On behalf of the School of Indigenous Education, Red River College is pleased to host the 13th Annual Pow Wow Honouring Aboriginal Graduates on Friday, May 3, 2013 in the North Gym. Please find below a breakdown of the day’s events.

FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2013

Stop by for a piece a bannock and sip of tea, or peruse the crafters booths and enjoy the dancing and music.

Should you have any questions, please contact Tracy Brant at 204-632-2106 or email tbrant@rrc.ca.

No surprise, then, that Continuing Education grad Angel Simard has already found her way back to Red River College — to further bolster her Youth Recreation Activity Worker credentials via a diploma from RRC’s Child and Youth Care program.

We caught up with Angel to find out what led her to RRC in the first place, and how her experience here has inspired her to embark on a career path where she can continue helping others.

RRC: Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Pine Falls, Manitoba, but raised in Winnipeg.

What was your favourite thing to do as a kid?

The number one interest of mine was always music. I’ve always had a passion for music, whether it’s singing, songwriting, or learning how to play a musical instrument. As a young child I used to sit down with my grandfather everyday to listen to him sing Hank Williams songs and play guitar, and I would observe him and help him record himself on a tape cassette recorder. He was a talented singer/musician who always wanted to be a country star. The farthest he came to that was singing a tribute to Hank Williams at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville during the 1940s. Music has been passed down from generation to generation in my family and I believe it’s meant to be a part of me and I’m supposed to use that gift and not waste it, and to share that gift when I feel ready to and also to keep passing that gift down to young people. (Which I have done with some of the youth I’ve worked with in my child and youth care practice.)

What prompted you to enrol at RRC? Were you always interested in working with youth?

A relative forwarded me an email about the Youth Recreation Activity Worker Program and I thought it would be perfect due to my previous experience working with children and youth. It was also a great opportunity to further my education, and to become a better trained professional. Because I had been out of school for some time, I felt bored with my life — like I was missing out on opportunities to work because I didn’t have credentials from a post secondary institution. I was ready to go back to school and when I got the call to confirm my acceptance, I felt like the happiest girl in the world and I’m so grateful to have taken that chance.

What do you remember most about your time at the College?

During my time in the Youth Recreation Activity Worker program (Sept. 2011 to June 2012), I built a lot of strong and long-lasting relationships with my fellow classmates. We were somewhat like a family and a great support system for one another. We would make the time and effort to organize outings, visits, and lunches and dinners with one another. Our graduation ceremony in June 2012 was the biggest highlight because I had the opportunity to give a public presentation in front of a lot of important people and to thank everybody who helped bring me here.

Were there instructors or assignments that helped prepare you for the work you’d do in the field?

The course that really helped me was the Activities Programming for Youth course. Originally it was meant to be a group assignment but I worked on it individually by creating a Multi-Cultural Scavenger Hunt that promotes cultural awareness. I was able to implement that activity with the youth I was working with at Norquay Boys And Girls Club during my practicum there. And I was able to lead my own activity called “Glam Time” on a monthly basis during my short time at Norquay.

You’re currently in the second year of RRC’s Child and Youth Care program. What brought you back?

My instructors from the Youth Recreation Activity Worker Program were my biggest influences and inspirations. Without their positivity, encouragement, support, and belief in me I may not have not pursued my education. I choose to be in the Child and Youth Care Program because I want to work towards a higher education to have a good life and future for myself. I also want to help children and youth who may have been abused in any shape or form in a therapeutic way to help them deal with any unresolved issues going on in their lives and work towards a happy and healthy development and future. I also want to be a positive role model for young people because I know a lot of youth do not have any role models in their lives and I want to be someone who is there to support, help, and teach them.

So what’s next for you?

I have big dreams and goals I want to accomplish, and my child and youth care skills will play a huge role in helping me get there. For example, I want to have a non-profit organization that provides music, sports and recreation, arts and cultural opportunities for children and youth. From learning how to write proposals, to creating a budget plan and developing a centre as a group, I’m already acquainted with some of the necessary skills I need in order to follow through with my plans!

Click here for more information on RRC’s Youth Recreation Activity Worker program, and here for more on the Child and Youth Care program.

Photo credit: Jane Heller, Ota Nda Yanaan (otandayanaan.net)

Profile by Matthew TenBruggencate, second-year Creative Communications. Originally published on the Going Places blog.

When Rita Flamand was a young girl growing up in Camperville, Manitoba, she wasn’t allowed to speak her Metis tongue at school.

“They told me it wasn’t a real language,” she recalls. “They said it was a bastard language.”

Michif draws its verbs from Plains Cree or Ojibwe, while its nouns and articles are usually French. Like the Metis, it is a blending of cultures with its own unique identity. Despite having the five basic components of an independent language – syntax, semantics, pragmatics, morphology and phonology — it has traveled a difficult road to receiving official recognition, partly because there is no cohesive written form of the language.

Flamand has been working to change that. Since graduating from Red River College’s Aboriginal Interpreter program in 1998, she’s has been working as a translator on projects ranging from provincial voting guides to children’s cartoons, bettering her understanding of Michif as she builds toward a magnum opus: a Michif dictionary.

“I have everything set out to publish,” Flamand says, “I’m just dealing with the copyright issues… And I’ve been so busy using the stuff I took from RRC — translating and translating.”

It’s an unlikely project for a woman who only completed Grade 8. (Funding controversies at the time prevented Flamand and her classmates from progressing further.) She remembers working a variety of jobs as young as 14, traveling through Manitoba and northern Ontario to clean homes and look after children. A practical nursing course later on opened new job opportunities as far west as B.C., but also landed her in a tuberculosis sanatorium in Winnipegosis for a couple years in the mid-1950s.

Flamand married and raised eight children with her husband. When the last moved out in the ‘90s, Flamand faced a pressing choice; what to do next?

“My friend Darlene Timash knew I wanted to do something with my language – I was trying to get a writing system going at the time. She said ‘Rita, there’s a course starting at Red River College for Aboriginal interpreters, you should sign up.’”

At 67, Flamand headed back to school.

“When I went to RRC, I was the only Michif person in the course, the rest were studying Ojibwe and Cree… Now that was such a good course. They put me in touch with linguists, some of who weren’t even aware of Michif, that there was a language that blended European and Aboriginal tongues so well.”

“I stayed in touch with my teachers, even after I left college, using the tools I had picked up to develop my writing system. My teacher’s great advice was ‘Don’t wait until you’ve finished coming up with a system to start translating.’”

Flamand’s translating resume spans a wide spectrum of works. She translated the voter’s guide for the 1999 provincial election into Michif and has done a variety of projects for the federal government, including Parks Canada plaques and guides. She’s worked for APTN and other Aboriginal television producers providing Michif translations for shows like “Arty and the Ants” and the holiday special “Sparkle with Andrea Menard.”

She also had a chance to refine her Michif writing system in 2002, when she taught for two terms at the Metis Resource Centre in Winnipeg. It’s a role she’s occasionally been able to continue, volunteering in the Frontier School District to help the next generation appreciate their Metis heritage.

Red River College changed Flamand’s life in another way; one she still likes to laugh about.

“It was the first time I learned to use a computer! My god, was that ever wonderful. At first I was so scared of it, but now most of my work is through the computer. I used to do all my translating by hand — can you imagine?”

As enthusiastic as Flamand is for her upcoming dictionary, she also appreciates the fluidity of Michif. The variety of dialects that exist due to the multiplicity of influencing Aboriginal languages make her hesitant to cast one definitive text in stone.

“I don’t want to push my version on anyone.”

Still, the woman who calls herself “just an old great grannie” is excited for the guide that will ensure future Metis children know they have a language to call their own.

Click here for more information on RRC’s Aboriginal Language Specialist program.

RRC’s Aboriginal Support Centre is, in many ways, a home away from home for our students.  We are committed to providing a safe environment where students feel welcome, safe and respected and where they have access to resources and events to keep busy and meet others.

Part of our commitment to student success is the support staff and Elders-In-Residence that are located right in our centre to help with everything from personal counseling to numerous retention, cultural and celebratory events throughout the year.  The entire team plays a key role in providing and bridging many of these supports by connecting and building relationships with our students.

Exciting New Developments!

Aboriginal Support Centre renovations completed at both the Notre Dame & Exchange District Campuses

This past summer, the Aboriginal Student Centre located in Building F, Room 209 at the Notre Dame Campus was renovated.  A Pipe and Blessing Ceremony was held to open the centre in a good way to welcome staff and students from across the college.  A stone wall, maple wood and plenty of natural light help to bring earthy elements and the comforts of home to our students and all those who come to visit.

A dedicated space in the Princess Building of the Exchange District Campus, in Room P409, is now home to the new Aboriginal Support Centre.  This new Centre provides both staff and students with the opportunity to smudge, hold ceremonies and gather in a welcoming atmosphere allowing an increased opportunity to support students in their academic journey at the downtown campus.

Feedback on the Support Centres

“The centre now gives the students an opportunity to do traditional ceremonies such as smudging at any time of the day without notifying the college”
Corrine Chief – Business Administrative Student

“The new Student Support Centre is awesome!  It’s very inviting, comforting, and is a peaceful place for students and staff to hang out. It’s absolutely beautiful!”
Heather Stepplar –Staff, Aboriginal Education and ACCESS Programs

“Our new centre embodies Aboriginal spirituality and culture which is critical to our students’ success.”
Marilyn Dykstra –Staff, Aboriginal Education and ACCESS Programs

New Aboriginal Liaison/Advisor, Monica Morin

On October 1^st, the Aboriginal Student Support & Community Relations welcomed its newest team member, Monica Morin.  Monica has worked in many fields but most recently as a Valuation Officer for the City of Winnipeg Assessment and Taxation Department where she primarily prepared and presented evidence to defend property valuations at appeal tribunals.  She has also worked at the Winnipeg Adult Education Centre as a Career Advisor organizing special events, attending career fairs and developing initiatives to increase student success.  For the past four years she has served as one of the Chairs for the United Way Campaign and increased the volunteer base by 300 % and donations by 200%.  Previous to Winnipeg Adult Education Centre she worked as a Mentor and Teaching Assistant in the Aboriginal Student Services Centre at the U of W assisting first-year Aboriginal students transitioning from rural communities.  She is also a volunteer for the City of Winnipeg Aboriginal Employee Group, Aboriginal Youth Career Camp and the City of Winnipeg Career Symposium.  A RRC alumni (Business Administration) and graduate from U of W’s Bachelor of Arts program, we welcome Monica to our team.

Our Team

April Krahn – Director
Mae Louise Campbell – Elder-in-Residence
Levinia Brown – Elder-in-Residence
Jaime Richard – Aboriginal Liaison/Advisor
Monica Morin – Aboriginal Liaison/Advisor
Tamara Dicks – Wellness Counsellor – Notre Dame Campus
Cheyenne Chartrand – Wellness Counsellor – Exchange District Campus
Tracy Brant– Aboriginal Centre Coordinator
Lisa Carriere – Administrative Assistant
Rhonda Klippenstein – Student Support Representative
Jamie Chahine – Student Support Representative/Administrative Assistant for the MTL
Brian McLeod-Cultural Advisor (term)

Please visit our new Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/rrcaboriginal

13^th Annual Pow-Wow – Honoring Aboriginal Graduates

This annual event is a celebration which recognizes the accomplishments and brings recognition to our Aboriginal graduates.  Community members, families, staff and students are invited to attend each year to help honour our graduates and to help move them forward onto the next part of their journey.  Last year’s event was a great success with over 800 people in attendance.

We look forward to seeing you all at the 13^th Annual Pow-Wow on May 3th, 2013.

Red River College Pow Wow – May 2012

Red River College Pow Wow – May 2012

Men’s Wellness

This year the department will be focusing on Men’s wellness.  There will be workshops planned throughout the year hosted by Elder in Residence Mae Louise Campbell and a concerted effort to work with corrections to help increase communication and cooperation between Stony Mountain and Rockwood.

H.A.W.K. – Aboriginal Youth Summer Camp

Red River College was happy to host this year’s 3^rd annual Aboriginal youth summer camp for boys and girls ages 11 to 13 years.  This Hands-on Activity Week for Kids (H.A.W.K.) ran this past July 2012.

Sixteen youth participants enjoyed cultural programming at RRC’s Medicine Wheel Garden, recreation time and team building games, as well as fun and engaging hands-on activities that provided an introduction to such programs as Greenspace Management, Chemical and Bio Sciences, Civil Engineering, Aviation and Culinary Arts.

H.A.W.K. – July 2012

For more information on programs, supports and services, please contact:

Lisa Carriere
(204) 632-3773
licarriere@rrc.mb.ca

Mobile Training Labs

Red River College’s tagline “Going Places”, is now truer than ever thanks to an innovative new program that will bring trades training directly to rural and northern communities.

RRC’s two new mobile training labs are the backbone of this training initiative to deliver quality applied learning throughout Manitoba. Each lab consists of a 53-foot trailer with pop-out sides that can quickly transform into a 950 square-foot training facility.

Diesel generators supply the necessary power to operate electrical equipment, as well as lighting, heating and air conditioning. Supply trailers can connect to the mobile lab, increasing the total facility space to almost 2,000 square feet.

The portability of the training labs allows the College to deliver nationally-recognized trade training- such as automotive service technician, carpentry, electrical, machining, pipe fitting, plumbing, welding and industrial mechanics – whatever is required.

The labs increase accessibility for students in rural areas to training programs, and link training with community-based projects and emerging industries. This program will allow students to remain at home to study, connect with community supports and help build labor capacity in rural and aboriginal communities.

Red River College brings growth, continued Aboriginal outreach, diversity and inclusiveness, accessibility and quality innovation into our new Mobile Training labs.

For more information or to arrange a training program in your community, please contact Lisa Carriere at 204-632-3773 or licarriere@rrc.ca.

Download the Mobile Training Labs brochure.

Watch a CBC video segment featuring RRC’s mobile training labs.

Listen to a CBC Radio segment featuring RRC’s mobile training labs. (File is in MP3 format and is 8.9 MB in size).

Read a 2012 newspaper article from The Winnipeg River Echo.

“Try-a-Trade”
Read a 2012 newspaper article from The Winkler Morden Voice.

Upcoming Mobile Training Lab locations:

• Winnipeg Learning Centre – Pine Falls
• Russell Manitoba
• Portage la Prairie
• Fisher River First Nation
• Winkler Manitoba

Self Declare and Be Recognized

Please feel free to share the following information

It’s important to self-declare because Red River College strives to create an environment that reflects the diversity of the population we serve.

Historically, persons of Aboriginal ancestry faced barriers in the workplace and in education institutions. It is Red River College’s intention to ensure under-represented groups are given the opportunity to participate equitably in educational opportunities consistent with their abilities and aspirations.

In order to measure our progress and deliver effective programs, it is critical that the College maintains accurate information about our students.

Declaring your Aboriginal status also allows us to send you information and opportunity listings you might not hear about otherwise. Aboriginal Student Support & Community Relations can also help with applications for First Nation or Metis status so call or email us today!

Red River College strongly encourages you to self-declare on your application!

RRC is dedicated to recruiting, retaining, and graduating Aboriginal learners.

If you are First Nation, Non-Status, Métis, or Inuit, there are many support services that can help enhance your success as a student and make life at the College a positive experience.

You can access these support services by voluntarily declaring your Aboriginal status as follows:

• When you first apply using the Red River College application, either printed or online, it is important that you declare your Aboriginal status
• Join the Aboriginal Support Services & Community Relations Keep Informed email list to get connected to Red River College and the Aboriginal community

By doing so, you will:

• Be alerted to events, workshops, scholarships and awards, Elder visits, graduation pow wow, community gatherings, and recreational and cultural activities
• Benefit from enhanced programming, counseling and other support services

Aboriginal students who would like to belong to the Keep Informed E-mail list should contact the Aboriginal Student Support Representative.

Forsyth discussed the College’s longstanding commitment to engaging and supporting Aboriginal students; shared some success stories about Aboriginal graduates who are making a difference in their communities; and outlined how the College plans to make Aboriginal student achievement a strategic priority by integrating traditional knowledge and practices throughout the organization.

The full text of President Forsyth’s speech is below.

STEPHANIE FORSYTH SPEECH TO ABORIGINAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
December 4, 2012

Introduction

T’oyaxs-sm (thank you) for the introduction and the opportunity to speak with you today

It has been two years since I was welcomed to the traditional territory of the Treaty 1 First Nations through a pipe ceremony and Feast.

For those who don’t know me, my First Nations name is Bealsum Jius (Morning Star) and I belong to the House of Chief T’axaye. I am a member of the Gisbutwada or Killer Whale clan, of the Tsimshian Nation in Northwest BC, and I was honored to be so warmly welcomed by the Chiefs and Elders of this region.

I’ve been asked to speak about the College’s role and commitment to working with our Aboriginal communities to engage more Aboriginal students in post-secondary education and about our efforts to support Aboriginal students achieve meaningful careers or launch their own businesses. I am pleased to do this, as this is something to which I’ve devoted much of my professional career.

It is also something many at RRC have dedicated their careers to – people like Marti Ford, April Krahn, Board member Don Robertson, Elders Mae Louise Campbell, Jules Lavallee, Lavinia Brown and many others.

Aboriginal Education – Where We’ve Been

In fact for almost 20 years Red River College has made efforts to do this and has sought feedback and support from the Aboriginal community through community forums and focused discussions. And through these and other dialogues, the community has consistently emphasized the need for the College to make changes that would encourage greater Aboriginal participation, student success and a brighter future for their children.

It was for this reason that the College, several years ago, created the School of Indigenous Education.  This School has grown to include many programs that are designed for Aboriginal learners or focused on specialized areas of study like Aboriginal Languages, Aboriginal Self-Government and Community Economic Development.

Through this School, a number of support services have been created for students, including the Aboriginal Centre at our Notre Dame Campus and a gathering place at the Exchange District Campus where ongoing events like sacred circles and family fun nights provide a stronger sense of community.

Holistic and traditional supports have also come together with our Elders – such as: talking circles, cultural teachings, smudging and drumming. These supports bring students together as a community to participate and learn from one another.   Many of you have also graciously provided support for these students by way of scholarships and bursaries that are funded by companies and agencies that are represented in this room today.

Our commitment to Aboriginal learners is a priority at RRC, demonstrated by changes we are making to the College environment and by the departments that provide leadership and training. For the past three summers the School of Indigenous Education has held the Hands-on Activity Week for Kids — or HAWK Camp — to introduce Aboriginal youth to career options in trades and technology fields.  By creating the confidence and courage in our younger learners now, we hope to eliminate the barrier of fear and mystery of entering into the College in the future.

Through programs such as HAWK, we strive to make students feel welcomed at the College at an early age; to feel a ‘part of’ the College community as opposed to feeling like ‘outsider’. Feeling like an outsider can create a burden of fear and access limitations.  We want the youth to feel a connection to the College, and to know that higher education is their right and well within their reach.

Many Aboriginal students have entered RRC, and many have graduated and gone on to great personal and business achievements and serving today as pillars of our community and recognized as role models.

People like Sky Bridges and Vera Houle, who are part of the leadership team at the Aboriginal People’s Television Network.

People like Joe Thompson, the Recruitment and Diversity Advisor for Manitoba Hydro. Two years ago he also chose RRC’s annual Graduation Pow Wow as the site of his first-ever traditional dance.

People like Joan Jack who has established her own legal practice in Manitoba, received the College’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007, and ran for National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations earlier this year.

And people like Shirley Delorme Russell, Jerri-Lynn Orr and Rose Bird, who between 2010 and 2012, became the first three graduates of the joint Aboriginal Language Teacher Education degree program between RRC and the University of Winnipeg. All three of them now work at Winnipeg schools, providing culturally sensitive classroom teaching and resource assistance.

There are many Aboriginal students attending RRC, particularly in the trades and technical fields. People like Edward Forbister, an Electrical graduate who recently wrote us a letter expressing how thankful he is for the opportunities that have come to him as a result of attending college.

As he says in his letter,

“I had an opportunity to attend Red River College in September 2010, and I went for it.  I graduated with honors from the Electrical program in 2011 and was awarded the H. C. McGregor Memorial Award for the hard work and energy that I had dedicated to my studies.

In November 2011, I accepted a position with McKenzie Electric. I realize that I have a few more years of hard work and financial struggle ahead of me, but there is one thing I know for sure:

I love my job.  I’ve had nothing but low-paying dead end jobs in the past.  I’ve always wanted to be an electrician.  Now I know what it feels like to be one.  For the first time in my life I can say I have a career.

Edward’s story is not the ‘exception’ at the college and we really want to honor his success by creating more experiences just like this.  We know that Western systems are laced with challenges and barriers that are not easy to work through, but Edward’s story really represents the pathway we want to achieve at Red River College.

RRC Background

Red River College is a large institution. In the past 15 years it has tripled in size serving students throughout southeast Manitoba. We’ve grown to over 31,000 enrolments in more than 200 programs ranging from welding to aerospace manufacturing, digital media design and mechanical engineering. We offer Bachelor degrees – currently in nursing and construction management – and are planning others for the future.

What sets us apart from other institutions is our applied, experiential approach to learning; the offering of technical degrees and our close connections with industry particularly in the areas of workforce development, research and innovation. We have established ourselves as innovation intermediaries, bridging the gap between research and commercialization and importantly, engaging our students in applied, practical research that will help businesses and the economy grow.

In the last 6 years we have developed applied research partnerships with companies like StandardAero, Magellan Aerospace, Manitoba Hydro, New Flyer and Motor Coach Industries, where the College provides the technology and researchers needed to boost innovation and productivity.

We work closely with business leaders and sector councils to ensure our programs meet the labour demands of today, and into the future.

In so doing, we have become an essential training resource for Manitoba’s industry and communities.

So we have grown a lot in our 74 years of existence, and while trades programming, which formed our beginnings, is still a key focus for us, it is only a third of what we do today.

Today, Red River College is a higher education choice for Manitobans, not a second or third choice, but a choice in a network of post-secondary education choices in the province.

And, Red River College is the choice for those seeking applied, experiential learning that will provide them with the skills to hit the ground running in their chosen careers.

Aboriginal Education – Where We’re Going

Our efforts to enable students to meet their goals have met with great success, but for many Aboriginal students, we have not come as far as we must.

As we go forward, we know we must take a much more prominent role in engaging, supporting and ultimately empowering Aboriginal learners.

Provincial demographics and the socio-economic challenges faced by many Métis, Inuit and First Nations people calls into question the appropriateness of having a public post-secondary institution, grounded in western values and colonial systems, serving a population that is over 15 % Aboriginal.   With such a large percentage of Aboriginal residents, it is arguable that the College has an obligation to become an institution that acknowledges Aboriginal perspectives, values and knowledge alongside Western perspectives, values and knowledge.

So in the College’s new Strategic Plan, launched this year, we have set upon a path that calls for a ‘shift in thinking’, an integration of Aboriginal knowledge and practices throughout the college.

From the classroom to the boardroom, we will examine our ways of doing business, rethink our standard – westernized ways of doing things, and shed some of our long held beliefs about how colleges must be run. Instead of fitting the Aboriginal student into a system that too frequently ensures they don’t succeed; we want to remake the system to fit the student so success becomes an attainable right and not a privilege as it is often seen.

Without a college-wide shift in our thinking, attempts to successfully engage Aboriginal learners will continue to fall short of expectations at best, and at worst will perpetuate the ongoing history of broken promises, and change that comes too late.

So what does this ‘shift in thinking’ mean? At Red River College, it means we’re not interested in recruiting more Aboriginal learners into our mainstream post-secondary system, simply to increase our statistics; this is not a numbers game.

It means not paying lip service to First Nations, Métis or Inuit traditions and culture.  It means designing and delivering more programs to better reflect the history and contributions of our Aboriginal people. All Manitobans need to be more aware of those rich cultural histories and the important contributions Aboriginal people have made and continue to make to medicine, architecture, science, art, and music.

It means making space for the Aboriginal perspective in curricula across the college, not just in the School of Indigenous Education or programs which cater to a primarily Aboriginal market.

It means considering the Aboriginal perspective when designing buildings and creating policy.

It means creating a College in which both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal worldview may respectfully co-exist.

This is a complex task, Aboriginal people are not homogenous – and not all embrace their traditions and culture, but there are many who do, and many others who seek to reclaim that which they lost through colonial practices.

The Economic Argument

Enhancing the engagement and success of Aboriginal learners in post-secondary education is not just important for social reasons; there is also a compelling economic case for engaging more Aboriginal students in the post-secondary system.

Manitoba faces a critical demographic challenge in the years ahead. A growing number of experienced workers are reaching retirement age. From manufacturing to health care to construction, there are simply not enough skilled individuals to replace the huge numbers that are set to retire. Statistics Canada anticipates a shortfall in our workforce of 1.5 million people by 2021, 2.1 million by 2026, and 2.7 million by 2031.

Meanwhile, the increasing complexity of the workplace requires a skill set that goes well beyond high school education.

Currently, 70% of employment opportunities require a post-secondary education; however, only 60% of Canadians meet this standard right now and even fewer Aboriginal people meet this standard. These numbers identify a significant training gap.

More specifically, it is college graduates that are in high demand to fill these jobs. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business reports that on a ratio of six to one, college graduates are required over university graduates to fill shortages in advanced skills.

Our data supports this finding – despite the recent recession, RRC graduates continue to be in high demand – 95% of our students find jobs upon graduation.

So unless we work together to increase participation rates in higher education, we could simultaneously experience a skilled labor shortage and high unemployment, a syndrome that’s been called “People Without Jobs, Jobs Without People.”

The Manitoba government acknowledged this in its recent throne speech, stating that engaging more Aboriginal workers is part of its strategy to add 75,000 new people to the labour force by 2020.

We know that Aboriginal communities are significantly under-represented in our colleges and universities, and in our current work force. Yet Aboriginal people constitute the fastest-growing and youngest segment of our population. In Manitoba the Aboriginal population has grown 36% in recent years and by 2020 – 50% of Aboriginal people will be under the age of 24 years.

But Aboriginal youth continue to have the lowest high school completion rate of any demographic group in Canada.

Recent Aboriginal high school graduates are 23 percent less likely than their non-Aboriginal peers to go on to postsecondary education within two years of completing high school.

Improving access to post-secondary education for Aboriginal students is essential for the economic and social development of all our communities, and a potential reservoir for the advanced skills needed by Canadian employers.

But that won’t happen if we don’t move beyond trying to make the Aboriginal person ‘fit’ into our Western mainstream organizations.

Aboriginal Education – How We’ll Get There

So how are we going to achieve this shift in how we think about our College; how are we going to stop trying to make the Aboriginal student ‘fit’ into our Western post-secondary system?

A first step is renewing our commitment to Aboriginal learners.  In our new Strategic Plan Aboriginal Achievement was identified as one of only four major themes in our new Strategic Plan. This speaks to how important this initiative is to our entire institution.

The Strategic Plan compels us to build upon the work that has been done in the School of Indigenous Education with the support of community; taking lessons learned to other programs in the College.

The new Strategic Plan encourages us to leverage the success we’ve already had through partnerships with First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities as well as community organizations across the province.

Success that is evident, for example, through our partnerships with social agencies on Selkirk Avenue in Winnipeg’s North End, itself a microcosm of the sort of tightly knit, working-class communities that are so abundant in the city and throughout Manitoba.

These partnerships have been primarily developed and led by Elders, families, community members, and interested agencies that are the heart of the north-end community.

A good example of such a partnership is our work with Urban Circle: since the mid-1990s, we’ve joined with the Urban Circle Training Centre to deliver training in early child-care and family support services. In doing so, we’re proud to be working with the community by contributing to the growing complement of inner Winnipeg residents who aim to improve their neighborhoods from the inside out.

More recently, this partnership has culminated in the opening of the Makoonsag Intergenerational Children’s Centre, a child-care facility for infants, toddlers, and pre-school aged children that promotes community-based inter-generational learning, while being reflective of Aboriginal values and worldview.

Local programming and education opportunities offered in the community typically include holistic supports, such as traditional teachings, cultural support and counseling. With another north-end partner we are offering the Child and Youth Care program. This program targets individuals who have struggled with street-involved activities and provides them with strength-based skills to help others escape cycles of violence, abuse and addiction. With the support and guidance of the community, we’re working together to help those who were shuffled through the child welfare system to create better opportunities for future generations through this program.

These are a few of the examples of how we are leveraging partnerships to do things differently.  As a College, going forward, future opportunities lie in learning how best to work with our Aboriginal community and businesses like yours to leverage these and other ideas to make an even greater contribution.

Conclusion

I invite you to join us on this path of re-thinking the College; of finding new and different ways of appropriately engaging Aboriginal learners to ensure that the jobs of the future are held or created by them.

I am pleased to announce that the Métis Federation has committed to joining RRC on this journey and this month David Chartrand and I will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding to signal that commitment to our respective organizations.

If this journey of greater, appropriate engagement of Aboriginal students resonates with you, then please talk to us; if working towards the development of a strong Aboriginal workforce is of interest to you, please share your perspectives with us.

If changing the employment statistics of Manitoba’s Aboriginal community is something you are passionate about – come see us – we have lessons to share and much more to learn.

I hope that by working together, we can help a lot more students like Edward Forbister realize their dreams.

Mckay, a second-year Creative Communications student at RRC, is one of thousands of Canadian students who’ve received support in the form of FAAY scholarships and bursaries over the years.

A public relations major, Mckay is currently working as an intern at poetry magazine Contemporary Verse 2. Her goal is to use her new skills in the service of a career that allows her to benefit the Aboriginal community.

“I want to spend my life being creative and using my gifts to help others,” Mckay told the CAAB. “Above all, I want to help Aboriginal people — reach them, inspire them, and lift them up so they will be able to do the same.”

Click here for more info about Mckay’s award, and here for more info on RRC’s CreComm program.

Aboriginal Support Centre Opening

Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Exchange District Campus
Room P409
9:00 am – 3:00 pm

9:00 am Pipe Ceremony with Jules Lavallee

11:00 am Quilliq lighting ceremony with Elder Levinia Brown

Artist in Residence for the day- Jackie Traverse and other afternoon activities

**For the pipe ceremony, all women participating are asked to wear a skirt or wrap out of respect for local Treaty One traditions. I hope you can join us for the ceremonies and activities anytime throughout the day and please do not hesitate to contact me for further information, questions or comments.

Have a great day!

Cheyenne Chartrand
Aboriginal Student Support & Community Relations
Red River College Exchange District Campus
P409 – 160 Princess Street Winnipeg, MB R3B 1K9
T: (204) 949-8506
E: chchartrand@rrc.ca

Check us out online @ http://blogs.rrc.ca/aboriginal/

As an instructor at Red River College’s Winkler Campus, she advocates for balanced health in heart, spirit, mind and body.

And as a counselor in the community of Roseau River First Nation, Violet Caibaiosai prescribes an increased awareness of culture and history as the treatment for deficiencies in both mental and physical health.

“One of the most important things would be recognizing what our history is, and then taking an honest look at that history,” says Caibaiosai, who’s taught Applied Counselling courses at Winkler Campus since 2009.

“It’s not always a pretty one, but it’s a difficult one, and it’s important that it be looked at. There’s always an understanding that comes from knowledge and that’s what my goal is, whether it’s in larger society or our own communities. Because people have become so fearful — not only of society, but of themselves.”

A former Ontario native who grew up on the north shore of Lake Huron, Caibaiosai was raised by her parents and grandparents — the latter having imparted the importance of spiritual strength by teaching her about the holistic, healing qualities of traditional medicine.

She incorporates a similar respect for tradition among her students at RRC, noting many who go on to be counsellors may need to draw on that cultural knowledge while working with — and alongside — First Nation residents throughout Manitoba and Canada.

“It’s important for others to understand that history that we have together as a nation,” says Caibaiosai. “There’s a bridge that has to be built, and part of what I do in the classroom is to build those bridges of understanding.”

As a counsellor at Roseau’s Ginew Wellness Centre, Caibaiosai works with some 130 community members, many of whom she helps achieve new levels of understanding by getting past the negative connotations they continue to associate with their own culture.

“Our people have a long history of oppression, and one of the things I like to do is make sure they understand what that’s all about, and how it impacts their lives,” says Caibaiosai, herself a survivor of Canada’s residential school system. “That’s a big job in itself, because part of the work we’re expected to do is to help them develop stronger life skills, while introducing them to the spiritual part of our worldview as Anishinabe.”

One of the biggest obstacles to Caibaiosai’s bridge-building ideal is the systematic oppression she feels is still ingrained in society at large.

“There’s a difficulty accepting that we have a worldview that is separate from, or different from,” she says. “We see the world in a broader sense, I would say. We’re more accepting of and understanding of the spiritual element of the universe, and that’s a challenge in a society where what scientists believe is the most important thing.”

That said, she’s also encouraged by steps taken within the health-care industry to address cultural variances by heightening awareness.

“We had a gathering here in our wellness centre, and we had two presenters come and speak to a group on exactly what we’ve been talking about: cultural awareness,” she says. “That makes for a lot of understanding of what our people are experiencing, certainly in terms of health determinants.”

Click here for more information on Winkler Campus’ Applied Counselling program.

On Thursday, May 17, 2012, the department will partner with Two Spirited People of Manitoba Inc., and the organizers of RRC’s LGBTT* Initiative, to host “Gakina Awiiyaa — We Are All Related,” an event celebrating both communities’ participation in post-secondary education.

The event will feature presentations by Kelly Houle, a two-spirited residential school survivor, and the University of Saskatchewan’s Dr. Alexandria Wilson, a member of the Opaskwayak First Nation who will speak about the effect of residential schools on Aboriginal gender identity, as well as the repercussions on education, communities and ceremony.

Held to coincide with the International Day Against Homophobia, the event stems from earlier presentations organized by Aboriginal Student Support & Community Relations for RRC students and staff, exploring the impact of Western viewpoints on Aboriginal gender identities, as well as an overview of pre-colonial roles of Two-Spirit (LGBTT*) people.

The event will be held from 10am to 3pm, in RRC’s Medicine Wheel Garden (Notre Dame Campus). The full agenda for the day is as follows:

10am – 11am: Welcome and Greetings

• Prayer and greeting: Elder Mae-Louise Campbell
• Drum group opening song
• Presentation of flag

11am – 12:30pm: Speakers

• Kelly Houle, residential school survivor
• Dr. Alexandria Wilson, University of Saskatchewan
• Stephanie Forsyth, President and CEO Red River College

12:30pm – 2pm: Ceremony

• Honour song
• Pipe ceremony
• Feast

2pm – 2:30pm: Discussions

• Albert McLeod, RRC LGBTT* Initiative & Ally Project
• Aboriginal Student Support & Community Relations
• Mae-Louise Campbell

2:30pm – 3pm: Closing

• Pow wow demonstration dancing
• Round Dance
• Closing song

To register for the event, or for more information, contact Cheyenne Chartrand at 949-8506 or chchartrand@rrc.ca.