Consortium brings education centres together

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Eight First Nation adult education centres in Alberta are banding together to build a stronger foundation for catering to their Aboriginal students.

The First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium is still in the early stages of development. The consortium was created in June of this year and is expected to be operational by the start of the school year this September.

Over the summer, presidents of the eight First Nations education centres have been meeting to iron out the role of the consortium.

Since many Aboriginal centres focus on Native culture and tradition as well as contemporary education classes, the consortium will try to bring many resources to the First Nations in order to make all facets of learning stronger.

The Maskwachees Cultural College in Hobbema, for example, has a large focus on philosophy, values and wisdom of the Cree culture. It emphasizes culture, family, identity and language. The consortium will be used to find "bridges" between programs offered at Maskwachees and other colleges in the province. The consortium is a sort of networking system for colleges.

Keeping centres from across the province linked to each other benefits the First Nations, the staff and administration, and the students attending the centres. Each group will be able to learn more about other areas of the province and the programs offered at different colleges.

Vivian Ayoungman, at the Treaty 7 First Nation office in Calgary, said the consortium was developed out of a need to create some uniformity and support between First Nation education centres.

Since the early 1970s, many First Nation colleges have "independently struggled on their own," to offer programming to their students," she said. Then they began to network informally and they realized that many have the same troubles and concerns."

Funding, curriculum and student services were three areas where schools started to work on a shared work plan.

But because each centre was different, a common networking service was needed. That was the start of the consortium.

"The process began in the early 1990s," Ayoungman said.

Over the last several years, bylaws, policy and a mandate has been created by college presidents and board members to operate the consortium.

Meetings from the early part of the 1990s call for the consortium to work on a number of issues in First Nation communities.

Some of the issues to be tackled include promotion of training and education programs on each First Nation.

Development of proactive policy to reduce unemployment on reserves and focus more attention on the needs of First Nation students is also a goal.

Working together instead of operating separately will help Native institutions

of learning to become a "shining voice for our First Nations people," said Ayoungman.

The colleges involved so far in the consortium are the Blue Quills First Nations College, Old Sun Community College, Maskwachees Cultural College, Red Crow Community College and Yellow Head Tribal Council Education.

Nakoda Nation Post Secondary Education Centre, Piikani Post Secondary

Adult and Career Centre, and the Tsuu T'ina Adult Education Program are also involved.

More First Nation adult education facilities are encouraged to join the consortium.

Each facility pays an annual fee to become a member of the consortium.

The Alberta consortium is based on the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, which has been a successful linking tool for 31 tribal operated community colleges in the United States and Canada since 1972.