Media.Knet.Ca

From Tamarack - An Institute for Community Engagement newsletter (Sept 1) ...

Is Goodness Contagious? - That's the question the most recent issue of Greater Good magazine poses. Downloadable articles include a psychologist's view of why goodness thrills us, a discussion on the importance of mentors, and profiles of "good" initiatives including a profile of Roots of Empathy. Check it out here. [Source: Green Blanket (Roots of Empathy)]

Finding Their Voice: Civic Engagement Among Aboriginal and New Canadians - Why is it important to have a greater understanding of how Aboriginal Canadians and New Canadians engage in civic life and what their values are? Given current demographic trends, these groups are and will continue to be increasingly important players in the way Canada is growing and changing. Encouraging the next generation of Canadians to take on leadership roles in this country is a challenge for decision-makers who eventually must "pass the torch". However, the special experiences and values of Aboriginal and New Canadians mean that different methods of engagement must be found. Download the paper here. [Source: The CRIC Papers]

Think-tanks changing their minds - A generation of influential Canadian policy-makers are moving on. They're not politicians or bureaucrats, but the heads of think-tanks, the deep thinkers sought out for fresh ideas by government leaders. It is part of a widespread rollover that is leaving Canada's think-tank sector at a crossroads. Even some of the current crop say the field may be strong but it could use something more -- a bit more edge, a little worldliness, or a touch more relevance -- to fill a market of ideas undersupplied by a sterile political debate. Read the article here. [Source: Canadian Social Research Newsletter/The Globe and Mail]

Asset Building

Helping the Poor Save: The learn$ave Project - The learn$ave project is a research and demonstration project that provides matching grants to individuals who save for education and training. This second report on the initiative was written after enrolment in the project had been completed, and presents a detailed description of the learn$ave design and evaluation strategy. Access the report here. For more on learn$ave, click here. [Source: SRDC Announcement]

Education

Are There National Patterns of Teaching? - Why do teachers today teach as they do, and why has teaching evolved in the way that it has evolved? A new study presents two possible explanations for the general patterns that have developed in school teaching. One explanation is that there are universal elements in most schools today that shape teaching practice (e.g. the physical environment, the social dynamics of classrooms, and the content to be learned). A second explanation is that countries have shaped teaching by evolving classroom methods that are aligned with their national cultural beliefs, expectations, and values. Read the full study here. [Source: HandsNet WebClipper]

Health

Creating Social & Health Equity - In this discussion paper the Edmonton Social Planning Council highlights a well-documented approach to the factors that influence our health. In a time when the Alberta government is looking for the best innovative ideas around health care, the Council suggests that a social determinants approach would lead to ground breaking health care reform. Read a fact sheet here or download the full paper here. [Source: Edmonton Social Planning Council]

Innovative Ideas

Dot-Coms Are So '90s; In Silicon Valley, Doing Good Is the New Thing - They say the soul of Silicon Valley is reflected in the billboards scattered along the 45-mile stretch of Highway 101 that cuts through the region. During the dot-com era, the messages were mostly from start-ups like Excite.com, Homestead.com and eGain.com. The goal was to sell you something, anything. Read this article here. [Source: Washingtonpost.com]

Leadership

Leadership in the voluntary sector - The McGill-McConnell Program, Master of Management for National Voluntary Sector Leaders recently announced the online publication of more than two dozen major papers written by program graduates. Entitled Voluntary Sector Perspectives from the McGill-McConnell Program, the papers offer contemporary perspectives on leadership challenges in the voluntary sector, often through the reality of each author's organization. They also address a range of theoretical and practical topics such as board-staff relations, youth participation in philanthropy and volunteerism, and the application of complexity science to organizational dynamics. To access the papers, click here. [Source: Charity Village]

Investing in Leadership - Grantmakers for Effective Organizations recently released Investing in Leadership, Volume 1: A Grantmaker's Framework for Understanding Nonprofit Leadership Development, by Betsy Hubbard. This first in a two-volume series provides a review of current literature on the role of leadership development in philanthropy and a framework of ways in which grantmakers support nonprofit leadership development. The second volume — available later this year — will specifically profile how different grantmakers are supporting leadership development to increase the capacity of their grantees. Download the first volume here. [Source: Irvine Quarterly, Vol. 5, Issue 1, Summer 2005]

Online Community

access@home - Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and its subsidiary the National Equity Fund (NEF) are partnering with One Economy to launch "access@home," a $1 billion initiative that will build more than 15,000 affordable homes with high-speed digital Internet connectivity and provide low-income families personal access to computers and technology services. The initiative expects to connect nearly 100,000 people to the vast advantage of the Internet. Learn more about this initiative here. [Source: HandsNet WebClipper]

Poverty Reduction

Reducing Poverty in Newfoundland and Labrador - In the 2005 Speech from the Throne, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador committed to refine and implement a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy in collaboration with stakeholders both within and outside the government. This background report and workbook provides background information on poverty in the province, current initiatives being undertaken by the provincial government and ideas for future action. Download the report here. [Source: Canadian Social Research Newsletter]

Overcoming Concentrated Poverty and Isolation - During the 1990s, the Department of Housing and Urban Development launched three rigorous research demonstrations testing alternative strategies for helping low-income families escape the isolation and distress of high-poverty, central-city communities. All three demonstrations were carefully designed to include rigorous controls and systematic data collection so that their implementation and impacts could be systematically evaluated. And all three are now generating provocative results that offer new insights for ongoing program experimentation and policy development. The Urban Institute draws ten broad lessons--including lessons about the potential for success, about the realities families face, about implementing complex strategies, and about obstacles to success. Access the report here. [Source: HandsNet WebClipper]

Social & Economic Inclusion

Count Me In! - The Count Me In! Project from the Ontario Prevention Clearinghouse (OPC) engages others in raising and sustaining the work of health promotion, with emphasis on the strategies of inclusion and engagement. Over the next year OPC will design forums across Ontario to bring together people from a range of sectors to listen and learn--to strengthen our collective understanding of what it means to change health through meaningful inclusion, to plan for a strong, healthy future. The forums will provide the stepping stones to new collaborations, knowledge and actions that support inclusion as a way to improve the health of our communities. Learn more here. [Source: OHPE bulletin]

Volunteerism

Volunteering Helps Individual & Community Health - When you do good things for others, you do good things for your health. Research now shows you may also be doing good things for the health of your community. Read more here. [Source: Canadian Health Network]

Satisfaction and Engagement in Retirement - The Urban Institute analyzes patterns of engagement (defined as time spent in paid work, formal volunteering, informal volunteering, and caregiving activities) among retirees and how engagement relates to their retirement satisfaction. Engaged retirees are significantly more likely to be satisfied with retirement than their non-engaged counterparts, regardless of age, sex, race, marital status, education, mental and physical health, or income. However, retirees who only provide caregiving are significantly less likely to be satisfied. Access the report here. [Source: HandsNet WebClipper]

The TURNING THE CORNER - EFFECTIVE USE OF BROADBAND video is posted on the KO Telehealth web site at http://telehealth.knet.ca. Just click on the PLAY button on the video display window that appears to watch this video.

This video production was completed in March 2005 by the K-Net team, our funding partners (Industry Canada's FedNor, First Nations SchoolNet, and Broadband programs) and George Ferreira (producer - University of Guelph PhD graduate student). It has been shown in Ottawa to different federal government departments (click here to see the June showing KNEWS story about this showing and additional reference material about this work).

From the First Nations Education Steering Committee website in BC ... announcing the series of workshops being held by INAC across the country. FNESC has some good reference material listed below for everyone to use to prepare for the review of this program.

The Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) and Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and, with representatives from the National Association of Indigenous Institutes of Higher Learning (NAIIHL) and the Inuit of Labrador, have begun a formal review of the Post-Secondary Education (PSE) Program for First Nation and Inuit students. This is the first major joint review of the PSE program. This review will look at the two components of the PSE program – student support (Post-secondary Student Support Program, or PSSSP including University and College Entrance Program (UCEP)) and institutional support (Indian Studies Support Program, or ISSP).

This review is an opportunity for the INAC, AFN, NAIIHL and the Inuit of Labrador to take a fresh look at the program and identify ways the PSE program can be improved and enhanced so that it better meets the current and future needs of First Nation and Inuit students and First Nation post-secondary education institutions. The overall objective of the review is to ultimately increase student participation and success in post-secondary education.

As a first step in seeking community-level input, a second consultation meeting, following up on the April meeting, will be held September 22, 2005 in Richmond, BC and consultation will continue at the 2005 FNESC Regional Sessions. First Nation PSE managers, leaders and representatives of First Nation post-secondary institutions will be invited to participate. This will ensure the Joint Working Group is informed by First Nation communities, students and institutions.

We encourage you to contact your local PSE manager and leaders to ensure that your views inform the national PSE program review. The information gathered at the September 22, 2005 National PSE Review Consultation meeting and the FNESC Regional Sessions will form BC region’s input to this important National PSE Review and will shape the future delivery of the PSE program for First Nations students and post-secondary institutes.

For First Nations Post Secondary Managers/Coordinators, FNESC has drafted a Workbook (PDF)which can be completed prior to attending the meeting on September 22nd. To assist in your community consultation process, FNESC has also provided a PowerPoint presentation.

NOTE: The following message was received from the Ghost River ReDiscovery program. Jesse Terry, a Lac Seul band member, recently returned from his 6 month job that he had in Finland through this program. He found the experience to be very valuable.

Hello,  

I am very excited to let you know that Ghost River Rediscovery is looking for 10 outstanding youth to participate in an International Youth Leadership Program in Kalinago Territory and the surrounding indigenous communities of Dominica. The International Youth Leadership program offers youth the opportunity to obtain international experience related to youth leadership development. This program, based on Aboriginal culture and traditions, exposes its participants to a variety of unique experiences. Additional information is available by contacting me at the e-mail address below. Please ask for copies of the Youth Leadership Program poster, Application and Team Leader job description. Please also refer to our website for more information! You can find out more about existing and past placement by going to the Youth Leadership Section. www.ghostriverrediscovery.com

 Please pass this information on to anyone that might be interest. We look forward to receiving applications!

 All My Relations,

 Candace St.Denis
Program Assistant
Youth Leadership Program
Ghost River Rediscovery
#303, 227 - 10 Street NW
Calgary, AB T2N 1V5
PH: 403-270-9351
Fx: 403-270-9371
email: ylpadmin@ghostriverrediscovery.com
www.ghostriverrediscovery.com

Dr. Susan O'Donnell of the National Research Council (NRC) presented a paper on the founding meeting of the group, Research in Information and Communication Technologies with Aboriginal Communities (RICTA) that took place in Balmertown in March of this year. Susan attended the Community Informatics Research Network (CIRN) Conference in South Africia this past week to do several presentations. 

The paper was co-written with Brian Walmark of the KO Research Institute. It outlines the activities of the founding meeting including the community visit to Deer Lake and the nation-wide video conference chaired and facilitated by Brian Beaton's K-Net Services Coordinator.

To learn more about the paper, go to the RICTA website. See the CIRN 2005 program...

The Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal's Sunday, August 28 issue, has four special stories about the importance of the new Northern Ontario School of Medicine and its first class of students that will be starting on Monday. The four stories include:

• Ready to operate - presenting some of the work that went into getting NOSM to its present position.
• Med school demographics - providing some interesting statistics about the students making up the first class of NOSM including the fact that 6 of the 56 students are Aboriginal.
• Med school good for local economy - discusses the financial impact that NOSM has on the local and regional social and economic environment
• Med school dreams come true in hometown - profiles how one medical student from Thunder Bay worked hard to be among the first class of students.

The final report of the Kuhkenah Network of SMART First Nations presents the success story of the completion of this Industry Canada Smart Communities demonstration project. The report highlights the achievements, lessons learned, recommendations and how the work has grown beyond the original project goals and deliverables.

Click here for a copy of the 75 page report (860K - PDF) - This project officially began in April 2001 and end in March 2005. But it was in the summer of 1999 that the first Expression of Interest was submitted by Keewaytinook Okimakanak to Industry Canada indicating our interest in becoming Canada's Aboriginal Smart Communities demonstration project. The work continue ...

HIGHLIGHTED RECOMMENDATIONS (there are many other recommendations for communities and government contained under each of the project activities and within the final project evaluation that can be found at http://smart.knet.ca/evaluation):

• Government investment in broadband infrastructure is required to ensure ALL First Nations are connected and able to access equitable on-line programs and services. Each remote and rural First Nation across Canada is unique and requires unique telecom solutions to accommodate local and regional opportunities. The goal to bring broadband connections into every community across Canada was initiated with Industry Canada’s pilot of the BRAND program. This goal remains incomplete due in part to inadequate funding. This goal must be reaffirmed by the Government of Canada with adequate resources to complete this task. The basket of "basic" services proposed by the CRTC must now be expanded and supported by the Government of Canada to include access to broadband and open network infrastructure as defined in the National Broadband Task Force report from June 2001.
• Government must commit to purchasing their services from community networks as a vehicle to deliver on-line services with Canadians rather than creating new, parallel private networks that threaten the sustainability of the local community networks. Along with the use of community networks, governments must take a leadership role in the use of ICTs to conduct their business. It is not enough to provide government information on web portals. Government officials need to adopt IP-based information sharing and reporting strategies (voice, images), including internet protocol (IP) videoconferencing and telephone services (Voice over IP - VoiP) to communicate with citizens and clients. The most effective way to deliver a national program to expand connectivity and telecommunications in First Nations across Canada has been the creation of the partnerships involved with Industry Canada’s First Nations SchoolNet program’s Regional Management Organizations (RMOs). The RMO model has been utilized effectively to deliver a variety of national First Nation initiatives. The regional model has been pioneered by government internally to deliver economic development and e-community facilitation across Canada through regional agencies such as Industry Canada’s FedNor initiative.
• For remote regions that want to control and own their networks, it's practically impossible to build a sustainability strategy based on traditional business and program delivery models. Rather, innovative and cooperative telecom policies and government programs are required to ensure equitable access and sustainable operation to the required infrastructure and applications.
• Technologies like IP-based video conferencing and telephony service can provide much needed revenue while offering residents and subscribers an alternative to traditional independent services. To maximize value and revenue video conferencing must deliver TV quality images, requiring two-way symmetrical services. Watch out for salesmen selling non-symmetrical connectivity products and services that remove limited financial resources from the region.
• Aggregate demand for video, voice, and data services across the community and provide an integrated solution to ensure a cooperative and sustainable local community network operation.
• Establish revenue generating services such as local network management, technical maintenance and assistance, website and portal development and hosting. These services will be valuable to businesses and organizations across the community.
• In order for a network to be sustainable in a small community, the community needs to be involved in all the development phases and ongoing operation as much as possible. This effort will ensure that all the local organizations and service agencies working with the community will be able to contribute to the ongoing operation and maintenance of the local network so everyone in the community can access these on-line services.
• Government policies and programs are required to support the development of local capacity and provide equitable resources for the local operation of these telecom solutions. Developing and sustaining broadband infrastructure and associated services are necessary and essential components for a healthy economic and social environment in all Canadian communities. For the communities where private sector telecom providers will not venture due to inadequate markets, governments must intervene and provide the communities with the resources required to construct and sustain these community broadband networks that will support their required applications. Program processes including funding applications, monitoring and reporting requiring multiple government stakeholders and partners must be streamlined and less onerous for the community applicant and must better reflect the project risks involved to produce successful results with local and regional government support systems (such as FedNor and accounting firms for financial auditing purposes).
• Locally deployed and operated telecom infrastructure and capacity building is essential to drive and sustain these communication tools for supporting local economic and social development opportunities. Investments in local human resource and skills development support the effective use of ICTs and broadband infrastructure by the people they are meant to serve. Strategic investments and supporting government policies and programs supports a healthy and growing environment that benefits all sectors of the Canadian society. These applications are required to support the ongoing operation of the community network and help pay the bills for the local services being provided.

Two upcoming Aboriginal women's gatherings found on the Canadian Women's Health Network will be focusing on issues relating to communities, health and our children.

National Aboriginal Women in Leadership Training Conference: " Our Children, Our Youth, Our Future"
October 19-22, 2005   Montreal, QC

Now in its sixth year, the Annual National Aboriginal Women in Leadership Training Conference brings together women from across Canada to develop leadership skills, network, exchange information, empower each other and recognize the accomplishments and talents of First Nations women.

For more information contact:

First Nations Training and Consulting Services
PO Box 69, Saanichton, BC   V8M 2C3
Phone: (205) 652-7097, Fax: (205) 652-7039
fntcs@telus.net
www.firstpeoplescanada.com/2005WIL.html

*****************************************************************************************************************************************

Health Research Governance and Aboriginal Women Workshop

September 13-14, 2005   Vancouver BC

A Pre-Conference Workshop to precede the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada Annual Conference hosted by the ABORIGINAL WOMEN'S HEALTH AND HEALING RESEARCH GROUP

Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites
700 Old Lillooet Road
North Vancouver BC
V7J 2H5.

The Aboriginal Women's Health and Healing Research Group (AWHHRG) is a national network of First Nations, Métis and Inuit women researchers interested in community-based research focused on the health and healing of Aboriginal women, their families and communities. The AWHHRG receives financial support from the Women's Health Contribution Program, Health Canada and is working toward the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Women's Health and Healing.

*Participants *
Researchers, students and community members with an interest Aboriginal women's health and healing research are invited to participate in the workshop.

*Cost *
The general rate for the workshop is: $100.00 for both days or $50.00 for a single day. The student rate is $50.00 for both days or $25 for a single day. Lunch will be provided on both days .

Participation will be limited to 50 people and will be available on a first-come, first serve basis.

*Contact *
Interested parties should register with Cara Wehkamp prior to September 09, 2005. Please email carawehkamp@sympatico.ca for registration form.

from the NAN Decade for Youth web site at http://nandecade.ca ....

Youth Council Fall Meeting 05

The NAN Decade Youth Council and Trust Fund board (one in the same) is planning their fall meeting in Thunder Bay for September 17 & 18. You can learn more about the Decade Youth Council here!

They are also co-sponsoring a Youth Peace March in Thunder Bay on Friday, September 16th. The "Youth for Peace, Let's Stop Violence Now!" peach march will take place at 2pm on Friday, September 16th. Leaving the Lakehead Labour Centre at 2pm to Thunder Bay City Hall for a rally at 3pm. Youth BBQ and agency display at Metis Community Centre at 4pm. Youth Dance at Labour Centre, 8pm to midnight. All youth are invited to join.

The Regional Multicultural Youth Council in cooperation with the Decade Youth Council are planning this event to raise awarness about youth violence and substance abuse. It is part of the Northern students orientation activities. Download the very cool poster in PDF here

The BIG NEWS for this year is that the NAN Charitable Youth Trust Fund received their charitable status number in April. So, the Trust Fund is now a registered charity and board members have begun fundraising.

On Friday, August 26, the National Indigenous Community Satellite Network contact, Joe Lance of the Kativik Regional Government, received a letter indicating that the NICSN expression of interest for Round 2 of funding has been invited to proceed to the project development stage. The NICSN application is requesting two additional C-Band transponders to accommodate the various broadband applications being provided in remote Aboriginal communities across the northern parts of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba. In total over 40 remote communities are to served by the satellite bandwidth being requested by NICSN from Industry Canada's National Satellite Initiative. For more information about NICSN, visit http://smart.knet.ca/satellite.

National Satellite Initiative - Round 2: Notifications of Interest

This round of funding consists of $85 million managed by Infrastructure Canada to fund the acquisition of satellite capacity, and possibly common ground infrastructure, for satellite-based broadband projects in isolated and remote communities across Canada where satellite is the only practical means of providing broadband access.

Round 2 of the National Satellite Initiative received 27 notifications of interest in funding for satellite-based broadband projects. From the above link to the NSI site the details about each submission, including contact names and telephone numbers can be found. Industry Canada-Infrastructure Canada thanks all interested parties for their participation in this broadband initiative.