Despite their past experiences, the Yekoochet'en
have succeeded in maintaining their dignity and their hope for
the future. With treaty negotiations well under way, the Yekoochet'en
hope to secure a permanent land base for their people, preserving
their way of life and adding new opportunities for their community
through employment and business opportunities.
The Yekoochet'en are interested in creating working
partnerships with local industry for further development
of their lands and resources. With this in mind they have implemented
training programs, seminars and workshops for their members
in the areas of life skills, business development, business planning, administration, as well as fisheries, mining and forestry.
To improve living conditions and institute a better quality
of life for all band members, the chief and council have put
in motion several action plans including the Physical
Development Plan and the Community Transformation
Plan.
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Management training workshops |
The Physical Development Plan (PDP) for the Yekooche
community is a federal requirement and is updated every five years
to reflect the community's changing goals for infrastructure, housing,
community facilities and land use planning. The current PDP for
2003 examines various developmental issues including:
- Community Profile
- Yekooche Planning Process
- Population Profile
- Community Housing
- Yekooche Health and Safety Plan
The Yekooche Community Transformation Plan (CTP) is a process
focused on the integration of social programming and services
with all levels of physical infrastructure and development.
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Developed to alleviate some of the more prevalent social problems
in the community including substance abuse, boredom and depression
among the youth of the community and a high level of mistrust for
outsiders, the CTP has already seen some major successes and changes
through implementation of various programs and services including:
- Initiation of a Health and Wellness committee who have developed
a Community Health Plan
- On site RCMP officer who chairs the Restorative Justice Team
and delivers various workshops on safety.
- Headstart program providing family day care
- Employment of community development worker
- Youth Development and Recreation Strategy
- Arts and crafts classes for students and other community members
- Economic development
- Life Skills and Literature Program
- Community Learning Centre - one on one computer instruction
The Community Transformation Plan has given the Yekoochet'en the
direction they need to support their future goals and vision for
education, health, social programming and economic viability. It's
implementation has resulted in a noticable improvement in the overall
well being and quality of life in the community empowering the
Yekooche people to come together in a positive manner to make important
decisions for themselves and their community.
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