| Serving People & Wildlife ~ Protecting Saskatchewan's Resources | |
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"Hooked on Fishing- Not on Drugs” in Saskatchewan | |||||||||
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The Saskatchewan Association of Conservation Officers is proudly involved in HOFNOD. INTRODUCTION Fishing is a low cost sport that can be started at any age by any person regardless of gender, physical size or athletic ability. It is a sport that can be enjoyed with family or friends and it allows all participants to be treated as equals. A good way to introduce someone to fishing is through the “Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs” (HOFNOD) program. “Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs” is a fishing skills program for young people. It can easily be inserted into community, youth, or school programs with the purpose of introducing youth to recreational fishing while emphasizing angling skills, environmental education, resource stewardship and drug prevention. Through sport fishing and aquatic resource activities, children are provided a positive alternative to drugs or alcohol and focus on building life skills such as self-esteem, problem solving and goal setting. They may also develop better relationships with family and a respect for themselves, the community, and the environment. More importantly, youth are introduced to the lifelong activity of recreational fishing.
In the spring of 1986, the Future Fisherman Foundation received a letter from 14 year old Mathew Deakins in Florida. Mathew said that fishing had kept him from doing drugs and he felt it could do the same for other teens like himself. He asked for a chance to share his message with other students across the country. That was the beginning of the program and today it is recognized by schools and communities as an effective drug prevention program. High quality and cost effective educational curriculums and other support materials are available to provide the necessary tools an instructor needs to effectively implement the program. The program is widely used in more than 40 states and territories across the United States and in Australia. In the summer of 2004, The Saskatchewan Association of Conservation Officers (SACO) took the initiative to provide funding for two Saskatchewan Conservation Officers to attend a HOFNOD facilitator’s course in the State of New Jersey. SACO is a non- government, nonprofit organization made up of volunteer members who work as conservation officers within the Province of Saskatchewan. The intention was to have these two officers become certified instructors who could then teach other conservation officers and interested individuals to become HOFNOD instructors and deliver the program on a provincial scale. Upon completing the week-long training course Conservation Officers Laurie Rohs and Doug Lucyshyn returned to Saskatchewan and began the task, in concert with the SACO Executive, to negotiate a formal partnership with the Future Fisherman Foundation. This was successfully completed in the spring of 2005 with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two parties. By way of this formal agreement SACO is the only organization in Canada to be officially recognized as a partner with the Future Fisherman Foundation to commence delivery of the HOFNOD program within Canada. On June 27, 2005 17 individuals participated in a one day instructor training course in Prince Albert and were certified as the first HOFNOD instructors within Saskatchewan. It is anticipated that student courses will be offered by some of these instructors going forward into 2006. With the untimely passing of facilitator Laurie Rohs the coordination of the program has become the responsibility of Doug Lucyshyn. Doug is currently the supervisor of the Education and Awareness Unit of Compliance and Field Services for Saskatchewan Environment in Saskatoon. |
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 How “Hooked on Fishing- Not on Drugs” Works!
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BACKGROUND
INTO "HOOKED ON FISHING NOT ON DRUGS"