A former student of the Whitehorse Baptist Mission residential school, Bob Charlie is now tasked with informing other residential school survivors around the territory about their options in the court settlement for those who went through the school system.

Charlie has been hired by the Assembly of First Nations as one of 15 regional co-ordinators all former residential school students themselves to visit communities in their region and host information sessions about the settlement.

It would see survivors who were at the schools between 1920 and 1997 receive $10,000 for the first year they were there and $3,000 for each year afterward.

There are additional provisions in the settlement for independent assessments for those who experienced abuse, as well as other portions dealing with healing, researching and documenting the history of the residential school system.

Judges across the country agreed to the settlement earlier this year. Part of the deal though states that if 5,000 survivors opt out of the settlement by the Aug. 20 deadline, it would become void.

Following the court's approval earlier this year, an information campaign which includes the public meetings has begun with people like Charlie hired throughout the country to inform first nations of the process.

Charlie is a well-known musician, former radio broadcaster and former chief of the Champagne-Aishikik First Nation.

'There's really three choices,' Charlie said in an interview Thursday morning, after his first meeting was held with Kwanlin Dun First Nation members on Wednesday.

Survivors have a choice of signing a form to opt in to the package, filling out a different form to opt out of the package or doing nothing, which would be viewed as opting in but at the same time not receiving the payment. Charlie compared the third option to essentially deciding not to vote in an election.

If former students opt into the package by signing the initial form, they will then be sent another form to fill out and send in again for the Common Experience Payment.

Each meeting will go ahead with Charlie's presentation and a question and answer period.

While the meetings are aimed at informing survivors about the settlement and the process to opt in or out, Charlie also has a mental health worker accompany him who can assist anyone who may have emotional issues arising from the discussion around residential school.

At the Kwanlin Dun meeting, RCMP officers were also on-hand to give a short presentation about fraud, along with other matters.

As Charlie pointed out, there are many aspects to the settlement, from the emotions that may arise for survivors to major financial decisions like how to invest or spend the settlement money.

The first meeting with Kwanlin Dun members included a range of speakers, with Charlie booking the question and answer period for Thursday when there would be more time.

Anyone with questions was asked to jot them down with an answer to be provided at Thursday's event.

While one person wondered what name they should use on their application since they were given another name when they arrived at residential school and now go by their original name, another wondered about a deceased family member who was a survivor.

In the case of names, Charlie noted survivors would apply under their name, but provide the name they were called when they were in school.

Meanwhile, to make a claim for a deceased residential school student, they must have been alive on May 30, 2005.

The next information session is booked for next Tuesday in Carcross.

That will be followed by meetings in Beaver Creek, Burwash, Haines Junction, with the Ta'an, Pelly Crossing, Ross River, Watson Lake, Teslin, Carmacks, Old Crow, Dawson City and Mayo.

Exact meeting schedules will be posted in each community, and members can also contact their local first nation office for details on each meeting.

Charlie has also allowed for a couple of weeks in early June for any follow-up meetings communities may want or if one of the meetings have to be rescheduled.

Already, he is considering hosting another session evening or weekend in Whitehorse for those who may have missed a meeting due to their work schedule.

Charlie recalled it was about 10 years ago when a woman came to Whitehorse to speak about the residential school system and the abuse suffered there in a presentation at the Council of Yukon First Nations building.

'People started facing this issue,' he said, noting there are now more support in place for survivors.

While Charlie is a residential school survivor himself, he would not say whether he supports the settlement.

It's his, and the other regional co-ordinators' job, to remain as objective as possible and simply give others the information on the process.

Following the information sessions being held throughout the country, the co-ordinators will meet again to debrief and discuss their experiences.