Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/343577
4 WINNIPEGFREEPRESS,SATURDAYAUGUST3,2013 EXPRESSYOUROPINION FrenchandSpanishclasses startSeptember14th Visit: languages.ustboniface.ca or call: (204) 2 5-4400, (204) 233-0210 or toll-free 1-888-233-5112 3 ByHolliMoncrieff For the Free Press F or many of the First Nation students who attend Yellowquill College, there's no place like home. The college provides a unique opportunity to receive training applicable to the needs of their own First Nation communities, so they can return home and find employment there, says director Doreen Beauchamp. "We respond to the needs in First Nation communities. Our focus is on tradition and culture. A lot of our students are looking for employment in the communities they're from," Beauchamp says. "We're here and available and willing to work with our students. We want to see them be successful and accomplish their goals." The Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council established Yellowquill College in 1984. The school continues to be First Nation owned and operated. "The Tribal Council wanted a school that members of the community could attend as an alternative place to complete their Grade 12 before moving onto other colleges," says Beauchamp. "We've grown to offer post- secondary programs as well so students don't have to leave right after Grade 12." The college originally opened with 16 students. It now has over 950 graduates in a variety of programs. The College and University Entrance Preparation Programs (UCEP) have prepared hundreds of students for studies at the post-secondary level, whether at Yellowquill or another post-secondary institution. Training, including the Pre-Electrical, Clerical, Small Business Management, Secretarial, Office Technology, Child Care, Native Economic Development, Business Administration and Administrative Assistant programs, prepares students for the workforce. Community literacy and upgrading programs have provided basic skills to students in several First Nation communities. Professional development and work-related training has enriched the skills of many First Nation and Aboriginal employees, Beauchamp says. One of the college's most popular programs is the Certified Aboriginal Financial Manager Certificate and Diploma. "This is a well-established popular program. We offer it three ways: full-time, part-time, and through distance education," says Beauchamp. "We've partnered with the Certified General Accountants (CGA), so graduates of the program can move into the CGA program at Level 4 after they're done here." The college's First Nation Child & Family Services Worker Diploma is a two-year program with a special focus on providing services to children and families living in First Nation communities. The training is both family-centered and cul- turally appropriate and uses the student's own strengths and life experi- ences as a foundation. Lessons include lectures, small group-learning exercises, case studies and class discussions with assigned texts and videos. Interpersonal communication skills and understanding of group dynamics are stressed. Stu- dents also receive instruction in the Child and Family Services Act, as they learn to put theory into practice in real-world settings. The course work for this program includes on-site visits to agencies and facilities, instruction on self-care to deal with job-related stress and an opportunity to complete supervised fieldwork. "There's a high demand for First Nation Child & Family Services workers," Beauchamp says. First Nation Management and Administration is a new program that will be offered for the first time this fall. "This program was developed in response to the high demand for skilled workers. It focusses on accounting— there is a wide range of careers our graduates can get into," says Beauchamp. "Our college is open to anyone from everywhere. We've had students from different parts of Canada." Other courses of study offered at the college include Business Certificate, Chronic Disease Prevention Pro- gram, Community Diabetes Prevention Certificate, Com- munity Health Worker Certificate and Diploma, and First Nation Governance Diploma. The college has two elders on staff and smudging and traditional blessings take place first thing every morning. "We're respectful of the cultures and traditions and practices our students come with. If they want to practice traditional singing, we encourage that," says Beauchamp. "Yellowquill is accommodating and it's comfortable, which makes for easier learning." Although Yellowquill has a First Nation focus, it's open to any student who would like to attend. In addition to their full-time and part-time programs, the school also offers some modular programs where students who are already employed can attend Yellowquill once a month for one week of intense training. Yellowquill College is located on the Long Plain Urban Reserve at 480 Madison Street. For more information on how to register for its programs, please visit the college's website at yellowquill.org.❙ YELLOWQUILLCOLLEGEFOCUSSESONFIRSTNATIONNEEDS Students in class at Yellowquill College. PhotobyDarcyFinleyfortheWinnipegFreePress By Holli Moncrieff For the Free Press Foodies rejoice! Red River College's Paterson Global Foods Institute is now open, offering a wide range of courses and workshops for students of all ages and skill levels. The Culinary Adventure Series is a great place to start, especially if you love cuisine from around the world or have always wanted to try it. "You take a culinary trip from West to East with a chef who specializes in each region's cuisine," says Kirk Johnson, Program Manager for IT and Professional Studies, School of Continuing Education. "Each evening you'll prepare a mouth-watering meal, then pair it with the right wine and enjoy your creation." These culinary tours will take place on Tuesday nights from 6:30 pm to 9:30 p.m. Sign up for the entire series or explore individual cuisines. The series will explore various cuisines: French (Oct. 1), Italian (Oct. 15), Spanish/Moroccan (Oct. 29), East Indian (Nov. 12) and Chinese/Thai (Nov. 26). Impress the guests at your next dinner party by taking Mixology 101, where you will learn how to make 15 of the most popular cocktails at home. This class will be held on Oct. 17, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. A class in Professional Cake Decorating will also begin in October. Participants will learn the essentials of torting cakes and preparing icing to create beautiful cakes and decorations. In both theory and hands-on classes, students will practise using the decorating bag, levelling, smoothing, piping and creating basic icing sculptures. Red River College's Applied Arts division is now offering an optional one-month practicum for their full and part- time residential decorating students. These practicums are full-time and occur in May and September. Students can apply to the full-time program, with an option to start classes in January or May. The program takes four months to complete without the optional practicum, and five months with the practicum, John- son says. "At Red River College we're about helping students reach their potential by providing flexible and innovative programming that allows our students to develop themselves personally and professionally," he adds. "No matter what kind of job you will do or the industry you will work in, you will find yourself dealing with rapid change and the demand for constant innovation and creativity. Our programs, courses and workshops help you meet these challenges." A popular community services program has been updated to meet the needs of our growing aging population. The Therapeutic Recreation Facilitator for Older Adults program is for people who want to engage older adults in leisure and recreation activities. "The program has been updated to reflect current terminology," says Gail Mireau, Program Manager, School of Continuing Education. "Older adults are demanding more leisure activities that they can participate in as they age and are staying active longer." Workplace safety, privacy and health regulations are a key component of the program. "Graduates will learn to work in community-based leisure centres, running activities like cooking classes, floor curling, card games and day tours. They'll also be able to work in personal care homes and hospitals, where participants need to be engaged and active but have more therapeutic requirements," Mireau adds. "We're pretty excited about this program. There is a lot more emphasis on therapeutic recreation for older adults these days." Graduates of the program have found employment as recreational co-ordinators, recreational facilitators, recreationwellnessco-ordinators,therapeuticrecreation/ recreational facilitators, volunteer co-ordinators and recreational facilitators for adult day care. This program is available by distance delivery. It can be taken either full-time over nine months or part- time. Part-time students have eight years to complete the program, which includes two 100-hour field placements—one placement is community-based, such as an adult day program, and one is facility-based, such as a personal care home. The new full-time Therapeutic Recreation Facilitator for Older Adults program begins this September at the Notre Dame Campus. One of the new courses that has been added is Valuing Diversity, Faith and Culture in Therapeutic Recreation. Another brand new course that the College expects to be quite popular is Agile Business Analysis. "This is a style of project management where you focus on short, scrum-style meetings," says Johnson. "Students will learn how to plan for, collect and document every changing requirement as a Business Analyst to ensure projects deliver value to the customer early, frequently and with higher quality." For more information on these courses and more, you can contact Red River College Continuing Education at 204-694-1789 or e-mail cde@rrc.ca. You can also visit their website at rrc.ca/cua. ❙ KITCHENANDBARCOURSES AMONG NEW OFFERINGS AT RED RIVER COLLEGE Taylor Poirier teaches a Mixology class at the new Red River College Paterson Global Foods Institute Building located in the Exchange. Photo by Darcy Finley for the Winnipeg Free Press