Thanks to more than $40,000 in funding from the federal government there may be up to 500 newly trained babysitters in Regina. Ray Boughen, Member of Parliament for Palliser, made the announcement at the Regina Red Cross office on Thursday.

The local branch of the Canadian Red Cross Society plans to use the funding to support its project called, Skills, Leadership and Injury Prevention for Aboriginal Youth. The project is designed to help aboriginal youths develop leadership skills by providing First Aid and CPR courses as well as child-care and babysitting courses.

Boughen said the program will help young people learn some valuable skills. "The funding is a very realistic expression of government saying, 'We want to equip all people who live in Canada with as much skill as possible. We want a vibrant, fully-functioning, youth-centred workforce,' said Boughen.

"To do that we have to put some money into training programs and utilitize the community." He said training programs are important for young people so that they gain the knowledge they need to enter the workforce.

Cindy Fuchs, provincial director for the Red Cross, said the funding provides her organization with an opportunity to work with its partners. She believes the project provides essential training for aboriginal youths living in Regina.

"We are hoping to build capacity with our babysitting courses so that aboriginal youth can actually deliver them on their own," said Fuchs. "So there will be some mentorship and training of youths to deliver babysitting courses in their own community, their own schools and that sort of thing."

She said the First Aid and CPR training will help the Red Cross provide young people with life skills and employment skills. "We are hoping to reach 500 aboriginal youth (in a year) with the babysitting course and of course the more we build capacity, the more kids that are reached," said Fuchs. "We are hoping we're able to do that but we know from our partners and our advisors there's a need."

The babysitting courses will be offered during the year through different agencies including Treaty Four Education Centre (TFEC), the Gathering Place, community schools and other community groups.

The partners in the project include the TFEC and the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teachers Education Program (SUNTEP). Members from SUNTEP partnered with the Red Cross last year to form the Student Women's Advisory Group. The ten-member group is working with the organization to help the Red Cross find new ways to reach out to aboriginal organizations and communities.