Kamloops discovery spurs boom in demand for crisis-line services

Indigenous crisis lines have fielded an explosion of calls for help from people across the country since members of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc announced the discovery of unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Residential School, dredging up traumatic memories for thousands of survivors of that national education system.

Estelle Edgar oversees the KUU-US Crisis Line that started in 1993 to help young members of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Ms. Edgar, whose traditional name is Uuyaqmiis and is of the Ditidaht and Hesquiaht Nations, said daily call volumes doubled to more than 80 people from across Canada after the news broke of the discovery in Kamloops, and their hotline was publicized as a place to turn to for help.

Angela White, executive director of the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, said her North Vancouver-based charity has had requests for video counselling, e-mails and calls from survivors and their family members more than quadruple from roughly 640 interactions a day before the news made worldwide headlines May 28 to at least 3,000 in the week following.

The society is now asking the province for more funding to add four more people to work the crisis line’s overnight shifts.Asked about this funding gap, Sheila Malcolmson, B.C.’s Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, said in an e-mailed statement Tuesday that she has told the First Nations Health Authority, which helps fund the two B.C.-based crisis lines, that her ministry is ready to provide assistance.

Education Education Latest News, Education Education Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Kamloops residential school has woken up world to ‘genocide’ in Canada, Bellegarde saysThere needs to be investigation, remembrance and commemoration of all sites following the discovery of children’s remains in B.C., outgoing AFN National Chief says ‘Genocide’ ‘racism’ ‘hate’ all mean different things than they did five years ago. Hysterical, ridiculous and divisive. Yet we don’t know anything at all about the 215 bodies. Over what time they died, what did they die of. We don’t know anything at all, good or bad. What white people, the colonizers did to indigenous people everywhere was ALMOST genocide as it is defined by UN etc. Why almost, because they did not manage (as they planned) to completely whip out the natives so they can steal everything. What ever the name it is HORRIBLE
Source: globeandmail - 🏆 5. / 92 Read more »