores the causes of the regions troubles, the problems of the local residents to cope and how they hope to turn around the despair and try to provide a bit of hope for a troubled part of the region.
It by no means is the only community in the northwest with problems, the concerns that are being found in the Hazeltons can be found in many of the communities along Highway 16, but by sheer volume of numbers they seem to be the epicentre of distress at the moment. The story opens a window to a topic that far too many don't wish to address and delivers an important message that there is a need to work for a solution.
The article is quite a powerful account and one that should provide eyewitness testimony to the stages of despair that can suddenly spiral out of control, leaving a community in shock and seemingly helpless to address the issues that overwhelm them.
Vancouver Sun, Saturday, December 29, 2007
It's an eye opening account of the troubles that are walking among the young and not so young of that northwest community, where since January of this year police, doctors and health officials have struggled to respond to a staggering 111 suicide attempts and eight deaths. A total that is four times higher than reported figures of just one year ago.
The article holds nothing back as it explores the causes of the regions troubles, the problems of the local residents to cope and how they hope to turn around the despair and try to provide a bit of hope for a troubled part of the region.
It by no means is the only community in the northwest with problems, the concerns that are being found in the Hazeltons can be found in many of the communities along Highway 16, but by sheer volume of numbers they seem to be the epicentre of distress at the moment. The story opens a window to a topic that far too many don't wish to address and delivers an important message that there is a need to work for a solution.
The article is quite a powerful account and one that should provide eyewitness testimony to the stages of despair that can suddenly spiral out of control, leaving a community in shock and seemingly helpless to address the issues that overwhelm them.
Vancouver Sun, Saturday, December 29, 2007
No comments:
Post a Comment