Computers and confidence keys to the future

Page 12

If British Columbia's Native communities expect to prosper, they must reclaim their position in the economy and learn to adapt to a computer-driven culture, said Grand Chief Ed John.

"At one point, our ancestors were the key to the economy of what we call Canada. Our ancestors provided furs to fur traders. B.C.'s first mortgage was paid through the fur industry. Now we find ourselves-miners, doctors, teachers, lawyers, forestry workers-struggling to be part of the 'new economy.' We must ensure that we, at the very least, bring high-speed Internet capabilities to all communities."

John made his comments April 26 during his keynote address at the First Nations Schools Association Conference and annual general meeting at the Sheraton Wall Centre in Vancouver. The theme of this conference, Celebrating and Sharing our Achievements, recognized the accomplishments of school staff, governing boards, parents, Elders, students and community members.

In one sense, John painted a bleak picture. At a time when Premier Gordon Campbell speaks of a "digital divide" separating the economic classes, he said Natives are not only unequipped to bridge this gap, they're still figuring out how to elect band councils. On the other hand, he saw two causes for optimism: expected high numbers of retirees and a concomitant shortage of skilled workers, and the burgeoning numbers of Native youth: "We have a high young population, whose talents and skills can be tapped into. Why tap into immigrant populations when you have resources here?"

John draws on Aboriginal peoples' successful history of adapting to new technologies. "Ancestors mastered new tools-outboard motors, snowmobiles-we took them apart and repaired them. We had to be conversant with technology without Grade 1, 2 or 3 education."

Adapting to a world dominated by computers and the Internet should be no more challenging, but acquisition of new skills is not the greatest obstacle to Native advancement-perceptions are. Often, CEOs have perceived Native people according to negative stereotypes. Often Native people are seen as a lost cause, and therefore a bad investment.

If the status quo is to change, the impetus will have to come from within Native communities. John said, "the cost of doing nothing is too high."

One of the ways Native people can help themselves, delegates heard, is by lessening their dependence on non-Natives' skills and expertise. For example, if a First Nations school is being constructed, the architects, contractors and subcontractors hired should increasingly come from the First Nations community. The practice of hiring "imported" non-Natives for these jobs and hiring Indigenous people only for labouring or semi-skilled work has to change.

One educational program developed with this in mind is the civil engineering access program at Camosun College. It helps Native students acquire the skills to enter the college's Civil Engineering Technology Program and then go on to third-year engineering at UBC. Graduates will be able to design and build their own roads, housing, schools, and water and drainage systems, as well as manage their own watersheds.

Before students can benefit from programs like this, they need the courage to believe in their abilities, and that encouragement begins in the home with the parents. '"If you can reach the parent you will help the children, because 90 per cent of the brain is hard-wired by the age of six," said John.

The grand chief told them that if parents took an interest in their children's education at the start, by the time the children reach ages 13 to 16 it will seem like second nature. Even reading to children for 15 minutes a day and encouraging them to take typing classes in high school goes a long way toward equipping them with the literacy, critical-thinking, and practical skills needed to enhance their sense of self-worth and help them to succeed.