First Nations Voice

FEBRUARY 2015 • PAGE 3 At Selkirk & District Community Learning Centre we try and cover the basics, like education, skills training, employment opportunities or getting a good job. Although they are basic, these are serious issues for all of us. We continuously face barriers to all of these issues and a substantial part of the reason we do is that these issues are often not all served in a single location, geographically or culturally. The SDCLC in Selkirk Manitoba attempts to proactively provide ongoing quality education and training opportunities that promote personal growth, as well as enhance and improve our quality of life. The SDCLC was first established in 1997 to be a centralized learning complex that offered community based information, training opportunities and employment assistance services. We also act as a home base to other service providers that are housed within our facilities. We refer to these relationships as community partnerships. And it is through these partnerships the SDCLC reaches out to almost all socio-economic sectors of our neighboring communities. Recently our focus has been on seeking new job creation projects, researching job search techniques, discovering hidden employment opportunities and providing basic work skills training. That is why our key programs Job Quest - Career Services, Computer Fundamentals, Computer Lending Library and Responsible Electronics Recycling have become longstanding and have proven to be successful vehicles for the serving of our mandate. It is also why we have embraced several new programs like Intro-To-Trades and pre-Apprenticeship. In the fall of 2013 the SDCLC, in partnership with Peguis First Nation offered a 5 month Intro-To-Trades program. Seventeen young men and women registered for the course that was to teach them the basics of the construction trades. Several of the students had additional education challenges by having to complete their Grade 12 education. In November the students started with an empty lot and a pile of lumber and by April they had completed framing an 850 square foot Ready-To-Move home. Exterior doors and windows were installed and the roofing was applied. Basic electrical and plumbing were taught. Most students did not miss a single day of training or schooling in what turned out to be the coldest winter in 100 years. Based on the success of this training project the SDCLC will once again offer trades training opportunities in Selkirk beginning in February of 2015. Over the years we have learnt that social and economic changes can be slow and often require dedication and patience. We also recognize that it is critically important to make the first introductory phases achievable and that they are personally rewarding. This often leads to short- term successes. These short-term successes however must continue to receive nurturing and be enhanced with more challenges and knowledge gaining opportunities. Our youth require continued access to good training and instruction, adequate learning tools and responsive learning facilities. We know this is an important link to their participation. At SDCLC, our programming speaks to the value of this. Karen Keppler SDCLC Program Manager training arrives in selKirK Waywayseecappo First Nation and Park West have a strong history of collaboration. Over the past five years, they have worked together to articulate plans for an enhanced educational partnership. They have expanded our educational agreement to include a full sharing of all education services. This includes both the Nursery to Grade 8 students at Waywayseecappo Community School as well as high school programming for Grade 9–12 students at Major Pratt and Rossburn Collegiate. Much credit for this partnership is due to the vision and hard work of the Chief and Council and the educational leaders at Waywayseecappo. Waywayseecappo and Park West have worked together to identify community educational needs and to develop programs to support these needs. They developed a framework in which provincial high school students traveled to the First Nation school for vocational courses in Wood Technology and Home Economics. They receive joint funding through the Paul Martin Foundation to engage aboriginal students in vocational programs and teach them the importance of becoming business entrepreneurs. They also partnered in the delivery of an Intro to Trades program for community residents using a mobile lab from Red River Community College. Vocational education is an ongoing priority for these partners. One recent area of focus is the development of centres of excellence. This involves establishing vocational programs at specific sites then busing students to these centres. One such initiative is the new Cosmetology program which will be based in Waywayseecappo. The Cosmetology program exemplifies a strong working relationship that may be formed between a First Nation and their neighbouring school division. Waywayseecappo provided an excellent space which was repurposed by the school division's maintenance team. Funding for the development of the program was shared by the partners with additional investment for equipment made by Manitoba Education. Educational leaders from both sides worked together to develop the instructional program for students. The initial focus of Cosmetology will be the Hairstyling program. This program will provide students with the theoretical knowledge & practical experience of all aspects of hair services for women and men. Students will be trained in the basic beauty treatments such as make-up application, hair removal, eyebrow arching, and manicuring. The Hairstyling program has three levels which include a total of 12 credits. The full program is offered over three semesters. The Hairstyling program is accredited by Manitoba Apprenticeship. It allows you to start working on your Red Seal (professional certificate) in the hairstylist trade. Students who take all three levels of the program are expected to achieve 70% class standing and complete the 1400 hours required by Manitoba Apprenticeship. Practical training hours can be acquired through the High School Apprenticeship Program. Going forward, it is the goal of Waywayseecappo in partnership with Park West to provide even further vocational and career education learning opportunities for its people. The long range goal is continue to expand the partnership to create even more educational opportunities and economic development in the region. Tim Mendel New Cosmetology Program for PartNershiP I would like to briefly talk about an infamous article in Maclean's Magazine and what we do here at First Nations Voice. In these pages, a reader won't see the "R" word anywhere. Oh, believe me I know it exists and I face it on a daily basis but I'll just keep my head held high. The First Nations Voice is about building bridges and relationships between different communities in Winnipeg, and indeed the province. Instead, the First Nations Voice philosophy is about promoting positive stories of change happening within the First Nations dynamic community that is the youngest and fastest growing population in Winnipeg. It's about reaching out to those people in the mainstream and creating an atmosphere of partnership so that we can all move together. First Nations Voice would like to acknowledge Winnipeg mayor Brian Bowman holding a news conference the morning the Maclean's article came out and those community leaders who came out to support him. In this month's First Nations Voice edition, a reader will find stories about opportunities opening up for Aboriginal people, a "first of its kind" reading centre opening, a story of survival from a residential school survivor, government officials meeting in Norway House Cree Nation and even stories that look at the entertainment side of Aboriginal life. The First Nations Voice will do its best to move our agenda forward and is a work in progress. Much like Canadian society. By Trevor Greyeyes answering the MaClean's artiCle Challenge one issue at a tiMe

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