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New programs will foster successful aboriginal self-government
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Contact:
Darryl Mounsey, 604.291.3035, dmounsey@sfu.ca
Carol Thorbes, Media & PR 604.291.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca
Darryl Mounsey, 604.291.3035, dmounsey@sfu.ca
Carol Thorbes, Media & PR 604.291.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca
November 10, 2003
An innovative, new program at Simon Fraser University promises to be a beacon of educational light for B.C. aboriginals seeking a path to effective self-government and sustainable economic wealth within the context of Canadian society. SFU’s Chief Dan George Centre (CDGC) and the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) in Merritt are jointly offering a university-level diploma and certificate programs in First Nations public administration (FNPA).
The two institutions are dedicated to making advanced education accessible to First Nations groups. SFU continuing studies manages CDGC. NVIT is an independent, provincially accredited college, owned and operated by its aboriginal founders. The CDGC and NVIT launched their First Nations Public Administration programs at the CDGC’s new home, the former Canadian Craft Museum at 639 Hornby Street in Vancouver, this fall.
A certificate program, consisting of 10 courses, 30 credits and a diploma program, made up of 20 courses, 60 credits, have already attracted 15 First Nations students collectively from coastal B.C. and the Interior.
"NVIT needed a place to launch their programs on the Lower Mainland," says CDGC director Darrell Mounsey, in explaining what brought the two schools together. "CDGC needed an institution that had a provincially accredited aboriginal curriculum with an indigenous perspective on aboriginal social and economic development."
Open to aboriginals and non-aboriginals, the programs aim to help First Nations people, the fastest growing segment of Canada’s population, acquire the administrative and managerial skills necessary to govern themselves effectively and flourish economically.
"As aboriginals move from an era of land claims negotiations into one of self-government, they need to design and control structures that are sensitive to their culture and traditions," explains Mounsey, a North Thompson native band member. "Otherwise, it is hardly self-government."
Lyle Leo, a high profile member of the Lil’wat Nation near Pemberton, says SFU’s new program will help aboriginals make the most of their legacies from the upcoming 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver/Whistler.
(Electronic photo available)
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The two institutions are dedicated to making advanced education accessible to First Nations groups. SFU continuing studies manages CDGC. NVIT is an independent, provincially accredited college, owned and operated by its aboriginal founders. The CDGC and NVIT launched their First Nations Public Administration programs at the CDGC’s new home, the former Canadian Craft Museum at 639 Hornby Street in Vancouver, this fall.
A certificate program, consisting of 10 courses, 30 credits and a diploma program, made up of 20 courses, 60 credits, have already attracted 15 First Nations students collectively from coastal B.C. and the Interior.
"NVIT needed a place to launch their programs on the Lower Mainland," says CDGC director Darrell Mounsey, in explaining what brought the two schools together. "CDGC needed an institution that had a provincially accredited aboriginal curriculum with an indigenous perspective on aboriginal social and economic development."
Open to aboriginals and non-aboriginals, the programs aim to help First Nations people, the fastest growing segment of Canada’s population, acquire the administrative and managerial skills necessary to govern themselves effectively and flourish economically.
"As aboriginals move from an era of land claims negotiations into one of self-government, they need to design and control structures that are sensitive to their culture and traditions," explains Mounsey, a North Thompson native band member. "Otherwise, it is hardly self-government."
Lyle Leo, a high profile member of the Lil’wat Nation near Pemberton, says SFU’s new program will help aboriginals make the most of their legacies from the upcoming 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver/Whistler.
(Electronic photo available)
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