Aboriginal Youth Problem

1224 Words5 Pages

The government of Canada has made and applied many collective rights (that is, rights made and applied to specific nationalities of Canada) to protect and enhance Aboriginals quality of life by supporting native youth. Yet today, government and society have had little impact on both Aboriginal education and health (both physical and mental). Canada's government keeps on increasing funding- but what the government does not understand, however, is that money can not and is not the solution for all Aboriginal problems. So, what is? Firstly, we have to see what the main problems are for youth, what is holding them back to be the same as everyone else in Canada? Three main topics of interest would be Education and schooling, opportunities youth …show more content…

Thus, many Aboriginal children are forced to move away from their families to get closer to the services they need, even if it’s a victim situation. For example, many victims legal situations are overlooked when they are living on reserves because resources are poor and because power structures may affect the ability of victims to speak out and to have their needs met or there are extreme delays in processing from offense to disposition. The consequence of this is the detrimental effect on the offender's sense of responsibility, and also causes serious problems on the legitimately of Canada's criminal justice. Unfortunately, not all youth have the money to travel to other more urban areas to get the services provided. To add on, many Aboriginal youth living in far away reserves do not have the opportunity to succeed or try for a post-secondary education because of their inability to travel. Coincidentally, even public transportation or taxi services are not available to many rural areas. In addition, even if they could afford a private vehicle, travel may not be possible in conventional means- like the lack of roads. There are many ways to solve this problem, one is to make sure rehabilitative programs are always available in any community within walking distance- and also increase education to the public about YCJA and …show more content…

Poverty rates in Aboriginal youth go as high as 64% in Manitoba. In result, many do not have the money to travel to the nearest post-secondary education (as stated in the previous topic) or to go outside of town for a job. Extreme poverty in Aboriginal reserves means that native youth are more likely to live in a community of violence- 9 out of 10 of the most violent communities in Canada are Aboriginal, a crowded house, or have a lack of clean water. This lifestyle can push teenagers toward a life of crime, and in 2014 statistics show 1 out of 4 youth offenders were Aboriginal. In regards to mental health, youth living in Aboriginal reserves are 5 times more likely to commit suicide and twice as likely to die from an alcohol-related death. In response, many youth do not have time to do well in their education, or do not have the money to pursue a career. To be precise, life at home is holding back many Aboriginal youth to do well in life. In short, the best way to solve poverty and mental health in Aboriginal communities will take a long time. In spite of this, it is recommended to give free education to the public about alcohol abuse and mental health, provide child protection services in all Aboriginal communities, and the most important: give jobs to families. To emphasize, do not give annual funds or random spurts of money to families-

More about Aboriginal Youth Problem