Media.Knet.Ca

Sharing Our Success - Promising Practices in Aboriginal Education
A National Conference

November  23, 24, Winnipeg, MB

About the Conference

A two-day national research conference designed to engage 300 participants from across Canada in examining and sharing promising practices in K-12 aboriginal education.

From Chiefs of Ontario office ... 

MARATHON-DEMONSTRATION (Awareness-Building Campaign on First Nations Education)

Hello to everyone,

From London Free Press ...

Help for disabled, natives pledged - Ontario's new lieutenant-governor urged the public to lend a helping hand.
MICHAEL OLIVEIRA - September 6, 2007

TORONTO -- Challenges faced by the disabled in Ontario will get more attention and a new program will soon be launched to give a high-tech education to every aboriginal child in the northern part of the province, the new lieutenant-governor pledged yesterday.

INAC press release ...

Government Congratulates Aroland First Nation On New School Opening

AROLAND FIRST NATION, ONTARIO (September 5, 2007) - The Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, today congratulated the Aroland First Nation on the opening of the Johnny Therriault School.

"Canada's Government believes that First Nations youth deserve the best possible facilities in which to learn and thrive," said Minister Strahl. "We are proud to ensure First Nation youth can attend healthy and safe schools that measure up to standards in other parts of the country."

Aroland First Nation Chief Sam Kashkeesh said the new school will improve the educational outcomes for the community’s students. “The school represents hope for our young people, who will one day be our leaders.”

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada provided approximately $8 million for the new school. The 1,760 square-metre facility will house Kindergarten to Grade 8 classrooms to accommodate up to 120 students and has a full gymnasium. Construction began on the school in October 2005.

Canada's Government continues to make investments in education facilities across Canada. This commitment improves learning environments through funding and support for construction, expansion, renovation, repair, design, and planning. It also provides annual operation and maintenance funding.

The Aroland First Nation is located 400 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario, with a membership of approximately 594. The community is accessible by road year round.

For further information please contact:

Media Relations
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
819-953-1160

Linda Britt
A/Communications Officer
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
(807) 624-1559

Stephanie Ash
Communications Officer
Aroland First Nation
(807) 767-4443

Ministry of Northern Development and Mines News Release ...

Ontario Supports Development Of Aboriginal Training Centre - New Facility Would Help Prepare Young People For Forestry Sector Jobs

September 05, 2007

SUDBURY – The McGuinty government is promoting career development among Aboriginal youth in Northwestern Ontario by investing in a training centre at Pikangikum First Nation, Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci announced today.

“Our government is committed to fostering new economic development opportunities in small communities across Northern Ontario,” said Bartolucci, who also chairs the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC). “This NOHFC investment will help the Pikangikum First Nation pursue partnerships that would support the establishment of a new forestry training facility for young people in the region.”

The NOHFC is providing $48,550 to Pikangikum First Nation for the next phase of its Whitefeather Forest Teaching and Training Centre project, which includes securing partnership arrangements and completing an implementation plan to support the launch of a new forestry training facility for Aboriginal youth. The Pikangikum First Nation is working with the Ontario government to obtain commercial forestry tenure and stewardship responsibilities on a portion of the community’s traditional land use area known as the Whitefeather Forest. The establishment of a training centre would prepare young people for new employment opportunities in forestry sector and value-added manufacturing jobs.

“Our government is committed to building strong partnerships with First Nation communities in the province’s Far North,” said David Ramsay, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs. “The development of a new training centre would prepare local youth for new jobs in their region and enhance the community’s efforts toward self-sufficiency.”

Other McGuinty government initiatives in support of northern prosperity include:

• Investing more than $13.8 million to date, from the NOHFC, to provide internships and work placements to help some 730 young northerners launch their careers in the North
• Investing nearly $640,000 in a mining training program for Aboriginal youth in Northwestern Ontario
• Refocusing the NOHFC’s Emerging Technology Program to help bring broadband Internet to most of the North within three years and continue with cellular service expansion.

These initiatives are part of the government’s Northern Prosperity Plan for building stronger northern communities. The Northern Prosperity Plan has four pillars: Strengthening the North and its Communities; Listening to and Serving Northerners Better; Competing Globally; and Providing Opportunities for All.

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Contacts:

Michel Lavoie
MNDM/NOHFC – Sudbury
(705) 564-7125

Ministry of Northern Development and Mines News Release ...

Ontario Funds Youth Entrepreneurial Experience Project - Program Will Require Students To Develop And Launch A Business Idea

September 05, 2007

SUDBURY – Aboriginal students can now participate in a pilot educational program focused on providing entrepreneurial experience, Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci announced today.

“With its emphasis on practical experience with mentors who are successful business professionals, this program holds much promise for young, aspiring entrepreneurs from remote First Nations,” said Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro. “Moreover, the program will be delivered in an environment in which students are encouraged to develop a strong sense of identity in the distinct language, culture and traditions of Aboriginal people.”

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) will invest $75,000 to assist with the development of Entrepreneurship: The Venture program at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School in Thunder Bay. The program, designed specifically for youth living in remote First Nations, will provide innovative hands-on activities, motivational speakers, business mentors and role models as well as insights into business theory and practice. The key element of this program will be the requirement for each student to develop and launch his or her own enterprise.

This project is in keeping with recently released recommendations of a Northern Development Council consultation that identified new training opportunities for Aboriginal youth as an important element of keeping young people in the North.

“The future of Northern Ontario lies in the talents, skills and creativity of its youth,” said Bartolucci, who also chairs the NOHFC “Our government is empowering young Aboriginal students by supporting a program that will develop their entrepreneurial skills.”

This is just one more example of how, working together, Ontarians have achieved results for northern youth. Other examples include:

• Providing more than $2.3 million to date, through the Northern Ontario Young Entrepreneur Program, to help some 105 young people start their own business
• Holding consultations on approaches to stem out-migration of youth from the North, hosted by the Northern Development Councils
• Providing valuable on-the-job training and experience through the NOHFC’s Northern Ontario Youth Internship and Co-op Program.

These initiatives are part of the government’s Northern Prosperity Plan for building stronger northern communities. It has four pillars: Strengthening the North and its Communities; Listening to and Serving Northerners Better; Competing Globally; and Providing Opportunities for All.

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Contacts:

Michel Lavoie
MNDM/NOHFC – Sudbury
(705) 564-7125

Northern Ontario School of Medicine press release ...

NOSM Welcomes Third Intake of 56 Medical Students

For the PDF version, please click on the link:
http://www.normed.ca/comm/e/Release/20070827/default.aspx

Today officially marks the first day of school for 56 new students at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), following a whirlwind orientation week of exposure to the diversity and vitality of Northern Ontario. 

During their unique orientation, the School’s third intake of students traveled, participated in working sessions, met physicians and community leaders, and became acquainted with their new life as a medical student.  Following introductory sessions at their home campuses at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and Laurentian University in Sudbury, the students gathered at Laurentian, where they embarked on a week-long bus excursion to Thunder Bay.

Stops along the way included Sault Ste. Marie, where the students participated in a tour of the world famous Soo Locks, and experienced a warm welcome from physicians and local dignitaries.  In Marathon, they enjoyed beach sports and a hearty barbeque at Penn Lake organized by Dr.
Sarah Newbery and a group of community physicians.  The final stop for the group was Thunder Bay, where they attended a dinner hosted by NOSM’s Founding Dean Dr. Roger Strasser and participated in a Hippocratic Oath ceremony, before returning to their respective campuses.

In its recruitment efforts, NOSM continues to follow its mandate of social accountability, and aims to have class profiles which reflect the cultural diversity of Northern Ontario.  Demographic profiles of the
2007 incoming class show that:

* 91% are from Northern Ontario
* 9% are self-identified Aboriginals
* 27% are self-identified Francophones

More than 2,000 applications were received for the 2007-08 academic year, of which 408 were interviewed.  NOSM’s Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Admissions, Dr. Tom Szabo, noted that this was an exciting time for NOSM.  “With members of the 2006 class moving forward into their second year, NOSM now officially welcomes its third group of students, bringing our student complement to 168 aspiring physicians,”
he said.

Students will now get down to work and immerse themselves in all things
NOSM: state-of-the-art smart classrooms, a progressive distributed learning curriculum, and a community-based learning environment with placements across Northern Ontario.  Each of these elements helps to ensure that NOSM graduates physicians with an appreciation for the unique health-care needs of Northern Ontario, as well as the cultural diversity of the people who call it home.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is a pioneering faculty of medicine.  The School is a joint initiative of Lakehead and Laurentian Universities with main campuses in Thunder Bay and Sudbury, and multiple teaching and research sites across Northern Ontario.  By educating skilled physicians and undertaking health research suited to community needs, the School will become a cornerstone of community health care in Northern Ontario.

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For further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Lisa Kokanie
Communications Officer, West
(807) 766-7314
lisa.kokanie@normed.ca

Yonaniko Grenon
Communications Officer, East
(705) 662-7243
yonaniko.grenon@normed.ca

Couchiching First Nation Chief Chuck McPherson speaks about the Fort Frances Chiefs Secretariat Education Jurisdiction Transfer Initiative that includes 8 participating First Nations in the following video presentation.

In his presentation Chief McPherson highlights the fact that for far too long First Nations have been purchasing educational services and now they will be able to own and manage these services for themselves.

Click here to watch the video presentation ...

Job Readiness Skills Training Program

Sponsored by Equay-wuk (Women's Group)

Equay-wuk is offering a 22 week Job Readiness Skills Training Program starting September 4, 2007 to February 1, 2008.

APPLY TODAY!

Course Outline

• Employment Skills
• Personal Life Management Skills
• Computer Skills
• Electronic Communication
• Office Procedures
• Job Shadows
• Job Placement
• Academic Upgrading

Participant Eligibility

• Aboriginal with Status (from Sioux Lookout District)
• 19 years or older
• Unemployed
• Aboriginal with Status Treaty #3
• Aboriginal meeting OGI criteria
• EI eligibility

Mail, fax or drop off your resume or letter of interest to:

Hiring Committee

Job Readiness Skills Training Program

Equay-wuk (Women's Group)

16 Fourth Avenue

P.O. Box 1781

Sioux Lookout, ON     P8T 1C4

Toll Free: 1-800-261-8294

Phone: (807) 737-2214

Fax: (807) 737-2699

Application Deadline:  August 24, 2007 at 3:00 pm

Hello:

My name is Kelli Fraser and I am the communications officer at a national charity called “The Society for Educational Visits and Exchanges in Canada”…otherwise known more simply as “SEVEC”!

For 70 years we’ve offered exchange programs for students within Canada to travel to another province or territory for one week to learn about another culture and language. All exchanges are for groups of students between the ages of 12-17 years old.

We currently have openings for groups of Aboriginal students accompanied by one adult to participate in our Aboriginal Exchange Program this school year.

The group can go on exchange anytime during the school year, but applications should be received on our Website by October 1st. If you know of any groups interested in this, please let them know. The adult taking care of the group can apply right online at www.sevec.ca. It’s not necessary to know exact names of students at this point, we just need to know approximately how many students you think you will take on exchange and what you’d like to get out of the exchange.

Another important point: SEVEC, through government funding, pays for the students’ travel. We also have bursaries to help cover other costs.

You can apply just as a group or if you know another group in Canada with whom you’d like to do a 1-week exchange you can apply together.

For more info, visit www.sevec.ca or call me (Kelli) at 1-800.38.SEVEC at extension 205.

I am also sending you an e-mail ad (see below) that you can forward to any groups you know who might want to go on an exchange.

Thanks and best wishes,

Kelli Fraser
Communications Officer / Agente des communications
SEVEC
Celebrating 70 Years of Exchanges! Célébrons 70 ans d’échanges!
( 613.72.SEVEC (613.727.3832) X 205 / 1 800 38.SEVEC   7 613.727.3831   www.sevec.ca