It is mere weeks from the official start of summer and we are enjoying every day of sunshine!
This is the last post of the 2013-14 academic year, and the last post with Co-Chairs Tori McMillan and Amber Shilling. At the May AARN meeting, new Co-Chairs were elected: Congratulations to Tisha Bromley-Wadsworth who will be joining Tori as a new Co-Chair for the 2014-15 academic year.
We would like to again acknowledge the dedication of our predecessor Freda Cardinal, who left a strong legacy for us to work with. The AARN membership has provided great support to us throughout the year and we appreciate the participation and contributions of all members.
Some of the upcoming goals for AARN in 2014-15 include; province-wide distribution of institutional updates, collaborative travel planning with ELAA http://elaa.ab.ca/, continued advocacy for attendance at high-profile Aboriginal youth events, and ongoing promotion of Aboriginal support services at post-secondary institutions in Alberta (and a few in Saskatchewan). If you are interested in receiving one of the USB's with institutional information, please email: aboriginal.recruitment.alberta@gmail.com with your request.
It is a great time to get involved in Aboriginal events as June 21 not only marks the start of summer, but is National Aboriginal Day. In Calgary (where we are both located), there are a great number of events promoting Aboriginal culture http://www.aawc.ca/ and there are many other events across the country. There will also be National Aboriginal Day Live telecast through APTN http://www.aboriginaldaylive.ca/
It has been a pleasure working with all of you, and it is with a smile in my heart that I leave AARN in the capable hands of Tori and Tisha.
Have a wonderful summer everyone and we look forward to connecting with you again this fall!
Yours in Education,
Amber and Tori
Tuesday 10 June 2014
Wednesday 7 May 2014
Spring is sprung!
Well folks, spring is finally starting to show its beautiful face around Calgary! Flowers are starting to poke up and trees are starting to bud. We still see the odd snow storm (it is Calgary, after all) but it is noticeably longer days and nicer weather overall!
Most application deadlines for post-secondary institutions in Alberta have passed, or they are about to! If you are interested in attending a post-secondary institution in September 2014, you should check with your desired institution to see if they are still accepting applications ASAP.
New information for the admission cycle (September 2015) usually starts to come out in the summer, so keep checking websites for new and updated information.
This is also an exciting time of year because we get to celebrate the successes of the graduating students all across Alberta. Many institutions host Aboriginal graduate powwows or other celebrations, and most are open to the public! Check your local post-secondary websites to see if there is a celebration event happening near you.
In National news, Shawn Atleo has resigned as the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN). He has referenced the community resistance to the First Nations Education Act (FNEA) as one of the reasons for stepping down. The AFN has yet to announce a successor as this is the first time a National Chief has resigned.
The final Truth and Reconciliation event was hosted in Edmonton, AB at the end of March and the final reports should be released on their website in the near future. Thousands of statements have been collected and the healing journey continues as the federal government has finally agreed to release the thousands of documents related to Residential Schools to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Locally, the recent deaths of five young students sent a shockwave through the city of Calgary, and in particular the post-secondary community. While there are no words to explain this tragedy, it was heartwarming to see the schools come together to support our respective students. No matter what school you work at or attend, we are all one community, united in supporting students in all aspects of their lives.The memories of the five victims will endure through their accomplishments, and in the lives they touched.
Finally, this is the last blog for the 2013-2014 school year. We will be meeting later this month to decide on who will carry forward the work of AARN, and expect that these blog postings will continue. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to share with you this year!
Miigwetch,
Amber Shilling and Tori McMillan
Most application deadlines for post-secondary institutions in Alberta have passed, or they are about to! If you are interested in attending a post-secondary institution in September 2014, you should check with your desired institution to see if they are still accepting applications ASAP.
New information for the admission cycle (September 2015) usually starts to come out in the summer, so keep checking websites for new and updated information.
This is also an exciting time of year because we get to celebrate the successes of the graduating students all across Alberta. Many institutions host Aboriginal graduate powwows or other celebrations, and most are open to the public! Check your local post-secondary websites to see if there is a celebration event happening near you.
In National news, Shawn Atleo has resigned as the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN). He has referenced the community resistance to the First Nations Education Act (FNEA) as one of the reasons for stepping down. The AFN has yet to announce a successor as this is the first time a National Chief has resigned.
The final Truth and Reconciliation event was hosted in Edmonton, AB at the end of March and the final reports should be released on their website in the near future. Thousands of statements have been collected and the healing journey continues as the federal government has finally agreed to release the thousands of documents related to Residential Schools to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Locally, the recent deaths of five young students sent a shockwave through the city of Calgary, and in particular the post-secondary community. While there are no words to explain this tragedy, it was heartwarming to see the schools come together to support our respective students. No matter what school you work at or attend, we are all one community, united in supporting students in all aspects of their lives.The memories of the five victims will endure through their accomplishments, and in the lives they touched.
Finally, this is the last blog for the 2013-2014 school year. We will be meeting later this month to decide on who will carry forward the work of AARN, and expect that these blog postings will continue. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to share with you this year!
Miigwetch,
Amber Shilling and Tori McMillan
Tuesday 11 March 2014
Spring is coming!!!
Hello Everyone!
Well, spring may finally be on its way after a long, cold, trying winter.
Many things have happened for Aboriginal people in the last little while- with many of those events focusing on Aboriginal Education specifically!
The First Nations Education Act (FNEA) was formally announced in Blackfoot territory in February. For highlights of the announcement and information on how this will affect First Nations education in the future, please see http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2014/02/07/first-nations-control-first-nations-education-act
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada will be wrapping up their National Events in Edmonton, Alberta on March 27-30. For details and information on attending, see http://www.trc.ca/websites/alberta/index.php?p=766
For residential school survivors that received a common experience payment (CEP), there is a new option for funding assistance to attend school. The Personal Credit program provides up to $3000 for educational programs and services provided by universities, colleges, trades or training schools, Indigenous institutions of higher learning of which relate to literacy or trades as well as programs and services related to Aboriginal identities, histories, cultures, or languages. These credits can also be transferred to children, grandchildren, spouses or siblings. For more information, please visit www.residentialschoolsettlement.ca
AARN has a new logo courtesy of Del Beaverbone:
We will be using the circular logo on letterhead and emails from now on, and this larger graphic for presentations and wherever else we can. Special thanks to Kathy Davis at Macewan for facilitating the design of this logo. Hope you like it!
As always, if you have any events you would like AARN members to attend, please contact us at aboriginal.recruitment.alberta@gmail.com
See you on the road!
Tori and Amber
Well, spring may finally be on its way after a long, cold, trying winter.
Many things have happened for Aboriginal people in the last little while- with many of those events focusing on Aboriginal Education specifically!
The First Nations Education Act (FNEA) was formally announced in Blackfoot territory in February. For highlights of the announcement and information on how this will affect First Nations education in the future, please see http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2014/02/07/first-nations-control-first-nations-education-act
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada will be wrapping up their National Events in Edmonton, Alberta on March 27-30. For details and information on attending, see http://www.trc.ca/websites/alberta/index.php?p=766
For residential school survivors that received a common experience payment (CEP), there is a new option for funding assistance to attend school. The Personal Credit program provides up to $3000 for educational programs and services provided by universities, colleges, trades or training schools, Indigenous institutions of higher learning of which relate to literacy or trades as well as programs and services related to Aboriginal identities, histories, cultures, or languages. These credits can also be transferred to children, grandchildren, spouses or siblings. For more information, please visit www.residentialschoolsettlement.ca
AARN has a new logo courtesy of Del Beaverbone:
As always, if you have any events you would like AARN members to attend, please contact us at aboriginal.recruitment.alberta@gmail.com
See you on the road!
Tori and Amber
Friday 13 December 2013
Happy Holidays from AARN!
Boozhoo!!
It is that time of year, to reflect on what has come to pass and prepare for the year to come.
AARN is continuing to grow, and we are excited about the future. The institutional update project is well underway, which will provide a new option for prospective Aboriginal students to learn about their post-secondary options in and around Alberta.
For the first time, AARN was invited to share information about our organization with ELAA at their counselor update in Red Deer on November 14-15. We were honoured to be invited and look forward to further developing the ELAA- AARN collaboration.
We are pleased to announce our newest Associate Member, First Nations University of Canada! For more information on their programs and services, please visit their website http://www.fnuniv.ca/
It is that time of year, to reflect on what has come to pass and prepare for the year to come.
AARN is continuing to grow, and we are excited about the future. The institutional update project is well underway, which will provide a new option for prospective Aboriginal students to learn about their post-secondary options in and around Alberta.
For the first time, AARN was invited to share information about our organization with ELAA at their counselor update in Red Deer on November 14-15. We were honoured to be invited and look forward to further developing the ELAA- AARN collaboration.
We are pleased to announce our newest Associate Member, First Nations University of Canada! For more information on their programs and services, please visit their website http://www.fnuniv.ca/
Spring travel planning is underway, with a number of events already planned for February and a few in March. If you are hosting (or planning to host!) an Aboriginal career fair, education fair, open house or other event where you would like AARN members to attend, please contact us! aboriginal.recruitment.alberta@gmail.com
Our next meeting will be a virtual meeting in January. The host will be MacEwan University in Edmonton, but we are encouraging virtual participation to alleviate travel costs and environmental concerns. If you are a member, you will receive the meeting details in the new year.
Congratulations to Bow Valley College (Calgary, AB) on the opening of their new Aboriginal Centre: Iniikokaan! For more information, please visit http://www.bowvalleycollege.ca/campus-services/iniikokaan-aboriginal-centre.html
The province of Alberta recently announced the creation of two Aboriginal women's councils: First Nations Women’s Economic Security Council and the Metis Women’s Economic Security Council which will report directly to the Minister and will serve to provide advice and recommendations on ways to improve economic outcomes for Aboriginal women in Alberta. For more info: http://alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=3552471A4D81A-C496-0D97-C0C881353154D3F4
As always, if you have information that you would like to share with AARN, please contact us via email at aboriginal.recruitment.alberta@gmail.com
Wishing you and your family a safe and happy holiday season!!!
Warmest regards,
Tori and Amber
Monday 21 October 2013
October is upon us!
Hi Everyone!
Well October is almost over and it is time to break out the costumes for Halloween! Cultural appropriation can be a big issue at Halloween so we thought it is a great time to share information about a victory. Halloween often means seeing traditional Native American cultural practices misappropriated as a costume (headdresses, buckskin outfits, face-painting, etc.). One of the biggest misappropriations facing Aboriginal people is that of sports teams named things such as "Redskins". In Canada, Ian Campeau launched a Human Rights complaint over the use of this name for the Nepean football league. Recently, the Nepean Football organization agreed to change it's name. This is a big victory in educating people as to why cultural appropriation is harmful. It is also a great opportunity to work with Aboriginal students and encourage them to be proud of their heritage and culture. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/09/19/a-tribe-called-red-nepean-redskins-change-name_n_3956010.html
In Calgary, Alberta on November 4 and 5, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission will be hosting "Share Your Truth". These events will be hosted at the Executive Royal Hotel 2828 23rd St. NE from 9-5 each day. This is a great opportunity to learn more about and bear witness to the legacy of the Residential School system. For more information contact George Calliou, Executive Director-Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary (AFCC) 403-270-7379 or gcalliou@afccalgary.org Health Support Workers will be available on-site.
James Anaya, the UN Special Rapporteur for Indigenous Rights visited Canada for six days in early October. He visited First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities and made recommendations to the government about how to engage with Canada's Indigenous people in a respectful manner. One of the issues he spoke on is the First Nations Education Act- a new piece of legislation from the Conservative government that is being met with a significant amount of distrust. For more information on the outcome of Mr. Anaya's visits and the First Nations Education Act, see http://globalnews.ca/news/903556/un-investigator-urges-ottawa-not-to-rush-first-nations-education/
We hope you are having a great fall, and as always- if you have any questions or want to share an Aboriginal career fair or invite AARN members to your community, please contact us!!
Cheers,
Tori and Amber
Well October is almost over and it is time to break out the costumes for Halloween! Cultural appropriation can be a big issue at Halloween so we thought it is a great time to share information about a victory. Halloween often means seeing traditional Native American cultural practices misappropriated as a costume (headdresses, buckskin outfits, face-painting, etc.). One of the biggest misappropriations facing Aboriginal people is that of sports teams named things such as "Redskins". In Canada, Ian Campeau launched a Human Rights complaint over the use of this name for the Nepean football league. Recently, the Nepean Football organization agreed to change it's name. This is a big victory in educating people as to why cultural appropriation is harmful. It is also a great opportunity to work with Aboriginal students and encourage them to be proud of their heritage and culture. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/09/19/a-tribe-called-red-nepean-redskins-change-name_n_3956010.html
In Calgary, Alberta on November 4 and 5, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission will be hosting "Share Your Truth". These events will be hosted at the Executive Royal Hotel 2828 23rd St. NE from 9-5 each day. This is a great opportunity to learn more about and bear witness to the legacy of the Residential School system. For more information contact George Calliou, Executive Director-Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary (AFCC) 403-270-7379 or gcalliou@afccalgary.org Health Support Workers will be available on-site.
James Anaya, the UN Special Rapporteur for Indigenous Rights visited Canada for six days in early October. He visited First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities and made recommendations to the government about how to engage with Canada's Indigenous people in a respectful manner. One of the issues he spoke on is the First Nations Education Act- a new piece of legislation from the Conservative government that is being met with a significant amount of distrust. For more information on the outcome of Mr. Anaya's visits and the First Nations Education Act, see http://globalnews.ca/news/903556/un-investigator-urges-ottawa-not-to-rush-first-nations-education/
We hope you are having a great fall, and as always- if you have any questions or want to share an Aboriginal career fair or invite AARN members to your community, please contact us!!
Cheers,
Tori and Amber
Friday 27 September 2013
Welcome Back!
Aaniin! Boozhoo!
September is now almost gone and we are well into the Autumn weather here in Alberta! Students are back in classes as the Fall 2013 semester gets underway.
Some important things to note are application dates for Fall 2014 will be coming up soon! Some institutions open applications for next year as early as October 1 2013. Check institutional websites often for updates and important deadlines to make sure you are on-track for your plan to post-secondary!
Some AARN members will be participating in many ELAA events http://elaa.ab.ca/ so be sure to check if the institution you are interested in will be visiting a school near you.
A great resource for Aboriginal students and educators was recently launched through the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) Check it out for information on admissions, applications, scholarships and even stories from current Aboriginal students from various institutions across Canada http://www.aucc.ca/canadian-universities/aboriginal-student-resources/
AARN is currently working to complete institutional updates for Aboriginal communities in Alberta to be compiled into one CD. If you are interested in receiving one of these CD's, please email us at aboriginal.recruitment.alberta@gmail.com
As always, if you have any questions about AARN, or you would like to invite AARN members to come to your career or education fair, please contact us!
Happy Autumn!
Tori and Amber
September is now almost gone and we are well into the Autumn weather here in Alberta! Students are back in classes as the Fall 2013 semester gets underway.
Some important things to note are application dates for Fall 2014 will be coming up soon! Some institutions open applications for next year as early as October 1 2013. Check institutional websites often for updates and important deadlines to make sure you are on-track for your plan to post-secondary!
Some AARN members will be participating in many ELAA events http://elaa.ab.ca/ so be sure to check if the institution you are interested in will be visiting a school near you.
A great resource for Aboriginal students and educators was recently launched through the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) Check it out for information on admissions, applications, scholarships and even stories from current Aboriginal students from various institutions across Canada http://www.aucc.ca/canadian-universities/aboriginal-student-resources/
AARN is currently working to complete institutional updates for Aboriginal communities in Alberta to be compiled into one CD. If you are interested in receiving one of these CD's, please email us at aboriginal.recruitment.alberta@gmail.com
As always, if you have any questions about AARN, or you would like to invite AARN members to come to your career or education fair, please contact us!
Happy Autumn!
Tori and Amber
Wednesday 31 July 2013
Greetings! Aaniin! Oki! Bonjour! Tansi! Boozhoo! Danit'ada!
Hello from the Alberta Aboriginal Recruitment Network (AARN) co-chairs!
We will post information here about the intended travels of our group and interesting items related to Aboriginal Education such as job postings, scholarships and education events.
Cheers,
Tori and Amber
In case you haven't met us in person, we'd like to take a moment to tell you a little bit about ourselves:
Amber's family is from Mnjikaning First Nation in Ontario, but she grew up in the Calgary area. Amber
works at the University of Calgary, having held the position of the
Aboriginal and Multicultural Recruiter
for the past two years. She is currently in her final year of the
M.Ed. Interdisciplinary Inclusive Leadership program offered through the
U of C. On a recent trip to Hong Kong, she took a day trip to Macau to
complete the World's Highest Bungy Jump (233
m!).
Tori's family hails
from Berens River in Manitoba. He has been at Mount Royal University
for three years, coordinating the Aboriginal Education Program (AEP).
Prior to that he was a teacher in Treaty 7 for
ten years. He is the proud father of two sons, ages 2 and 11. He is
looking forward to golfing and rafting when the rivers subside here in
Calgary.
Feel free to reach us primarily through the general AARN email:
aboriginal.recruitment.We will post information here about the intended travels of our group and interesting items related to Aboriginal Education such as job postings, scholarships and education events.
Cheers,
Tori and Amber
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