"I don​​'t think of drugs at all anymore!"

'Nothing will ever change in this world!'

The reporter team started from Winnipeg, the capital of the Manitoba state, located in the center of Canada. With a population of about 780,000, Winnipeg is a cozy city with two rivers running through it. Walking through downtown Winnipeg, we can easily spot homeless indigenous people dressed in shabby clothes. They left the sanctuary and came to the city in search of a new, prosperous life, but unable to find a job and a house to live in, they had to settle for food and lodging on the street day by day. The Aboriginal people of Winnipeg citizens takes 11.7%, the highest among Canadian metropolitan areas.

   After driving for over 8 hours from Winnipeg, we arrived at our first destination, Norway House, located 30 kilometers north of Lake Winnipeg, a relatively large community with a population of 5,000. In the past, Britain sent ex-convicts from Norway to pioneer this place, hence the name Norway House. In January, it is cold and barren, with the temperature dropping to minus 27 degrees Celsius.

   We parked on the square in the center of the town. Although it was called the center, except for a few buildings such as a supermarket, restaurants, community center, and gymnasium, it was empty enough to feel desolate. We first visited the community center to better understand the atmosphere of the town. When asking the staff if we could talk to the town director, they said, "He went on a holiday to a far place. We don't know when he will come back."

   We reluctantly went to the market to grab a bite. After ordering coffee and donuts, I went to the bathroom. The scribbled graffiti on the bathroom wall caught my eye. 'Nothing will ever change. Which means this world is a piece of sh*t!!!' This was a contrast to the Korean toilets with playful graffiti like 'Charles ♡ Sally' or 'Keep the toilet clean'. As I read the graffiti, a thought suddenly hit me. This graffiti must be representing the feelings of the locals.

Matthew once played as a regular on the junior ice hockey team and won

awards in competitions. As he broke free from the drug addiction,

he recently started playing again.

Matthew refound his lost dream

through Mind Education

I was able to meet a high school student, Matthew Robertson, at the Norway House. He was once a drug addict, but he almost completely quit using drugs last summer when attending IYF World Camp in Los Angeles and New York, USA, and listening to mind lectures. Surprisingly, he says that he doesn't have thoughts of wanting to do drugs at all anymore. When the reporter told him we went to the community center in the town square but failed to meet the director, Matthew said, "The town square? There are always about two drug dealers there." We were startled for a moment. That means, it is possible I might have bumped into a drug dealer. "It's common here," says Matthew, flashing a smile.

   "At the World Camp, I got to see a new world that I never got to experience back at the aboriginal town. We visited Santa Monica Beach in LA and Times Square in New York. Mind Education was also helpful. The dance, Taekwondo academy class, and Cappuccino making classes were also interesting and fun."

   Matthew once played as a regular on the junior ice hockey team and won awards in competitions. As he broke free from the drug addiction, he recently started playing again. He has two new dreams now. One is to become an ice hockey player, and the other is to become an electrician like his older brother, get married, have children, and build a happy family.

   As we talked, it was already lunchtime. IYF Toronto branch manager Kim Ji-heon and manager Jo Eun-ah brought rice and a rice cooker to personally prepare a wonderful lunch with kimchi stew and fried pork belly. Matthew enjoyed Korean food without hesitation as if he were a Korean. "The native students like to eat instant food that contains a lot of oil or sugar, so they don't like Korean food" explained Kim Ji-heon, the branch manager. I wanted to talk with him a little more after seeing his amazing change, but unfortunately, we had to get going for the next schedule.