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The World Summit Youth Award is another opportunity for youth (under 27 years of age) to showcase their on-line productions to the world ...

Do you have a cool emerging project on the web? Are you a young designer, web developer, music producer or artist looking for international exposure? Are you passionate about using technology for social change?

Enter the World Summit Youth Award (WSYA) today and showcase your project to the world!

WSYA is an international competition for youth-led (under 27 years of age) projects that bridge the content gap in the emerging Information Society. It is the first global "youth for youth" initiative; promoting best practice in e-content and technological creativity and demonstrating young people's potential to create digital opportunities.  WSYA is not only a showcase to the world for young designers, technologists and e-content creators, it also contributes on a global scale to reducing poverty, protecting the environment, sharing knowledge and empowering marginalized young people.

The WSYA Categories are Development, Creativity & Culture and Community Engagement and the online application process at www.youthaward.org is open until midnight (GMT) on September 18, 2005. 

WSYA is a joint venture of the World Summit Award (www.wsis-award.org) and the WSIS Youth Caucus (www.wsisyouth.org).

I know many of you have online projects and I encourage you all to apply to the WSYA through our online application form, now available at www.youthaward.org/apply.  Note that only online projects led by youth under 27 years of age are eligible.

We've received many requests for assistance but we ask that only eligible applicants with an online project or website apply.  The applications will close on midnight (GMT), September 18, 2005.

News will be updated at http://www.youthaward.org/wsya/news.htm so stay
tuned.  Please contact me or Thomas (biebl@icnm.net) if you have any questions or want to get involved!

Alex Fielding, Marketing Communications Coordinator
World Summit Youth Award
International Center for New Media
fielding@icnm.net
www.youthaward.org

Community Conversations On-line

The Ontario Trillium Foundation is hosting a Community Conversations On-line survey to hear from charitable and not-for-profit organizations.  This site is part of our outreach process to collect advice about our granting programs. Everyone is invited to:

• express their views about the changing needs of your community;
• tell them how their Foundation can better meet these needs;
• learn about their future directions.

Each year, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, awards $100 million of government funding generated through Ontario’s charity casino initiative to charitable and not-for-profit organizations. The Board of Directors recently undertook a strategic review of the vision and mission of the foundation. Their new vision and mission are now reflected in the Granting Priorities and the Program Guidelines for the foundation’s granting activities. 
 
Through the website survey and our community sessions, Trillium is inviting everyone to give them feedback on how their programs are meeting your community’s needs. You can find out about OTF grants in your area in your community and regional profiles. The results of their outreach will help them further fine tune their programs to continue to strengthen Ontario communities.

You can participate in this process by registering to attend one of the community sessions or by completing their on-line survey.

Aboriginal Recreation Conference 2005
August 22-26, 2005
Pelican Falls First Nation High School, Sioux Lookout

The Decade Recreation Department in partnership with the Intergovernmental Committee will be hosting Recreation Planning Sessions at this conference.

These sessions will focus on training that will equip individuals with the tools and skills to effectively sustain recreation programs in communities. Potential trainers include, but are not limited to recreation workers, youth council, teachers, students and community volunteers.

Train-the-Trainers planning sessions are also being organized in NAN communities.

NAN is currently seeking interested applicants and host communities for these different sessions. Please not that travel expenses cannot be covered due to budget restrictions, however there is no cost for the training.

MOre information is available at the new NAN recreation website at www.nanrec.ca as well as by contacting

Catherine Cheechoo
Decade Recreation Coordinator
Nishnawbe Aski Nation
800-465-9952
Fax: 807-623-7730
ccheecho@nan.on.ca

Several of the speeches from the morning ceremonies for the Treaty 9 Commemoration gathering on July 12 that took place at the Old Post site in Mishkeegogamang Ojibway Nation are now available on-line. These speeches highlight the understanding and realities about the relationship the First Nation people that live and work within this treaty region have with the rest of Canada. They include:

• Mishkeegogamang Ojibway Nation Chief Ronald Roundhead - Length: 6:50
• Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Grand Chief Stan Beardy - Length: 16:27
• Chiefs of Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse - Length: 2:47
• Assembly of First Nations, National Chief Phil Fontaine - Length: 1:21
• Minister of State (Northern Development), the Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrews - Length: 3:47
• Ontario's Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable James Bartleman - Length: 4:39

The Chiefs of Nishnawbe Aski Nation and guests gathered in Mishkeegogamang Ojibway Nation to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the signing of Treaty Number 9. Click here for the agenda for this full day of activities. Click here to visit the Treaty 9 Commemoration Website for more information about this event and other celebrations that are taking place across Nishnawbe Aski Nation.

Click here to view the webcast of the afternoon session that was broadcast live from the school site.

CANADA'S ABORIGINAL YOUTH
(16 to 18 years of age)
An opportunity to participate in the
ABORIGINAL SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
October 25 to November 5, 2005

Canada's Aboriginal Veterans, in conjunction with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and Veterans Affairs Canada, will undertake a special Aboriginal Spiritual Journey to the Battlefields of Europe to call home the Spirits of our fallen Warriors. The Journey will comprise of Second World War Veterans; Aboriginal Traditional Spiritual Leaders; National Aboriginal Leaders; members of the Canadian Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

A representative group of thirteen Youth will accompany the Official Delegation to Europe. First Nation, Inuit and Métis youth, between 16 and 18 years of age, who are interested in taking part in this special opportunity are requested to submit a written essay of 300 to 500 words in length.

ESSAY QUESTION

Why is it important for Aboriginal youth to remember and honour the sacrifices and achievements of Aboriginal soldiers who served their country during times of war, military conflict and peace?

Deadline for submissions is Monday, August 15, 2005. All entries must be postmarked by that date and sent by mail to:

ABORIGINAL SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
Youth Representative Selection Committee
C/O  INDIAN AND NORTHERN AFFAIRS CANADA
10 Wellington Street, Room 5B-04
Ottawa, ON, K1A 0H4

Entries can also be sent via e-mail to csjr-yrsc@ainc-inac.gc.ca

CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTIRE Essay Call Letter Form as a WORD Document OR as a PDF Document

PRESS RELEASE about this special gathering:

First Nations, Métis and Inuit Veterans Journey to Battlefields of Europe

Ottawa - First Nations, Métis and Inuit people who gave their lives in wartime will be honoured during events in Europe this fall, Veterans Affairs Minister, the Honourable Albina Guarnieri announced today.

Aboriginal spiritual leaders from across Canada will conduct Calling Home Ceremonies, incorporating the customs and traditions of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people, to return the spirits of fallen warriors to their homelands and put them to rest with their ancestors in Canada.

Twenty Aboriginal Veterans of the Second World War and 13 Aboriginal youth, representing every region of Canada, will accompany the Spiritual Leaders and will visit a number of commemorative sites related to the First and Second World Wars, including Ypres, Vimy Ridge, and Juno Beach in Normandy. Visits to Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries will offer an opportunity for the delegation to pay their respects to the fallen.  In addition, an Inukshuk will be constructed and placed at an appropriate overseas location to serve as a permanent reminder of the contribution of Canada’s First Peoples in service to their country.

Click here to read the entire press release

Cal Kenny, K-Net's Multi-media producer, put together a short video documentary showing Deborah Davis, Director General of Industry Canada's Information Highway Applications Branch visit to Sioux Lookout and Slate Falls First Nation. The 3:20 minute video has Deborah speaking about the trip, the satellite connections in Sioux Lookout and Slate Falls First Nation and the applications that are now operational with the C-Band satellite resources in place thanks to Industry Canada.

Everyone is welcomed to view this video at 
http://streaming.knet.ca/slate_falls_high.wmv
 
The video shows how the C-Band satellite network is being utilized to support a variety of broadband applications including telehealth, the internet high school, IP video, IP telephones, high speed data, etc. For more information about the C-Band satellite broadband network visit http://smart.knet.ca/satellite and watch the video about the opening of this service at http://streaming.knet.ca/satellite_300k.wmv.

Feedback from member of Industry Canada's First Nations SchoolNet team in Ottawa ... "I found this video very well done as well as very impressive. Thank you very much for sharing it with us. It was also very nice to see the KIHS center over there and also the telehealth center. Furthermore, the scenery from the plane is truly amazing! Congratulations in showcasing your region."

Poplar Hill First Nation

15th Annual Fast-Pitch Baseball Tournament 2005

Date: August 17 - 21 2005

Entry Fee:

Local Teams : $1,500.00

Outside Teams: $1,000.00

Prizes:

Inidividual Awards and Cash Prize

Accommodation  Will Be Provided

Provide your own Meal

For More Info Contact:

James Suggashie @ 807 772 8838

Jonnie Owen @ 807 772 8838

Bobby Moose @ 807 772 8805

Alec Strang @ 807 772 8865

It was a five day trek through trails that have not been used for more than many years.  11 Deer Lake youth and 2 local instructors / guides completed the trip. The youth were 14 to 18 years of age. Five lakes, two rivers and 15 portages were traveled to complete the trip.

Two news stories from the regional newspapers highlight Claudette Bradshaw's, Minister of State (Human Resources Development) commitment to supporting regional the Aboriginal Human Resources Development Strategy which includes the Sioux Lookout Area Aboriginal Management Board (SLAAMB). Bob Bruyere, Executive Director of SLAAMB and Peter Campbell, SLAAMB's chair and Keewaytinook Okimakanak's Public Works Manager met with the minister on Monday in Kenora to discuss the issues she is very interested in addressing in cabinet.

http://chroniclejournal.com/story.shtml?id=28140

Getting natives into labour market minister’s goal

By Julio Gomes - The Chronicle-Journal

July 20, 2005

Ensuring that native youth have all the skills they need to thrive in a modern economy will require the efforts of a cross-section of partners, says a federal government minister.

“The private sector, the chamber of commerce, the Rotary clubs — everybody needs to be participating. Everybody has to say, these are the basics we need to make sure that the retention is there,” said Claudette Bradshaw, Minister of State (Human Resources Development).

Bradshaw was in Thunder Bay on Tuesday to meet with native groups and literacy organizations to discuss strategies for improving the labour market participation of Canada’s aboriginal peoples.

In a speech delivered Friday to the Manitoba Keewatinook Ininew Okimowin (MKO), Bradshaw said native youth and working-age adults are the fastest growing segment of Canada’s labour force.

However, she noted in that address, “Far too many of these young people are struggling to find a meaningful job that could lead to a productive career.”

To that end, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada is responsible for delivering the Aboriginal Human Resources Development Strategy, or AHRDS.

During the first five years, it assisted more than 90,000 people to find employment and more than 26,000 to return to school.

Based on those numbers, AHRDS has been renewed for another five years, with $1.6 billion in funding.

During Tuesday’s visit, Bradshaw toured the Our Kids Count non-profit program in Academy Heights. It’s part of the Thunder Bay Aboriginal Headstart program, which provides a place for native children aged 2-6 to develop language and cultural skills as well as eat regular meals.

The program is dear to Bradshaw (L-Moncton–Riverview–Dieppe). In 1974, she founded the Moncton Headstart Early Family Intervention Centre, where she served as executive director until 1997.

It’s programs like these, she said, that provide the building blocks to allow natives to gain the confidence to succeed in life and get the good jobs that are going unfilled. Companies like Bowater and Home Depot, she said, are crying for workers and are willing to sit down to develop plans to give natives in both urban centres and remote First Nation communities the opportunities they need to successfully make the transition to the 21st century workforce.

“We don’t need to bring foreign workers to our communities,” Bradshaw said. “We have the Canadian people here to work within our communities.

http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com/story.php?id=173535

Minister of State searching for answers to aboriginal employment issue, literacy
Every company says it wants to hire them — and many act — but then the problem is continuing their employment because things like housing and literacy get in the way.

By S. Patrick Moore
Miner and News
Tuesday July 19, 2005

Every company says it wants to hire them -- and many act -- but then the problem is continuing their employment because things like housing and literacy get in the way.

These sentiments, and others, have been repeated for the past three weeks to Minister of State (Human Resource Development) as she travels Canada holding discussions with aboriginal and business leaders to develop strategies for increasing aboriginal employment rates and improving literacy. She will address the cabinet with her recommendations in October or November.

She came to Kenora Monday because it offers a better glimpse into problems associated with remoteness. Although her trip to a First Nation was canceled, Bradshaw intends on visiting some before her report in parliament.

Currently, aboriginal unemployment rates are 2.5 times higher than non-aboriginal levels. In every community Bradshaw visited, the aboriginal unemployment rate has never dipped below 25 per cent, she said.

The ministry expects a labour shortage in Canada’s future, and therein lies a hope.

The ministry identified aboriginal people as a potential “untapped resource”; indeed the aboriginal population is the youngest and fastest growing domestic segment of Canada’s population (50 per cent of aboriginal peoples are under the age of 25).

Businesses have told Bradshaw they would like to hire aboriginal people but they want a safety net because of low retention levels.

Bradshaw said this is because support networks are lacking. To explain, she told an anecdote about Ted, a man who left his remote community to find work, succeeded in that task but could not find affordable housing or a social support network. Ted suffered too much economic and social burden and left work. But Bradshaw said Ted could have succeeded with help and better education.

One solution Bradshaw has obtained in her travels is to help municipalities build transitional housing so people from remote communities can stay there while they “get their feet on the ground,” thus helping them enter the labour market.

“We need a lot of life-skills. We need to build houses,” she said, later adding we “might have to start thinking differently on how we do things.”

Union representatives have told her the word “jobs” should be replaced with “careers,” and they have suggested getting aboriginal workers into apprenticeship programs, Bradshaw said.

Still Bradshaw says the answer is to address the problem on the basic level: education, which, she said, gives an individual freedom of choice.

But Bradshaw said she must hold more in-depth talks with the Aboriginal communities, because education, although a seemingly simple solution, possesses problems not readily explained. For example, about 30 per cent of the 950 Beaver Brae students registered last year came from a First Nations background and less than half of them were expected to complete the year, according to media reports.

Education’s cure and propeller will not be money, at least not money without vision.

Bradshaw said grassroots organizations are good with money and she hopes to give them more to allay their frustration of seeing solutions but not being able to act.

“They know what to do with it,” she said, noting of the 26 different literacy groups in the region, their total funding is less than $1 million. She said it makes little sense to give money to people when they are not trained to handle it.

“You gave us all this money but none of us are bookkeepers,” she said, imitating what she said she’s heard from aboriginal communities.

Currently, the government gives $85 million towards its Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnerships, a five-year program to develop skills and promote major economic development projects -- almost 60 such projects have been received since it began in 2003 but only nine implemented.

The government also renewed its $1.6-billion Aboriginal Human Resource Development Strategy which is an all aboriginal inclusive community-based strategy to help aboriginals find, train, obtain and maintain employment. The program is slated to end in 2009.

Since inception, the programs have yielded 92,000 jobs and 27,000 aboriginal youth returning to school while child care spaces doubled to 14,000.

Stepping out of economics and sociology, Bradshaw said there was another big problem: dreams.

“Kids don’t dream they can be a bookkeeper or pilots,” she said, adding communities need to sell children on their potential.
Bradshaw’s next meeting is in Thunder Bay.