Scholarship encourages aboriginal writers

Shelly Cook has been chosen as the first recipient of the John W. Dafoe Free Press scholarship for aboriginal students.
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Aboriginal achievement spikes across province

Course results for aboriginal students were on the rise in many subjects here and across B.C., according to the latest Ministry of Education statistic s.
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Aboriginal initiatives program committee to aid retention, recruitment of aboriginal staff and faculty

U of T has worked to establish a strong relationship with the aboriginal community and now a new aboriginal initiatives program committee expects to further engage community members.
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Learning report dispels native stereotypes

First Nations, Inuit and Métis people display higher rates of volunteerism and informal learning — participation in clubs, sports, arts and music — as well as more community involvement than non-aboriginal Canadians, according to a new study.
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U.S. Astronaut Hopes to Inspire Canadian Youth at Aboriginal Symposium

Commander John Bennett Herrington was just 8 years old when he dreamed about being an astronaut.
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Innovative First Nations School Unites With Community To Increase Aboriginal Employment

First Nation and Métis employment development took centre stage this afternoon at North Battleford's Sakewew High School.
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More than half of B.C. aboriginal students dropped out of high school

The B.C. government is promoting a record high school completion rate of 49 per cent for aboriginal students in the Class of 2009
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Native-only schools eyed to fight crime

Winnipeg city council is proposing the creation of a separate school division exclusively for First Nations children in an effort to combat the city's growing rate of violent crime.
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From rock bottom to a scholarship

Douglas Blanchard understands rock bottom, having lived the life of a homeless drug addict.
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First Nations leaders connect with executives in SFU-partnered program

Canada’s first leadership program to place senior executive officers at meetings on aboriginal reserves and get First Nations chiefs into executive suites kicked off earlier this month.
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Ex-PM funds First Nations students

Former prime minister Paul Martin is betting $70,000 that 22 aboriginal students at Scott Collegiate can beat the odds, graduate from high school and succeed in business.
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Manitoba biz council steps up to help aboriginal students

Hundreds of Manitoba aboriginals can chalk up their professional, vocational or academic success to hard work, intelligence and determination — and also to the help of businesses that have given them a boost.
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Mi'kmaq Teaching Materials to be Distributed to High Schools

Nova Scotia students will have a better picture of contemporary Mi'kmaq youth from exciting new teaching resources unveiled Nov. 13.
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Funding will aid aboriginal school

A Snuneymuxw First Nation school will be able to pay for more staff members and resources to teach a booming number of students after a change in how the province funds education.
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UBC honours outstanding alumni at 15th annual Alumni Achievement Awards

What do a former prime minister, a Métis community health leader, and a tech-savvy social advocate have in common?
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Aboriginal education agreement reached

The Revelstoke school district and local aboriginal bands have reached an agreement to improve the education of aboriginal students.
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Aboriginal education 'in a state of crisis,' report says

Canada needs to make sweeping changes to the country's education system if it wants to fix soaring high school dropout rates among First Nations youth, according to a study by a Canadian public-policy think tank.In his report titled Dropouts: The Achilles' Heel of Canada's High-School System released yesterday, author John Richards of the C.D. Howe Institute said there are two main problems that must be dealt with. Read more>>

First Nations voice adds input on challenges in Aboriginal education

For the first time the provincial government and First Nation leaders will work together to improve the educational success of First Nation, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) students.On Oct. 13 the Government of Alberta announced the establishment of the FNMI Education Partnership Council. The objective of the collaboration is to increase educational opportunities and outcomes for Aboriginal learners and decrease the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal learners. Jaret Cardinal, Grand Chief of Treaty 8 and Sucker Creek First Nation is happy that Aboriginal leaders have a chance to have involvement and share ideas. Read more>>

Council targets education gaps

Three provincial ministers and the heads of Alberta's aboriginal communities formed a new partnership on Tuesday to address gaps in aboriginal education.
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Centre will welcome aboriginal students

A $3.6-million learning centre that will offer aboriginal students a feeling of home away from home is being built at Vancouver Island University.
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VIU facility designed to be a 'bridge between cultures'

A $3.6-million learning centre that will offer aboriginal students a feeling of home away from home is being built at Vancouver Island University. Based on a traditional pre-colonialism Coast Salish longhouse design, Phase 1 of the project is being built by 16 First Nations students enrolled in the school's aboriginal construction program.

The building will be known as Shq'apthut (the gathering place), said Sharon Hobenshield, VIU's director of aboriginal education. It is expected to be complete by next summer.The building will include a student lounge, an elders' lounge and office space for VIU's aboriginal student services department.

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Jobless youth, aboriginal education are focus of community foundations report

Concerns about young people, including the unemployed and aboriginal students who are at risk of dropping out of school, are a major focus of a report released Tuesday by Community Foundations of Canada. The Vital Signs report compiles statistics on subjects that help reflect the health and well-being of people in communities across the country.

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Internship program encourages youth to stay in school

With the average health care worker approaching 42 years of age and more retirements in the field imminent, the Regional Health Authority – Central Manitoba Inc. is looking at Portage la Prairie’s youth as potential candidates for tomorrow’s health care professionals.
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Governments of Canada and Nunavut Invest in College Infrastructure in Nunavut

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology), along with the Honourable Daniel Shewchuk, Nunavut Minister of Environment, Minister of Human Resources and Minister responsible for the Nunavut Arctic College, today announced funding of more than $4.9 million for infrastructure investments at Nunavut Arctic College campuses and community learning centres.
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First Nations' future: A human resource

WHERE would you look for the fastest-growing pool of young workers in Atlantic Canada?

The answer might surprise some. It’s not in Halifax or Saint John. It’s among the region’s 35 First Nations communities, whose population has grown by 16 per cent since 2000 while the overall population has shrunk by 0.7 per cent.
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Medical students get unique experience

This year, the first graduating class of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine completed the program with some unique experiences in aboriginal communities across the northern part of the province.
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Firms build diversity in workplace

Many Canadian companies, both large corporations and mid-size firms, governments and institutions have set goals in terms of diversity in the workplace and have included in their commitments the hiring of a number of aboriginal people.
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94 percent of B.C. First Nations expected to have broadband Internet by 2011-12

The B.C. government expects 94 percent of First Nations in the province to have broadband Internet access by the 2011-12 fiscal year.
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A bold program for Aboriginal youth

There are many ways for a teenager to spend a summer.
For Alex Campbell III of Prince Rupert, the bulk of his summer saw him enrolled in a six-week program that combines military training and Aboriginal cultural awareness.
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First Nations students need Internet technology, advocates say

Denise Williams believes strongly that broadband Internet access can help First Nations in British Columbia broaden the opportunities available on their often rural or remote reserves. The 27-year-old member of the Cowichan Tribes likens high-speed pipes to the roads that connect a community to the rest of the world.
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Advisory: University of Manitoba to welcome 110 new medical students

The University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine will welcome 110 new medical students at tomorrow’s annual Inaugural Day Exercises.
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Emulating Greenland

When construction begins in the next few weeks on Piqqusilirivvik, an Inuit cultural school in Clyde River, Nunavut, it will mark the culmination of a decade-long push for an innovative, heritage-based educational centre for the territory - and, if it works, a vital step in preserving Inuit identity and improving Arctic communities.
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Paterson endowment inspires native youth to pursue health career

Without the philanthropy of Andrew Paterson, Melissa Skead isn’t sure what this summer would have held. She is spending her second summer under the wing of Paterson’s $35,000 investment in health-related employment for First Nations youth working in autoclaving; the sterilization of tools.
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NaiKun Wind Announces Training Scholarship and Community Foundation Recipients

NaiKun Wind Energy Group Inc. is pleased to announce the 2009 recipients of the NaiKun Wind Training Award Program, which provides scholarships to Grade 12 students on B.C.’s North Coast who are pursuing post-secondary trades training. As well, the company has announced the recipients of NaiKun Community Foundation Funding for the summer 2009.
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Saving Aboriginal Languages (Special Feature on The National)

Duncan McCue profiles one native community's struggle to preserve their indigenous language - and the hard, often unheralded, work of individuals recognized as language keepers (With Video. Runs 12:05.
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Nunavut's first graduate program creates Inuit leaders for Inuit schools

Meeka Kakudluk is still struggling to relearn the Inuit culture she lost a half-century ago in schools where southern ways and the English language dominated.

This week, when she and her 20 classmates receive the first Master of Education degrees ever granted in Nunavut, she'll do her part to ensure that in the future, Inuit schools - and students - are led by Inuit educators.
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Culture and education geared for social work students

First Nations University (FNU) Indian Social Work students spent 10 days immersed in First Nations culture during the annual culture camp, held June 14 to 23 at the Lac La Ronge Indian Band’s (LLRIB) Youth Haven on Bigstone Lake.
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First Nations University of Canada officials fire back at government

First Nations University of Canada (FNUC) officials blasted the federal and provincial governments during an open house Thursday at the besieged university’s Saskatoon campus.
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Pilot project to hire 'commitment coaches' for at-risk aboriginal youth

At-risk aboriginal students at three Edmonton junior high schools will have better access to resources to help them deal with problems after a$207,000 grant from the province, Alberta Education Minister Dave Hancock announced Thursday at a preview celebration of National Aboriginal Day on Thursday.
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Ottawa withholds $2.4M from First Nations University

First Nations University of Canada has its main campus in Regina, next to the University of Regina. (CBC)The federal government is holding back payment of more than $2 million to the First Nations University of Canada — saying it wants to see changes at the institution before it hands over the money.
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Research in aboriginal policing, justice gets funding boost at U of Regina

Aboriginal society and justice will be among research areas benefiting from a $2.5-million endowment to the University of Regina’s police studies program.
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New Manitoba curriculum to cover residential schools experience

Manitoba students will soon be taught about the suffering experienced by First Nations people who forced to attend the federal residential school system.
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Northern colleges kick off push for Arctic university

Three colleges in Canada's North are joining forces to push the federal government to help create a university in the Arctic.
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Master's program graduates largest group of Aboriginal students

A partnership forged "where the waters divide" will produce what is believed to be the largest group of Aboriginal students to ever graduate en masse from a master's program at a Canadian university.
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Low aboriginal graduation rates may have early roots

The government of the Northwest Territories is stepping in to address a problem teachers in Northern schools have noticed for years: fewer aboriginal students are graduating from high school than their non-aboriginal peers, and the gap starts early when many children stop showing up at school.
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Aboriginal students paid $50 to study math

With only 47 per cent of B.C. Aboriginal students graduating high school, many kids need an extra push to beat the statistics.
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Small start, big dreams: creating young aboriginal entrepreneurs

In just four short months, 15-year-old Eric Gladue has come to see the world a little differently thanks to an entrepreneurial program at Edmonton's Amiskwaciy Academy.
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Writer helping First Nation youth pursue dreams

Joseph Boyden has long known that writing would be his career. He didn't know how much impact his own dream would have on First Nation youth. When Boyden was awarded the Giller Prize last November, it provided him with the chance to start up a scholarship for First Nation youth.
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Governor General rallies students for Arctic university

KUGLUKTUK, Nunavut - Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean took her rallying cry for an Arctic university to this tiny community on the tundra Tuesday, drawing cheers from grateful students and parents.
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First Nations schools in need of more funds

First Nations schools are in disrepair and need another $190 million a year just to stop them from falling apart, according to a new report from the Parliamentary Budget Office.
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Family 'betrayed' after teacher cuts Ont. boy's hair

A teacher's aide in Thunder Bay, Ont., who last month cut the bangs of a First Nations student and was subsequently suspended, will not face charges, the region's acting Crown attorney said.
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Aboriginal Education Key to Bolstering Productivity, Labour Force

Canada needs to boost Aboriginal education levels to address a shrinking labour force and lackluster productivity growth, urges the Centre for the Study of Living Standards, pointing to a potential saving to the government of $115 billion.
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Program aims to change stereotypes of First Nations

British Columbian youth are getting the chance to learn first-hand about their Aboriginal heritage during a visit they will make to Hesquiaht traditional lands in Clayoquot Sound this weekend.
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Program aims to change stereotypes of First Nations

British Columbian youth are getting the chance to learn first-hand about their Aboriginal heritage during a visit they will make to Hesquiaht traditional lands in Clayoquot Sound this weekend.
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Management boost for Aboriginal Canadians

The Sauder school at the University of British Columbia, in Canada, is spearheading a project to bring management training to First Nation Canadians. Some 22 universities and colleges in the province will work together under the Ch’nook Business Education Accord to increase Aboriginal participation in business education.
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School rejects race-based endowment

The University of Saskatchewan has turned down a $500,000 endowment from an alumnus who requested the money be awarded to "non-aboriginal students" only.
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B.C. Universities and Colleges Mark New Aboriginal Business Education Accord at UBC

Business deans from universities and colleges across B.C. have gathered at the University of British Columbia to mark a new era of cooperation aimed at increasing Aboriginal participation in business education.
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Setting agendas for learning: Distance learning educators gather in Grande Prairie

Grande Prairie Regional College played host to Alberta-North’s Access Symposium 2009 from Sunday night until yesterday afternoon, and the response was great, said Val Marshall, executive director for Alberta-North.

“Our registration numbers are up 20% this year over last year,” she said. “Last year, we grew over the year before. We actually have nine people from the Northwest Territories here. We’re very broadly spread out so it’s nice.”

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The Government of Canada Launches the Aboriginal Skills and Training Strategic Investment Fund

The Government of Canada has delivered on its commitment to support Aboriginal people by launching the Aboriginal Skills and Training Strategic Investment Fund application process.
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WIN FREE TUITION AT FNTI

FNTI is pleased to provide you with the following information regarding the First Nations Policy, By-Law and Compliance Officer diploma program. We are now accepting applications for September 2009.

Please note that all applications received before June 1, 2009 will qualify for a draw for FREE first-year tuition and books!

The program curriculum meets the Program Standards as identified by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, and has been enhanced to be culturally appropriate and relevant. FNTI is honoured that this program is endorsed by the Indigenous Bar Association.

Interested individuals are encouraged to contact Bonny Maracle, Program Coordinator.

FNTI
3 Old York Road
Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory
Ontario Canada K0K 1X0
Phone 800 267 0637
Fax 613 396 2761

More Information

NWCC program aims to prevent diabetes in aboriginal communities

TERRACE, British Columbia – With the hopes of preventing and helping manage diabetes in northwest British Columbia’s aboriginal communities, where the disease is almost epidemic, Northwest Community College is hosting a Community Diabetes Prevention Worker pilot program sponsored by Health Canada.

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Tempers flare as Yukon MLAs debate First Nations schools

Heated debate shook the Yukon legislature Thursday, as the opposition NDP demanded to know how the government plans to deal with recent decisions by some First Nations to set up their own schools.
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Can exercise help people learn?

It's an exciting idea, and one that's being tested in the U.S. and Canada. One pilot program took place in the spring of 2008, when Saskatoon teacher Allison Cameron put her Grade 8 students on treadmills during class.
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First Nations boost education

Three new programs are being offered to First Nation residents of Munsee-Delaware, Fort William and Nipissing by St. Clair College.
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Mr. Tom Jackson Appointed Chancellor of Trent University

Peterborough, ON - Award-Winning Actor, Producer, Musician and Social Advocate to Serve as Tenth Chancellor.

The Senate of Trent University is pleased to announce its unanimous decision to approve the appointment of Mr. Tom Jackson, award-winning actor, producer, musician and social advocate, as Trent University’s tenth chancellor.

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Inuit and Partners Agree to National Committee on Inuit Education

IQALUIT, NUNAVUT- The Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Metis and Non-Status Indians, and Mary Simon, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), today added their signatures to the Inuit Education Accord.
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Agreement enhances First Nation education

DALHOUSIE - First Nation leaders are welcoming a new initiative that will see significant investment in education for students from their communities.
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Treaty education website to help Sask. Teachers

Saskatchewan teachers can now go online to find resources dedicated to teaching students about treaties.
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Dropout rates still a concern

Although high school dropout rates in Alberta have improved in recent years, they remain among the highest in Canada, a new study has found.
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Job centre would tap native workforce for Alberta

A national job search centre-- which might include an "aboriginal monster.ca" type of website -- could help draw thousands of native workers into Alberta's economy, according to a new research report.
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First Nation Students Discover Traditional Knowledge And Science Mix Well

(Saskatoon, SK) More than 60 teams comprised of 120 students from across Saskatchewan are competing in a two day First Nation and Metis Science Fair at the First Nations University of Canada, Saskatoon campus, 710 Duke St. The media is invited to attend the competition when the Science Fair Committee walks through the project displays on Friday March 13, 2009 at 11:30 am. This is the first time the category of Traditional Knowledge will be included in a science competition. The projects will range from a northern Cree fishing gill net to a traditional first aid medicine kit.
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Government Of Canada Supports Teaching Canadian Physicians More About First Nations, Inuit And Métis Health

Medical Educational Modules in First Nations, Inuit and Métis Health were launched today by the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Federal Minister of Health, together with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and The Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada (IPAC).
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B.C. Invests $4.4m more in Aboriginal Students

B.C. is investing $4.4 million in year two of the Aboriginal Service Plans pilot for 11 public post-secondary institutions to facilitate Aboriginal participation in the province’s post-secondary system, said Murray Coell, Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development.
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The exciting world of food science

The Advanced Foods and Materials Network program is geared towards exposing First Nations, Metis and Inuit Grade 11 and 12 students to the world of science. Students selected will spend a week at one of five universities across the country learning about food science.
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Anti-racism education and aboriginal history required: teachers

Anti-racism education and aboriginal history should be required courses for teachers-in-training, delegates to the B.C. Teachers' Federation annual general meeting said today.
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Aboriginal PhD students get Manitoba Metis Foundation cash

A University of Manitoba initiative aimed at helping aboriginal students earn their PhDs got a $50,000 boost from the Manitoba Metis Federation yesterday.
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Sask suspending funds to First Nations University; wants accountability

The Saskatchewan government has suspended funding to First Nations University Of Canada, saying it wants to see steps taken to restore the institution's accountability.
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Aboriginal students get into the lab

Cody Iahtail has won an all-expenses-paid trip for spring break this year, but rather than lazing on a sunny beach, the 21-year-old Adult High School student will be isolating DNA from bananas in a food and nutrition lab at the University of Guelph.
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Government of Canada Announces Major Renovation Project for School in Natashquan

OTTAWA, ONTARIO - The Innu community of Natashquan will benefit from a major school renovation project, thanks to the Government of Canada's Economic Action Plan.
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Aboriginal students receive provincial funding

The province is investing $425,000 to help increase the number of Aboriginal graduates in Greater Sudbury.
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Aboriginal high school students to participate in UW enrichment health-related program

Aboriginal Grade 11 students from across Ontario will attend a University of Waterloo high school enrichment conference next week aimed at encouraging them to pursue higher learning.
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Minister Strahl Delivers Action on First Nation Education

The Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Metis and Non-Status Indians, today announced a new Grade K-8 school for Burnt Church as part of the Government of Canada's commitment to accelerate infrastructure projects for First Nations under Canada's Economic Action Plan.
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Métis Nation Meets with Canada's Education Ministers

Jurisdictional issues continue to be the largest obstacle to developing and implementing successful education programs and policies for Métis Nation citizens, according to a report presented to the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) today by the Métis National Council (MNC).
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Aboriginal youth Aiming Higher at Nipissing University

Lorne Cardinal, of Corner Gas fame, will be helping Aboriginal youth set their sites high at Nipissing University on February 26 as part of a new outreach project named Aiming Higher.
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Improving Education for Aboriginal Students

TORONTO - The Ontario government and First Nation, Métis and Inuit organizations are working together to achieve better outcomes for Aboriginal students at all levels of learning.
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Province pledges $8.3 million to connect isolated First Nations online

The provincial government pledged $8.3 million today to help isolated First Nations communities in B.C. bridge the digital divide, announced Labour and Citizens' Services Minister Iain Black at the Information and Communications Technology Summit in Vancouver.
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Aboriginal high schoolers sign up for RHA internships

The Regional Health Authority - Central Manitoba Inc. is looking to inspire Aboriginal students in the area to actively pursue a career in the health-care industry, or at the very least, aspire to acquire a post-secondary education.
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Aboriginal Legal Interpreters Course in Family Law Begins

Today in Happy Valley-Goose Bay students from Innu and Inuit communities in Labrador will begin training to become interpreters for family law proceedings in the region.
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Government of Canada supports employment program for Aboriginal youth

Twelve Aboriginal youth facing employment barriers will benefit from the Government of Canada's commitment to a local employment project.
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Innu Kindergarten Resources Mark Milestone in Innu Education

A partnership between the Department of Education and the Innu Nation has resulted in a social studies curriculum and resources specifically designed for Innu Kindergarten students.
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Government of Canada improves training and job opportunities for Aboriginal people

At least 200 Aboriginal people will gain valuable skills and employment experience leading to work in the aerospace industry through a new project announced today by the Honourable Vic Toews, President of the Treasury Board and Member of Parliament for Provencher. Minister Toews made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, at the Aboriginal Centre of Winnipeg.
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UPEI Aboriginal Student Centre Officially Opens on January 20

Aboriginal students attending the University of Prince Edward Island now have a place on campus they can call their own.
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Minister says report on fixing problems at Aboriginal university won't be ignored

The minister responsible for post-secondary education in Saskatchewan insists a new report calling for changes at an Aboriginal university "is not going to be ignored."
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Teachers call for governance changes to save First Nations University in Regina

A teachers' group says there is only one way to save the struggling First Nations University of Canada - change the way the Regina school is run.
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First Nations University students say they're embarrassed by controversy

Frustrated students of the Regina-based First Nations University gathered for a small, noon-hour rally Tuesday to express their disapproval with ongoing controversies surrounding their institution.
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First Nations dictionary defines a culture

Robert Leavitt could never have imagined that a project he began working on in the 1970s would culminate more than 30 years later in a First Nations dictionary unparalleled in size and scope.
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Brock University and the District School Board of Niagara Conference 2009 Call for Papers and Presenters

Tomorrow is Mine: Responding to the Needs of Aboriginal Children in Public Education

The Tecumseh Centre for Aboriginal Research and Education, Faculty of Education in partnership with the District School Board of Niagara is pleased to announce an Aboriginal Education Conference to be held 14 and 15 of May, 2009 at Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, CANADA.
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FNUniv fires VP

In the wake of her dismissal Wednesday, the former vice-president of academics at the First Nations University of Canada is raising concerns about the operation of the institution.
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