Achievement Foundation’s career fair scheduled for Montreal
Improving literacy in Atlantic Canada
Saskatchewan Gaming Corp encourages post-secondary students
U of Sask Library launches Indigenous Studies Portal
N.B. researchers attempt to preserve Maliseet language
Math Corner: Attention students and math teachers:
The Aboriginal Adult Pre-Literacy Project launched
Pilots needed: aging workforce puts strain on aviation industry
Canadian reading and math intervention
Ontario’s innovation imperative
Inuit documentaries and short films now available
Achievement Foundation’s career fair scheduled for Montreal
A high energy and engaging one-day career fair for Aboriginal high school students is being brought to the Palais des Congres in Montreal on October 30th, 2007, by the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation.
Roberta Jamieson, the Foundation’s president and CEO, notes the career fairs are designed to encourage and promote education and training for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students.
“Our youth are Canada’s fastest-growing demographic group at a time when Canada is facing severe labour shortages. The Foundation’s career fairs are powerful motivators and information providers of the many career and educational possibilities available to them so they can realize their potential.”
David Gill, of the Mashteuiiatsh First Nation at Lac St-Jean, 2006 Commonwealth Games competitor and Olympic hopeful will co-host the career fair, presenting a role model of achievement and realization of potential.
“First Nation youth have incredible potential. The National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation is a spring-board. I want to help bring this potential out through my association with the Foundation and want to show the world what we are capable of,” Gill says.
One of the events will feature Gemini-nominated television producer and noted actress Jennifer Podemski, seen most recently on Moose TV. The talented and captivating rap performer, Samien, an Anishinabe rap singer from Pikogan First Nation at Abitibi, joined by CerAmony, a Cree, progressive rock group from the James Bay area, will perform during the lunch session and closing ceremonies.
The National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation is a registered charity that encourages and empowers young First Nation, Métis, and Inuit people to advance their educational and career aspirations. It is the biggest non-governmental provider of scholarships to First Nation, Métis and Inuit youth, disbursing more than $2.8-million annually to First Nations, Inuit and Métis students across the country. In addition, the Foundation recognizes and celebrates Aboriginal career accomplishments through the annual National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, a dazzling showcase of entertainment that is broadcast nationally on Global and APTN.
The career fairs are part of the Foundation’s “Blueprint for the Future” program now in its 11th year. The fairs have encouraged more than 28,000 First Nations, Inuit and Metis youth to further their education and career plans. They present information on a wide range of fields in an interactive and exciting forum where youth (age 13 to 18) have a chance to meet and speak with Aboriginal and other business leaders from across the country.
The youth also visit a trade fair area with public sector and private sector based organizations providing information on the organizations themselves, engage students, and discuss available careers, programs, internships and scholarships. The day concludes with a Town Hall session where students can ask questions of leaders and youth achievers taking part in the day-long fair.
Improving literacy in Atlantic Canada
The Canadian government is investing in two literacy projects that will help improve literacy and essential skills for Atlantic Canadians. First, $294,567 in funding will go to the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) for a pilot project that will seek to improve the literacy skills of Aboriginals in a family setting, and second, $173,000 in funding will go to the Tough Challenges: Great Rewards Implementation Committee for a project that will seek to improve the literacy skills of adult learners in rural P.E.I. The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, announced the funding in Charlottetown recently.
“By supporting literacy projects such as these, we’re working to help all Canadians develop the skills they need to build better and stronger futures,” said Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, “Our goal is to help create the best educated, most-skilled and most flexible work force in the world.”
The UPEI project, entitled Train the Trainer: A Family Literacy Approach for Aboriginal Families in Atlantic Canada, will train local Mi’kmaq practitioners to deliver literacy programs within family and community settings. The three-year pilot project will be delivered to 20 families in five Mi'kmaq communities across the Atlantic Provinces. The approach will ensure local cultural relevance and direct participation of Elders and band leaders, helping to build capacity within the Mi'kmaq communities for sustainable family literacy programming.
Saskatchewan Gaming Corp encourages post-secondary students
The Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation (SGC) is rewarding the achievements of 15 Saskatchewan students with $13,000 in post-secondary scholarships, including a $2,500 Community Leadership Award.
Each year, SGC, which operates Casinos Regina and Moose Jaw, provides scholarships to encourage students to pursue full-time post-secondary education. Students demonstrating commitments to balancing education, family, work and being active in the community were rewarded for their excellence this year.
"As a community-minded corporation, SGC is delighted to have this scholarship program in place to encourage the students of our province to pursue post-secondary education," Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation Harry Van Mulligen said. "The students being honoured are to be commended for their achievements, and we are thrilled to help them build their futures right here in Saskatchewan."
Scholarships are presented to students enrolled in full-time university or technical programs. In addition to these, SGC also presents a $2,500 Community Leadership Award, which recognizes a student leader who has made exceptional contributions to his or her community as well as achieving outstanding academic performance.
"We encourage excellence, and at the same time are strongly committed to cultural diversity," Van Mulligen said. "At least seven of the scholarships are awarded to qualified students of Aboriginal ancestry."
SGC will again be awarding scholarships in 2008. Application forms are available at Casinos Regina and Moose Jaw, online at www.casinoregina.com or www.casinomoosejaw.com and at a number of colleges, institutes, regional colleges and universities throughout Saskatchewan.
U of Sask Library launches Indigenous Studies Portal
The University of Saskatchewan (U of S) Library has launched a new web-based tool which centralizes Indigenous electronic research resources. The Indigenous Studies Portal, located online at http://iportal.usask.ca, contains over 6,000 full-text reference materials, including books, articles, theses, book reviews, documents, government reports, photographs, archival resources, and maps.
“The Indigenous Studies Portal is a ground-breaking, strategic response to the University of Saskatchewan’s plan to play a leading role in Aboriginal education, research and scholarship,” said Vicki Williamson, Dean of the University Library. “The project has been a major undertaking, and by year’s end we expect the portal’s collection to exceed 10,000 entries.”
The unique Indigenous Studies Portal is the largest database of full-text Indig-enous resources in Canada freely available to students, faculty and researchers. A number of Indigenous Studies theses, not previously available electronically, are also included in the portal.
In conjunction with Student Orientation activities, a celebration of the portal’s launch is set to take place at 10:30 a.m., August 30, 2007 at the University of Saskatchewan’s Quance Theatre, located in the Education Building. The program will include ceremonies with Elders and drummers, and a demonstration of the portal's search capabilities.
Located in the heart of Saskatoon, the University of Saskatchewan is one of the leading medical doctoral universities in Canada. With a unique emphasis on human, animal and plant sciences, the University offers degree, diploma and certificate programs in over 100 areas of study. World class research facilities, renowned faculty and award winning students make the U of S a leader in post-secondary education.
N.B. researchers attempt to preserve Maliseet language
University of New Brunswick researchers are going back in time to save the Maliseet language for future generations. They plan to create a time capsule of Maliseet stories that will be accessible to the public.
“There are only about 100 people who speak the language fluently in New Brunswick right now,” said Imelda Perley, a Maliseet teacher and one of the lead researchers in the project. “Most of those people are Elders and as time goes by, we are losing the speakers of our language.”
Perley said she’s been trying to save the Maliseet language for most of her life. She not only speaks and teaches the language but she also interviews Elders to learn how the language has changed over time. But Perley said she can’t do it alone.
That’s why she joined up with researchers Evelyn Plaice, David Perley and John Valk of Renaissance College.
Together, over the next three years, they plan to record conversations with fluent Maliseet speakers. The interviews will focus on what life was like for First Nations people years ago.
Perley said she’ll interview the Elders about traditional medicine and how First Nations people used to interact.
“We want to capture that so future generations, who haven't even been born yet, can learn about it.”
Math Corner: Attention students and math teachers:
The First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) has teamed up with Native Journal and will be organizing math contests in Aboriginal schools across Canada. This is the first competition of its kind in this format. The purpose of these contests is to motivate young students attending reserve schools and get them excited about math in a competitive environment. To begin with the contests will be geared toward students in Grade 4 and 5.
To prepare the students as well as teachers, Native Journal will publish materials Math Corner in each monthly edition.
Starting in October (next edition) interesting questions will appear in Math Corner. We urge math teachers to discuss these questions with their students, as the Math Contests will have similar questions. You are invited to send us your solutions as well as new questions. We will publish names of students and teachers actively participating in this Math Corner project.
In future issues we will inform you about the terms of the Math Competition. Reserve schools wishing to participate in the Contest will have to be registered. Winners and their teachers will be awarded with certificates, medals, and plaques. We plan to invite the bests of the best to our University.
This project is lead by Dr. Shauneen Pete, Vice President of Academics, First Nations University of Canada. Our Elders and departments of the University will also participate in the project. We invite companies and individuals to support our project.
For more information contact Dr. Arzu Sardarli,
Assist. Professor in Mathematics, Department of Science,
First Nations University of Canada
Phone: (306) 790 - 5950 ext. 3338
Email: asardarli@firstnationsuniversity.ca
The Aboriginal Adult Pre-Literacy Project launched
Aboriginal Pre-Literacy Engagement is a holistic approach to attracting First Nations and Métis people to become aware of their ability to learn by acknowledging the knowledge they use before it is written or read. This program uses Aboriginal knowledge which lives in the collective memories, world-views, visions, dreams, actions and stories of Aboriginal people’s living history.
When looking at the history of Aboriginal Pre-Literacy and its holistic approach to learning and using knowledge before it is written one remembers grandmothers, grandfathers and think about ancestors. Then one can question, “what is it that was read before it was written?” Collective memories remind us that we read everything that is not written, including human behavior and patterns of existence.
Today Aboriginal Pre-Literacy continues to embrace a holistic approach to learning to recognize and use knowledge before it is written or read. However, the need to approach life-long learning in today’s reality must include the written word. Aboriginal peoples are constantly in need of literacy skills. We must read all sorts of materials like medical information, legal documents, newspapers, bills, and the list continues to grow.
Major barriers for Aboriginal peoples who want to engage in today’s reality of the written word include the fact that most literary experiences are not culturally or personally relevant. One significant barrier to Aboriginal approaches to literacy is policy that basically creates knowledge gaps within Aboriginal homes, communities, and nations. We must not continue to create and implement policy that generates a knowledge gap in Aboriginal lives. Literacy programs and policies must focus on attracting those who have not been successful in meeting their learning needs and goals; they must be applied as a life-long learning process that includes every generation and every aspect of life.
The Saskatchewan Aboriginal Literacy Network Inc. (SALN) recognizes this knowledge gap and is working diligently into the future to create and implement programs that will effectively provide more learning opportunities. This fall 2007, SALN will be implementing a program that will deal directly with the literacy needs of First Nations and Métis people by providing an Aboriginal Adult Pre-Literacy Engagement Pilot Project.
The Aboriginal Adult Pre-Literacy Engagements Pilot Project’s vision is to provide a replicable life-long learning path for Aboriginal adults to engage in literacy from an Aboriginal perspective. This program seeks to reveal that the Aboriginal holistic approaches to knowledge use scientifically recognized intelligences or ways of knowing on a daily basis. One desired outcome of the project is to create a network of Sharing Aboriginal Stories. By sharing our stories we are contributing to Aboriginal literacy and literature. Our goal is to assist Aboriginal adults in the processes of entering formal literacy, training, and/or employment programs that will effectively tackle the issue of poverty and increase participation in today’s society. Eventually, the project would like to provide the skills and assistance for communities to have their grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren engaging in literacy with each other.
The program will be delivered to already established groups in six First Nations and Métis communities over the next two years as a cultural and learner-centered task. The Aboriginal Pre-Literacy Engagement Pilot Project includes a “Pre-Literacy Tool Kit” that contains Aboriginal approaches to literary learning and a “Cultural Learner Task” which will be used to document a cultural learning task by the participants. The idea is to establish a routine and comfort level with literacy and life-long learning through culturally relevant learning. The target age group will be 30 years of age all the way to our Elders. The Model will incorporate the knowledges of our Elders and will include Aboriginal cultures and languages.
Presently the SALN is in a process of selecting Aboriginal communities, groups, and individuals to embrace this endeavor for the benefit of our future generations.
If your community, group, or self are interested in participating in this project more information can be obtained at www.aboriginal.sk.literacy.ca
Pilots needed: aging workforce puts strain on aviation industry
The aviation industry is in the midst of an unprecedented hiring rate. The aging work force is retiring and aircrew vacancies are becoming increasingly evident. Flight training institutions in Canada are striving to meet the challenge of producing the required number of commercial pilots. Transport Canada has authorized a select group of flight schools to conduct the Integrated Commercial Pilot Course and Southern Skies Aviation Ltd., is the only one with this distinction in Western Canada.
Transport Canada defines the Integrated Course as follows: An integrated course is an approved course of pilot training developed using principles of instructional systems design, in which all instructional stages are completed as one continuous course, and in which ground and flight training elements are interrelated and sequenced to provide for efficient achievement of the learning objectives.
The Integrated Commercial Pilot course is carefully designed to provide students with an optimum learning experience and to graduate pilots well prepared for the world of commercial aviation. No prior training is required, but students must be willing to dedicate themselves to meet the demands of the intensive training environment for the 10 months it takes to complete the course.
Prospective students need to carefully examine all facets of the institutions they are considering for their training. The experience of the instructional staff is a crucial component in the educational process. Is the school accredited and do students have access to student loans? What guarantees does the school offer, and do they guarantee their pricing? Does the school have a course-training plan, a course-training standard and are these available to students? These are just a few of the questions prospective students should be asking. No one institution will meet the needs of all prospective students, but students need to determine which one is best equipped to assist them in achieving their aviation goals.
Southern Skies Aviation Ltd. employs a cadre of industry-experienced instructors and enjoys the support of a Pilot Advisory Board comprised of senior pilots and officials representing all levels of Canadian aviation.
The Southern Skies team is led by Mark Holmes, a retired Fighter Pilot with the Canadian Armed Forces, and former Capt. flying jumbo jets for a major air carrier. The leadership and professional development programs in place at Southern Skies ensure that students receive training in all flying disciplines and gain life skills necessary to succeed. The end result is an excellent aviation program.
Canadian reading and math intervention
By Eric MacInnis, B.Ed, M.Ed.
Could your students use individualized assistance in reading and math?
Academy of Reading® and Academy of Math® from AutoSkill® International Inc. may be used with one student, small groups, or whole classes of students. Each version has built in pre-tests that are auto-administered to determine students’ current skill levels and will auto-assign individualized training programs based upon these test results. Each software version also has the capacity to monitor and track student progress, make dynamic changes to student training including interventions as required, provide comprehensive reports appropriate to classroom or special needs’ settings and administer post-testing. Reports are included by school, by class and by student… right down to the specific errors made by each student.
AutoSkill® International Inc. is a well established Canadian software company offering two multiple award winning educational products: Academy of Reading® and Academy of Math® software. These products are helping a broad range of students, including Reading/Math Delayed or Disabled, At-risk, ESL, Special Education and Adult Literacy students.
AutoSkill® software is currently found in over 1000 schools in Canada and about 3000 in the United States. Recent First Western Canadian First Nations’ installations include Kispiox and Lillooet Schools in BC; Kehewin, Enoch and Little Red River Schools in Alberta and Muskoday, Waterhen Lake and Fishing Lake Schools in Saskatchewan. On a larger scale, AutoSkill® software is widely used within Greater Victoria, Edmonton Public and Greater Saskatoon Catholic school districts.
Taken together, these resources provide a single Canadian software package enabling elementary, middle and high school students to acquire fundamental reading and math skills. By introducing the Academy of Reading® and the Academy of Math® as a complement to existing programs, single schools or school districts can implement an effective, consistent literacy intervention strategy.
Each of these resources is server + browser based and may be deployed LAN or WAN from a single Windows server to either Windows or Macintosh workstations.
Academy of Reading® and Math® each have an array of built-in motivational features including a selection of animated guides to congratulate students and provide helpful feedback, enjoyable puzzles integrated into their training, printable award certificates for each skill successfully completed, virtual trophies for each completed skill and even a virtual card collection for each skill completed.
Within schools and other educational sites (including a variety of adult education settings) having significant numbers of students with low reading/math literacy, effective implementation of these Canadian software resources will help students to master the necessary reading and math as quickly as possible with minimal time on task. With Academy of Reading®, students normally require three to five 20-60 minute training sessions per week and for Academy of Math®, although similar time commitments are recommended, gains may be achieved with as little as 30 minutes of time on task per week.
In the August 2006 issue of eSchool News, results among 1 000 responses received to the Readers’ Choice poll Awards for Best Math Software rated Academy of Math® as the “Best Software for Teaching Basic Math Literacy”. One teacher quoted in this eSchool News article said this about Academy of Math®:
“The tutorials are supportive, appropriate in length, and interspersed properly. Placement is accurate. Progress is constantly monitored and reported to students and teachers and is truly individualized with interventions as required… Built-in motivations are on target, too.”
Another teacher stated: “I deal with sixth, seventh and eighth graders that are behind by more than two years. With Academy of Math, the ability to individualize students’ instruction to exactly their needs is the best.”
In a similar October 2006 eSchool News survey of reading software, results among 500 responses for the Reader’s Choice Awards, again placed Academy of Reading® as: “ Best Software for Teaching Phonics and Phonemic Awareness, Best Software for Building Vocabulary, Best Software for Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), Best Software for Building Reading Comprehension Skills and Best Software for Building Reading Fluency.”
Inquiries are welcomed from within schools, school districts and adult educational facilities. Please visit www.autoskill.com for more information.
Ontario’s innovation imperative
By Maxim Jean-Louis
President & Chief Executive Officer
Contact North/Contact Nord
Northern Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network
Ontario does innovation reasonably well at this time and is poised to do much better. In this province, some $12.2 billion is invested in research in companies, colleges and universities. We need stronger returns from this high level of investment in the form of new companies, new products, and new jobs.
Colleges and universities such as Lakehead University, Northern College and Collège Boréal are making great strides in extending accessibility to students throughout our region and beyond following the provincial government’s major investment of $6.2 billion in post-secondary education announced one year ago. This is good — more skilled people will be available to lead innovation in Ontario. This investment is helping Ontario “catch up” with other jurisdictions such as the US and Europe where access and investment in education are already paying dividends. In Finland, for example, there are twice as many scientist and engineers per capita in the workforce than in Ontario; the US has one third more.
Five building blocks to innovation in Ontario are:
- Commercializing new ideas — taking ideas to market
- More skilled and experienced managers to take companies to market and help them grow
- Larger supply of venture capital — investors with sufficient knowledge and skill to make investments which produce good returns
- More market intelligence available to help both entrepreneurs and investors make decisions based on current, reliable intelligence and realistic forecasts of the future
- An even stronger culture of commerce and entrepreneurship which favours innovation
When you look at these issues and the challenges faced by innovators, they are in fact all about people and about networks. We need more knowledge, more skilled people and better connections between them.
We also need to engage our young people in the process of innovation and discovery. Using task-based learning — challenging students to solve real-world problems that are manageable — gives students motivation to learn new skills, acquire new knowledge and work as a team. Challenges like “reduce your school’s electricity consumption over one year by 75%” or “reduce the incidence of childhood obesity in this school by 20% a year for five years” all encourage socially responsible innovation.
It is also important for us to recognize innovation wherever it occurs and to celebrate success. Whether it is a local person whose invention has just been taken up by Wal-Mart or a research scientist who has found the next part of the solution to the problem of diabetes, we need to recognize and celebrate their efforts.
If we invest in developing innovation skills, in building support networks for innovation and in celebrating innovation success, it will help.
There is, however, another challenge that is especially important for all of us in the north. Innovation happens everywhere, not just in Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, London or Waterloo. Current thinking leads many to believe that innovation only occurs in the big centres, not in rural or northern communities.
Balancing public sector innovation investments with private investments, and ensuring that the north and rural Ontario are seen as innovation centres, are important public policy challenges. As northerners, let’s continue to be relentless in making the case for our region.
Inuit documentaries and short films now available
Igloolik Isuma Productions, Inc. was incorporated in January 1990 as Canada’s first Inuit independent production company. Isuma’s mission is to produce independent community-based media – films, TV and now Internet – to preserve and enhance Inuit culture and language; to create jobs and economic development in Igloolik and Nunavut; and to tell authentic Inuit stories to Inuit and non-Inuit audiences worldwide.
This collection began with Qaggiq and Nunaqpa, a two hour long documentaries recreating in detail traditional Inuit life. Nunavut’s 13 episodes of ‘recreated drama’ bring to life the authentic reality of Inuit living on the land in the 1940s in and around Igloolik. Nunavut dramatizes the memories of today’s Elders growing up before government and settlement life began. Isuma’s extensive work includes over 26 productions of documentaries and features, which include the award winning Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner), 2001 and The Journal’s of Knud Rasmussen, 2006.
With over 20 years experience producing media, including films, TV and Internet, to preserve and enhance Inuit culture and language, Isuma Distribution International now offers all audiences unique collections on Inuit culture and life in Nunavut, Canada.
All films are in Inuktitut, with English and/or French subtitles, and are written, produced, directed, and acted by Inuit, giving viewers the unique opportunity to learn about a culture from its Native people.
Exploring Inuit Culture Curriculum
5 films, 1 audio CD, Inuit Studies Reader anthology, plus 100 page Curriculum Guide Suitable for teachers Grades 4-6. Exploring Inuit Culture Curriculum (EICC) is a multi-media unit of instruction for teaching grades 4-6 about Inuit, Native people of Canada, the Arctic and Nunavut, Canada’s newest territory established in 1999. EICC’s content supports the subjects of Canadian Studies and Native cultures, two topics found in many elementary level social studies curricula. Fulfilling other required curriculum components and creating a comprehensive unit of study, EICC integrates math, language arts, science, technology and dramatic arts. Using a combination of authentic materials developed by Inuit of Nunavut, and lesson plans aligned to elementary curricula, teachers and students explore the rich Inuit culture and unique Canadian Arctic.
Isuma Inuit Culture Kit
Grades 7 and Up
This multi-media collection comprises of 21 films by Igloolik Isuma Productions documenting life in the Canadian Arctic past and present, including, the award-winning feature film, Atanarjuat The Fast Runner; the complete 13 episode Nunavut (Our Land) Series; the Isuma Inuit Studies Reader anthology of historical and modern readings introducing students to the Inuit of the Arctic; Atanarjuat The Fast Runner soundtrack on CD; Atanarjuat The Fast Runner Companion Book and a Teacher’s Resource Guide.
The Teacher’s Guide provides active learning suggestions for curricula in Diversity Education, Social Studies, Art, Music, Canadian History, Language Arts, Peace Studies and Native Studies. Used in combination with the SILA website, the Isuma Inuit Culture Kit offers an in-depth exploration of authentic Inuit culture from the Inuit point of view, for English-speaking secondary students and above, or an enriched middle school curriculum. Materials included in the kit are also available for purchase individually.
The Complete Isuma Collection
Thirty-seven films from 1987 to 2007 at Highest Digital Quality Suitable for Museums, Film Archives and other serious collectors
The complete Igloolik film archive at museum-projection quality is available in a single hard drive media player. Atanarjuat The Fast Runner and the Nunavut (Our Land) Series and Kiviaq vs. Canada; the complete collection of Arnait Video Productions, Igloolik's women's video collective; and two films by Isuma's Artcirq, the emerging youth film-making team.
Nunavut Independent Television Network
In 2001, Tarriaksuk and Channel 24 evolved into a new non-profit society, Nunavut Independent Television Network (NITV), to expand local access television in Igloolik and develop use of internet-TV (IPTV) to link other Nunavut communities with increased Inuktitut-language TV programming. Join Isuma in Fall 2007 for the official launch.
Vtape
A non-profit distribution and resource centre for video and new media artists founded in 1982 and committed to the ongoing support of independent productions.
Operating as a distributor, Media-theque and Resource Centre with public access. Vtape’s mandate is to serve both artists and audiences by assisting and encouraging the appreciation, education, preservation, restoration and exhibition of media works by artists and independents.
In a partnership with the Aboriginal Film and Video Art Alliance (now Centre for Aboriginal Media & imagineNATIVE festival), Vtape has built the largest catalogue of First Nations independent productions worldwide.
Vtape took on the first Isuma production Qaggiq (Gathering Place) in 1992 and have worked to represent this phenomenal collection ever since. Vtape is pleased to launch the distribution of the Complete Isuma Collection summer and fall of 2007.
Visit www.vtape.org for additional information on purchasing titles and visit www.isuma .ca for regular updates on Isuma productions and screenings worldwide.
Every year, Alberta grows at an incredible rate and so does the amount of students enrolling in post-secondary institutions. In fact, since 2000, the number of students enrolling in a college or university program has increased by more than 10,000. The financial challenges facing post-secondary students in Alberta are multiplied each year as well. Since the 2001/2002 school year, the average undergraduate tuition fees have increased by more than 25 per cent, and with the average cost of living continuing to grow in Canada’s fastest growing province, today’s post-secondary students are faced with the possibility of carrying large student loans into their new careers. Or worse, they’re faced with the possibility of not being able to afford post-secondary education at all.
AltaLink, Alberta’s largest electrical transmission company, is taking steps to ease the financial burden of some of the province’s best and brightest students. This year, AltaLink is proud to introduce a new scholarship program dedicated to helping Aboriginal students across Alberta achieve their educational goals.
In 2005, AltaLink launched its Centennial Scholarship program for students hailing from rural Alberta, and has found tremendous reward in investing in the youth from the communities in which it operates. Expanding our commitment to post-secondary education in Alberta, AltaLink is offering four new annual $2,000 scholarships beginning in the 2007/2008 school year. The new scholarships will be awarded to one student from each of Treaty 6, 7 and 8, and to one Métis student.
The successful recipients will be chosen based on academic achievement, community involvement, leadership and financial need. The deadline to apply is November 15, 2007 and the recipients will be given the award by January 15, just in time for the second semester.
As the number of students grows in Alberta, so does the need for electricity. This need affects everyone across Alberta, and our province is growing at a rate today that requires new electrical supply for the equivalent of adding two cities the size of Red Deer onto the grid each year. As Canada’s only fully independent transmission provider, AltaLink is responsible for the maintenance and operation of more than 11,600 kilometres of transmission lines and approximately 260 substations in Alberta. Our people and our facilities move electricity across Alberta, from the generators to the homes, farms and businesses of more than 85 per cent of Albertans.
AltaLink looks forward to supplying Albertans with electricity and investing in Alberta’s Aboriginal students in their quest to attain post-secondary educations for years to come.