New monies help create new programs

Support for the Aboriginal education at Okanagen College (OC) is coming in the form of over $150,000. With more than $159,733 coming from the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development, new programs will be established for Aboriginal education and curriculum content.
"These investments in Okanagan College will contribute to interdisciplinary studies and encourage further collaboration and dialogue," said Lake Country MLA Al Horning in a press release. "With active recruiting and expanded support services, Aboriginal students will now have more assistance with any challenges experienced with transitioning into college programs."
Some of the funds will go towards a new Okanagan Environmental Studies Program in the sum of $70,000. The program will work on environmental interdisciplinary programming for Aboriginal students, which first started in 2007 at the earth, geography and environmental sciences department at OC. Helping the new program to collaborate with the First Nations Lands' advisory board and keeping a core curriculum sensitive to Aboriginal cultures and traditions.
The rest of the investment of $ 89,733 will go towards the OC's Aboriginal Student Recruitment, Promotions and Transitions Initiative.
This year 37 new and continuing projects were supported in 25 public post-secondary institutions around the province of British Columbia to a total of $2.98 million.
The special projects fund are part of the ministries Aboriginal post-secondary education strategy providing funding of up to $100,000 to post-secondary institutions to work with Aboriginal communities addressing priorities to culture.