“Successful Beginnings…Current Practices in ECD” Conference
Early Childhood
March 01 & 02, 2012
Blue Quills First Nations College
St. Paul, AB
23 Feb
First Nation Students are Successful in Post Secondary
First Nation Students are Successful in Post Secondary
Posted By Roxane Manitowabi
I have attended many graduation ceremonies over the years in First Nations communities and at several Post Secondary Institutions. There is nothing more breathtaking or moving than to witness a procession of First Nation Post Secondary Graduates enter a room with the grandfather drum sounding an honour song and seeing family and community members there to offer support and extend their congratulations for the students on their accomplishments. More often than not, those graduates have had to overcome very difficult challenges in their lives and succeeded against all odds.
On December 17, 2011 the Wikwemikong Post Secondary Counselling Unit, Wikwemikong Board of Education and the community came out to honour 75 Post secondary graduates from the class of 2011. The 75 graduates, including my son, had all received either diplomas, degrees or masters in a wide variety of professions from various community colleges, universities, and First Nations post-secondary institutions, both in Canada and abroad.
As a parent I cannot begin to describe the sense of pride and accomplishment that I felt at that very moment. To see your child along with so many other First Nation students being honoured for their success and to have so many community members come out to share in this celebration and stand beside them was absolutely amazing.
The supports provided by the community through the Post Secondary Student Support program, the education counsellors and the education program staff were critical to the success of all of these students and they all need to be commended for the GREAT work that they do for each of our students.
If we want to look for success stories in First Nations education, we need not look any farther than First Nation Education Post Secondary Program. There are now thousands of post secondary graduates that have gone through the program and become successful professionals, making important contributions to society. Many have had to overcome great challenges, dealing with the impacts of colonization, systemic racism, poverty, social issues, residential school, loss of cultural identity and language.
If we factor in all of these challenges along with the fact that post secondary funding has been capped at 2% since 1996 and that First Nations schools receive 0% funding for libraries, technology, sports and recreation, vocational training, curriculum development, teacher training and benefits, and aboriginal language revitalization and protection, First Nations should get an A+ for their exceptional role in maintaining and managing such a successful program.
It is evident by the success of the students in this one community that the Post Secondary Student Support Program is effective, and that role that people play at the community level is critical. So hats off to all our First Nation Education Directors, Education Counsellors, Administrators and to the community for believing in the students who access and graduate through the program.
Roxane Manitowabi
Original Host Website: http://www.manitoulin.ca/
23 Feb
Scholarship Opportunities
Want some free money? Is there more month than there is cheque? Does band funding or student loan not quite cover all the bills? Don’t think you are eligible? Apply for a scholarship, or a bursary, or a grant, and you might just qualify for additional monies that you did not expect!
Here at the University of Calgary Native Centre, we have two big binders filled with scholarships for Aboriginal (Indian Status) students, plus another binder with Metis-specific scholarships, grants and bursaries, listed by application deadline dates. Students are welcome to drop by (M-F, 8:30-4:30) to peruse these binders, located in the Main Reception Office at The Native Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB.
Check out these Aboriginal Student Scholarship Links:
http://www.aboriginalcanada.gc.ca/acp/site.nsf/eng/funding.html
http://www.rbc.com/careers/aboriginal_student_awards.html
Good luck to all of you Aboriginal students, and remember: Apply, apply, APPLY!
Please feel free to forward this information on to other interested parties.
18 Feb
Digital Technology helps save Language
Reblogged from Aboriginal Teacher Education Program 2012:
Digital technologies are the new life-savers for languages on the verge of extinction, linguists said Friday as they announced eight new dictionaries at a major science conference in Vancouver. “We’re turning the digital divide into a digital opportunity,” said David Harrison, a National Geographic Fellow at Swarthmore College near Philadelphia. More than half of some 7,000 languages alive today were considered on the verge of extinction within a century, “threatened by cultural changes, ethnic shame, …
14 Feb
Residential Schools Symposium – University of Alberta
Understanding the Impact of Residential Schools on Families, Addictions, Violence & Crime
EVERYONE WELCOME
Monday, March 26 and Tuesday March 27, 2012 Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm each day
Optional Events evening of Monday, March 26 (including a Rattle Workshop)
Lister Centre, University of Alberta 116 Street - 87 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta
We wish to invite you to a two-day symposium on ‘Understanding the Impact of Residential Schools on Families, Addictions, Violence and Crime’. Symposium speakers, workshops and displays will explore these topics: – Community impacts and lateral violence undermine progress – Adverse Childhood Experiences have health impacts across the lifespan – Tools and resources for restoring Personal, Family and Community Wellness – The Elder’s role in restoring family and community relationships – Building collaborative hope for the future – making a difference together!
Understanding the Impact of Residential Schools on Families, Addictions, Violence and Crime
March 26 & 27, 2012 Lister Centre, University of Alberta For more information, and to register, please visit our website here: www.resschoolsymposium.com
14 Feb
Aboriginal Human Resource Council
Date: May 1 – 3, 2012 Location: Westin Hotel, 10135-100 Street • Edmonton, AB
Deadline:FEBRUARY 29, 2012
U and iSharing Solutions
ATTENTION POST-SECONDARY GRADS!
Apply here for the National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair
Inclusion Works ’11 Grad Video Interviews
Check out what happened at Inclusion Works ‘11 – watch the video
Inclusion Works ‘12 <<< click to view
“ATTENTION POST SENDONDARY STUDENTS“
Canada’s Biggest Indigenous Inclusion Event and Recruitment Fair…
…a few years ago, our former Saddle Lake Post Secondary Student, Darlene Coulliard received sponsorship to attend from the Aboriginal Human Resource Council ~ so can you, so apply TODAY!
Deadline:FEBRUARY 29, 2012
14 Feb
Aboriginal Teacher Education Program (ATEP) ~ University of Alberta
TAKING APPLICATIONS NOW
2012-2014 at Blue Quills First Nations College
APPLY TODAY
Faculty of Education
www.atep.ualberta.ca
Aboriginal Teacher Education Program is an off-campus community based collaborative cohort program. This program works towards developing a greater understanding of the Aboriginal culture and perspective on teaching and learning, primarily in schools where Aboriginal children are learning. Our goal is to improve the educational success of Aboriginal children by increasing the number of Aboriginal teachers and teachers with an understanding of Aboriginal culture and perspectives in communities in northern Alberta. ATEP working collectively with our collaborative colleges is providing the final 60 credits of university course work required for a Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education.
Current Collaborative Program:
- 2010-2012 A collaborative program with Portage College, Lac La Biche Campus and Cold Lake Campus
Plans are currently under way for the following:
- 2011-2013 A collaborative program with Northern Lakes College in Grouard and Wabasca.
- TAKING APPLICATIONS NOW 2012-2014 A collaborative program with Blue Quills First Nations College in St. Paul ~ Contact the Registrar, Lena Lapatack for more information to apply
Phone: 780-645-4455
Edmonton Direct: 780-429-2971
Toll Free: 1 888 645-4455
Fax: 780-645-5215
“It has been recognized for decades that having Aboriginal teachers in the classroom is the first line of change in the education of Aboriginal children and youth.” – Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples
ATEP: CONTACT US NOW
14 Feb
Canadian Indigenous Languages and Literacy Developent Institute (CILLDI)
www.cilldi.ualberta.ca
CILLDI (pronounced “sill-dee”) hosts an annual summer school held at the University of Alberta whose goal is to train First Peoples speakers and educators in endangered language documentation, linguistics, language acquisition, second language teaching methodologies, curriculum development, and language-related research and policy-making. Our mandate is the preservation of endangered languages by developing research skills and teaching resources in the speakers of these languages t hemselves. CILLDI supports Indigenous language activists in promoting, protecting, practicing, and passing on their languages to the next generation of speakers and educators by providing a unique opportunity to earn university credit towards a certificate, degree, or diploma while learning about selected Canadian Indigenous languages and cultures. CILLDI strives to be multi-cultural, cross-linguistic, inter-disciplinary, inter-regional, inter-generational, and responsive to different sociolinguistic situations in the language communities under threat.
Check out these links:
CILLDI: Home Website
2012 Summer Program: Thirteenth Annual CILLDI Summer School – July 9-27, 2012
Young Women’s Circle of Leadership: Girls from ages 12-16 are immersed in language and culture
3 Feb
CANADIAN ABORIGINAL WRITING & ARTS CHALLENGE
2011 – 2012 Canadian Aboriginal Writing and Arts Challenge!
The Challenge is a national short story and visual art competition for Aboriginal youth ages 14 – 18 and 19 – 29 years and is presented by Enbridge Inc.
Participants of Aboriginal heritage are invited to write a short story or create a two-dimensional piece of artwork about a defining moment or theme in Aboriginal history. Winners are selected by a jury of prominent authors and artists from two age categories and receive cash prizes of up to $2,000! Groups of 10 or more are eligible for additional group prizes.
Deadline: MARCH 31, 2012
For more information, please visit their website, http://www.our-story.ca/or call 1-866-701-1867.
3 Feb
PORTAGE COLLEGE BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK
Bachelor of Social Work Degree?
The University of Calgary through the BSW Learning Circle is coming to Portage College’s Lac La Biche campus in 2013 to deliver the final two years of the social work degree.
Discover what you need to know about the pre-requistes, program delivery, and application procedures by calling Portage College at 1-866-623-5551 and speak with Claudette Dube or by attending the upcoming information session at the Campus in Lac La Biche or Cold Lake on February 09, 2012 from 10:30 – Noon.
