Aboriginal board members wanted

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If you are Aboriginal, involved in your local community, and have an interest in providing services to children, you may be just the person Alberta Children's Services is looking for.

The call has gone out from Children's Services to Aboriginal Albertans to fill current and future vacancies on the province's 18 Child and Family Services Authorities. Each authority is given the task of "promoting the safety, security, well-being and integrity of children, families and members of the community," as well as planning, co-ordinating and delivering programs and services required to meet that mandate.

Four "pillars" form the foundation of the new system within Child and Family Services. To meet the requirements of one of the pillars - Improved Services for Aboriginal Children and Families - 50 per cent of each board's membership is made up of Aboriginal people, including one person in the role of Aboriginal co-chair.

Garry Gairdner has been co-chair of the Ma'mowe - Capital Region Child and Family Services Authority since July 1998, when the new authority first came on line.

Gairdner brings much previous board experience to his role as board co-chair. He was chairman of the board with Apeetogosan Metis Development and Metis bank for four-and-a-half years, and is currently on the board of Metis Opportunities Inc., the economic development arm for Zone Four Metis Nations. He is also past president of the Aboriginal Business and Professional Association.

When it was suggested to him that he submit his name for the role as co-chair, Gairdner admits he was a bit hesitant.

"Initially, I thought, well maybe that wasn't exactly what I should do, because my background is economic development, not children's services. But I was basically advised that our board would be a fairly large one, and really the minister was looking for a couple of people that were very used to operating within boards . . . for the business end of it, I guess," said Gairdner.

Gairdner stressed the importance of having a high level of Aboriginal representation on the authority boards.

"Although a lot of people feel they understand some of the problems of the Aboriginals, they don't really know. And if they don't have a high content of Aboriginals on the board, they become assumptions rather than actual knowledge. And also with the high numbers of Aboriginals on the board, you can get a better perspective of the Aboriginal community, because no one or two people know everything there is to know about the Aboriginal community. So with that, we are able to try to follow the correct protocols in doing what we're doing, and at the same time understand where the Aboriginals are coming from, their history and the culture," Gairdner said.

Gairdner explained what qualities are required of a board member for the Child and Family Services Authorities in addition to the person having been active in the community. He says they need people "that have some knowledge of some facet of children's services, whether it's in foster care, or child welfare or daycare. Some facet, so they do know what we're working with."

Another quality required of both board members and chairs, Gairdner explained, is dedication.

"They have to have a pretty strong feeling that they want to contribute, because this is a new initiative, and it takes a lot of dedication on behalf of the board members. So I would say anyone that was considering that, that they would have to really not just want to go to a meeting and maybe contribute a little at the meeting, it's really an ongoing thing, where they're constantly watching out for things and being active in the committees."

Candidates for appointment to the authority boards is something Children's Services needs both for the future, and the present, Gairdner explained.

"We've got just a little bit less than one year to go on our term. It's a three-year term we're appointed for. Some of the people will let their name stand for reappointment . . . and he rest will be new," Gairdner said. "The other thing that's happening right now, it's right across the province, we are accepting applications for board members to complete this last term. People have left for one reason or another during the year. And out of that, 18 out of 22, I believe it is, are Aboriginal positions."

"It's really key that the Aboriginal people are on these boards," Gairdner said. "As long as we have sufficient numbers on there, then they are quite capable of having their voice heard. I know on our board, everybody gets their turn to speak; we make sure everybody has the opportunity at each decision we make. It isn't just the people who speak the loudest that get heard. But the Aboriginal content, I think, is what's really going to make a success out of this whole initiative."

"It's been quite a bit more work than I anticipated, but having said that it's satisfying work because we can see that we are starting to make a difference," Gairdner said. "And what we have started, regardless of what happens in the future, it cannot be stopped."

For more information about how to apply to become a board member, call Alberta Children's Services at 780-415-6134.