The Lakeland Centre for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will be hosting a special two-day youth conference next month, with the idea being to promote awareness about the disorder and educate and empower the families and youth served by the centre.
Fardoussa Omar, transition coordinator with the Lakeland Centre for FASD is organizing the two day conference – taking place June 6 and 7 at the Military Family Resource Centre in Cold Lake, and she says all those that choose to attend the event will leave empowered and with a much greater knowledge of FASD.
“Our goal for this conference is to educate, engage and empower the professionals, families and youth we service in the Lakeland region,” Omar said. “We hope to achieve this by creating a safe space where our team of experts can facilitate open conversation regarding the services, challenges and successes our professionals, youth and families face.”
According to Omar the conference will be split into two different sessions aimed towards two different sets of people. The first day will focus on providing training for professionals who service families and youth with FASD, while the second day is designed for youth with FASD and their family members, and will include multiple breakout sessions, a video presentation, lunch and a dinner gala.
Speaking at the event will be Jeff Noble, founder and CEO of FASD Forever and Myles Himmelreich, an individual who lives with FASD. Noble will be on hand to offer his expertise on how best to help and support front line workers, educators and caregivers of those living with FASD, while Himmelreich will offer his own personal insights on how best to deal with the disorder in today's society.
FASD describes a wide range of effects that can occur in an individual pre-natally exposed to alcohol. According to the Lakeland FASD Centre, there is no time during a pregnancy where drinking alcohol could be considered safe, and that by consuming any amount of alcohol, women are potentially risking the development of their baby's brain.
The Lakeland Centre for FASD was first founded in 1994 and became an official agency in 2001 and today it helps, assists and treats upwards of 400 people a year through its eight primary programs – diagnostic services, outreach, transition planning, mothers-to-be mentorship, the second floor women's recovery centre, employment services, the annual summer camp, as well as training and educational programs.
“Our mission is to establish and ensure that accurate information about FASD, effective prevention, diagnosis and support services are available in the Lakeland service area,” said Audrey McFarlane, the organization's executive director. “We envision a region with no new FASD births and where currently affected individuals are well supported.”
The Centre is recognized by Health Canada as a best practice model and is an established Alberta FASD Service Network. On April 28, the federal government appointed McFarlane to a three-year term on the board of directors for the Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse.
“The Lakeland Centre for FASD has been the first to develop many services that are now common place in Alberta for people with FASD,” McFarlane said. “For example, (we were) the first FASD diagnostic clinic for children in Alberta, the first adult diagnostic clinic in Canada, and the first rural Alberta program for pregnant women.”
She added, “This is the only centre of its kind in Canada.”
Omar said the organization looks to identify a target group that it wants to focus on to provide information to every year and this year the group decided to engage and educate youth.
“The Lakeland Centre for FASD wants to bring together community members to collaboratively discuss challenges and community specific solutions in regards to servicing and supporting those affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder,” Omar said. “We want to educate participants on the facts of FASD and provide strategies and skills to build on in everyday life. We want to engage participants to allow all voices and perspectives to be heard and respected, as well as empowering participants with new learning abilities to enhance the realization of their potential roles as important and valued members of society.”
The June 6 gathering has a limit of 200 participants, while the June 7 convention will ideally include 25 youth with FASD. Omar encouraged anybody with an interest in taking part to sign up and register for the convention.
“Life can be challenging no matter who you are or what you've got and as a young person, or even as an adult, you may be struggling with defining yourself and finding your place in the world and where you belong,” Omar said. “We want to bring our young people together so they know that they are not in this alone and there are others who they can identify and relate with in a positive and uplifting setting.”
She added, “We want our youth to walk away from this conference knowing that they can be successful, whatever their definition of success may be. We want them to know that they are valued and they are respected as members of our society and that they have the ability to contribute to society in a positive and meaningful way just like Myles Himmelreich.”
To register for the conference, you may contact the Lakeland Centre for FASD's main office line at 780-594-9905 or visit the centre's website LCFASD.com
