The modern-day Woman’s Christian Temperance Union does not believe in dwelling on the negative.
Helen Kriese, president of the five surviving Alberta WCTU unions, says she never tells young people “don’t do this.”
She believes in letting youth know there are other choices besides drinking and taking drugs.
Kriese thinks it is not too much more difficult now to raise children than in the past, despite the loss of Christian influence and the fact both parents must work outside the home.
“If there’s love and security in the home” the children will turn out all right.
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Alberta’s WCTU is based in Calgary, Red Deer, Lacombe, Didsbury and Medicine Hat. But the membership is not growing, just as in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. British Columbia’s WCTU folded in 1995.
“We’re all in our seventies and eighties and nineties and we’re just plugging along,” said Kriese.
“We all believe in it. We write to government on issues that are adverse to public lifestyle. We present to youth in churches and schools.”
Kriese said mothers are working and have no time to attend meetings. Also “there are too many bottles in the fridge” and it would probably cause individual women friction to go to WCTU when their partners drink.
Dorothy Aikman, of Winnipeg, said Manitoba’s sole union is now in Winnipeg with eight members, mostly in their seventies. She said there used to be a big rural connection but when the organizers died, no one replaced them and the organization “just faded away.”
And despite putting ads in papers asking for new volunteers, no one came forward.
“Young people aren’t interested in helping out the old traditions.”
But Aikman says one area her members are looking at this fall is approaching Christian schools to get student entries to the WCTU’s annual poster, essay and computer art competitions. Last year Manitoba children had 375 entries.
