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
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