I was the director of a youth treatment centre for 13 years. In that time, we had 100% of the youth completing the program. Nationally, in any program, mainstream or first nations, the outcome is 50%. Not only did they complete their course of treatment, they also returned to school at a increase of 40%: 40% coming into treatment and 40% more returning to school post-treatment. Eighty-six per cent of youth discontinued sniffing gas and solvent abuse post-treatment, and the reason they did was the access to culture. Their common statement to us was, why did my life have to end up in such turmoil before I had access to culture? That's just a little insight.
With the native wellness assessment, we're seeing an increase of at least 30% from a whole-person perspective, meaning a 30% increase in having hope in their lives, knowing where they belong, having a sense of meaning, and having a sense of purpose in their lives through the use of cultural practices.