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Governments and Aboriginal Leaders Come Together to Launch New Urban Aboriginal Strategy
The Government of Canada announced today that it is investing $3 million over three years through the Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) partnership approach to better address the needs of urban Aboriginal people in British Columbia.
The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians and Lead Minister for the UAS, together with Hon. Stephen Owen, Secretary of State (Western Economic Diversification) (Indian Affairs and Northern Development), George Abbott, B.C. Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services, Larry Campbell, Mayor of the City of Vancouver and Lou Demerais, Co-Chair of the Greater Vancouver Urban Aboriginal Strategy Steering Committee, officially launched the British Columbia component of the national UAS initiative. Over the next three years, the Government of Canada will work with the provincial and municipal governments, local Aboriginal organizations, non-government organizations and the private sector to develop innovative solutions to address local Aboriginal priorities in Greater Vancouver.
Today's announcement will launch the first group of approved projects managed and administered by the Greater Vancouver Urban Aboriginal Strategy Steering Committee. The twelve projects will focus on three priorities concerning urban Aboriginals in British Columbia: youth, health and homelessness.
The Greater Vancouver UAS approach recognizes that local communities are best placed to develop solutions that meet their unique opportunities and challenges. It also recognizes that all governments and the communities they serve need to work together to address urban Aboriginal issues. It is with this in mind that the Government of Canada hopes to build strong and lasting partnerships.
"The UAS will contribute to breaking down jurisdictional barriers -- barriers within the Government of Canada, barriers between levels of government and barriers at the community level - that have stopped us from achieving our best," said Minister Goodale. "Aboriginal people living in cities offer the promise of a young and growing population that can and must play stronger roles in making our cities and our country more vibrant and prosperous."
"We are very pleased to be moving ahead with these innovative pilot projects," said Secretary of State Stephen Owen. "They address needs that are unique to each community, and recognize the expertise of local partners. We are moving in the right direction to ensure that urban Aboriginal people can more fully participate in their own economic destiny, and help shape Canada today and in the future."
"The Province of British Columbia is very pleased to participate be a partner in the Greater Vancouver Urban Aboriginal Strategy as part of our commitment to improve the quality of life of Aboriginal people," said George Abbott, B.C. Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services. "We are committed to addressing the needs of urban Aboriginal people and have allocated just over $1 million in the past year to urban Aboriginal initiatives in Vancouver," he added.
"Aboriginal people make up a large and under-represented percentage of Vancouver's population," said Larry Campbell, Mayor of the City of Vancouver. "Today's launch shows us how much we can do to help raise living conditions for urban Aboriginal people."
"The Greater Vancouver Urban Aboriginal Strategy Steering committee is very pleased to be a part of today's event and to see the results of the work that partners have carried out together, including the announcement of these twelve projects," said Lou Demerais, Co-Chair of the Greater Vancouver Urban Aboriginal Strategy Steering Committee.
The UAS Pilot Projects Initiative will test innovative ways that the governments, local Aboriginal organizations, non-government organizations and the private sector can address issues that are important to urban Aboriginal people. The lessons learned from these projects will help the Government of Canada determine how it can better help to address urban Aboriginal issues in the longer-term.
The UAS is a Government of Canada initiative that involves a number of federal departments, including: the Privy Council Office, Human Resources Development Canada, Western Economic Diversification Canada, Canadian Heritage, Health Canada, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Justice Canada and the National Secretariat on Homelessness. Partners involved in the Greater Vancouver Urban Aboriginal Strategy include the B.C. Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services, B.C. Ministry of Children and Families, the City of Vancouver, the City of Surrey and representatives from the Aboriginal community.
For additional information, contact:
Susan Schooley
Manager, Communications
Western Economic Diversification Canada
Vancouver, BC
Tel: (604) 666-1318
WD Toll-Free Number:1-888-338-WEST (9378)
Teletypewriter (TTY): 1-877-303-3388
WD Website: www.wd-deo.gc.ca.
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Backgrounder
On November 25, 2003, the Government of Canada contributed $911,883 towards 12 projects that address the Greater Vancouver Urban Aboriginal Steering Committee’s priorities of Youth, Health and Homelessness. Funding for the projects selected by the Greater Vancouver Urban Aboriginal Strategy Steering Committee is provided through the Urban Aboriginal Strategy and Western Economic Diversification Canada.
The 12 projects are:
1) Healing Our Spirit B.C. Aboriginal HIV/AIDS ($61,705):
Healing Our Spirit B.C. Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Society provides outreach support for Aboriginal persons with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS in urban and rural Aboriginal communities throughout B.C..
This organization will implement a program to prepare Aboriginal persons living with HIV/AIDS for employment through placement opportunities with partnering community businesses, agencies and groups. Activities will include training and mentoring on self care, grooming, communicating, public speaking, time management, money management, computer instruction, resume writing, interviews and volunteering.
2) Circle of Eagles Lodge Society, 27th Annual Aboriginal Elders Gathering ($55,000):
Circle of Eagles Lodge Society operates a residential facility providing care and custody to Aboriginal men 19 years and older who have been conditionally released from federal institutions.
This organization will organize the 27th Annual Aboriginal Elders Gathering event that will draw representatives from almost every First Nation in B.C.. The event will provide a forum for bringing people together to share knowledge and ideas to create a healthier and stronger community and help to raise awareness of historical and emerging Aboriginal issues and opportunities for First Nations’ communities and off-reserve organizations.
3) Indigenous Media Arts Group (IMAG), Healing Hands, Stories of Resistance, Media Arts Training Project for At-Risk Aboriginal Youth ($40,100):
Indigenous Media Arts Group has a mandate to encourage and facilitate the promotion, development and dissemination of First Peoples media arts, arts and culture through the coordination of film and video festivals, media workshops, panel discussions, media training.
With UAS funding, IMAG will launch a media arts training workshop for at-risk Aboriginal youth aged 15 to 25 living in Vancouver and the surrounding area. The program builds on IMAG’s experience of providing media arts employment training to Aboriginal youth and adults. In this project, eight youth will tell the story of health and healing related to their life stories in a four-month media arts training project. Youth will be participating in all aspects of the video production. As the final point, these media projects will be showcased at IMAG’s annual imagination film and video festival.
4) Warriors Against Violence Society, Capacity Building Education Project ($33,355):
Warriors Against Violence Society is a social service agency that assists Aboriginal individuals and families dealing with family violence.
The society will improve their family violence reduction programs and develop their capacity to deliver additional programs to the Aboriginal community in the Lower Mainland. Using cultural knowledge to support wellness in the Aboriginal community, this project will strengthen the society’s ability to offer services that are relevant, innovative and effective in reducing family violence and homelessness. The project will provide tuition for the recipient’s staff and volunteers to attend courses at the Justice Institute of British Columbia.
5) Métis Provincial Council of British Columbia (MPCB.C.), Urban Aboriginal Teen Parent Program ($129,270):
The MPCB.C. represents the political, legal, social and economic interests of the Métis people in B.C. to local, provincial and federal levels of governments, funding agencies and other related bodies.
MPCB.C. will pilot an early childhood development program for children 30 months to five years of age, as well as provide family support strategies for families in crisis and strategies to empower families to become self-sufficient community members. MPCPC will tailor a program originally designed by the New Westminster Child Development Centre Ltd. to meet the needs of Aboriginal teen parents and their children.
6) Vancouver Native Housing Society (VNHS), After-School Special Initiative ($60,000):
VNHS develops and provides affordable rental housing to low-income families and/or individuals of Aboriginal ancestry.
VNHS will set up a child-friendly facility in their largest family housing complex, and with it a sustainable after-school program for Aboriginal children between the ages of six to 10 years. The project will entail hiring a qualified Aboriginal staff to plan and implement the service as well as promoting health and wellness through the programming. This project will provide volunteer and mentoring opportunities for youth and elders residing in the VNHS housing.
7) Red Roads HIV/AIDS Network Society, HIV/AIDS Awareness Project ($165,341):
The Red Road HIV/AIDS Network Society is a provincially based Aboriginal organization comprised of Aboriginal AIDS Service Organizations (ASO), non-Aboriginal AIDS Service organizations who have Aboriginal programs, Aboriginal Persons living with HIV/AIDS (APHA), and Aboriginal community-based organizations who have HIV/AIDS programs, located in urban and rural British Columbia.
The society will increase awareness and education on HIV/AIDS in the Greater Vancouver area. In particular the project will target groups such as sex trade workers and injection drug users in the Downtown Eastside community, providing a comprehensive, on line HIV/AIDS resource directory including descriptions of services offered, hours, costs, websites, contact information, directories and maps. Gaps in services for on and off reserve Aboriginal communities in the Greater Vancouver area will be identified by an online HIV/AIDS Epidemiology resource. Moreover, a comprehensive HIV/AIDS education resource will be developed containing a listing of up-coming presentations, workshops, and conferences.
8) United Native Nations Society (UNNS), Integrated Urban Family Reunification Services Systems ($135,741):
The UNNS is a provincial non-profit organization incorporated in 1969 in the Province of B.C.. It carries out programs consistent with those of a charitable organization for relief of poverty among the Aboriginal Peoples in B.C..
UNNS is implementing the first phase of the Integrated Urban Family Reunification Services System (IUFRSS). This project will collect and define various business plan requirements in order to implement IUFRSS, which will compile statistics on Aboriginal people separated by adoption and foster care. UNNS will use this collective data to develop education and training materials to promote awareness on the issues of separation and reconnection of Aboriginal families.
9) Helping Spirit Lodge Society, K'UK KA ÉLAN Wind Song ($76,328):
Helping Spirit Lodge is a 33-bed transition house primarily for Aboriginal women and children who have experienced family violence. The house is staffed by Aboriginal personnel and operates along traditional Aboriginal lines.
This organization will pilot a unique peer outreach concept for street-entrenched Aboriginal men and women who are homeless or at-risk and who, for many reasons, do not or cannot use existing supports and services. K'uk Ka Elin Wind Song will use trusted peers to reach and assist street-entrenched Aboriginal men and women to improve their quality of life on the street; create an environment of peer support; offer tools to create a better life and reduce the urban Aboriginal death rate that is directly related to homelessness.
10) Surrey Aboriginal Cultural Society (SACS), Elder's Lodge ($32,013):
The goal of the SACS is to establish and operate an Aboriginal cultural centre within Surrey, providing information and referral services, a youth recreation program, a family support worker, and employment development activities.
With UAS funding, the centre will set up an Elder’s lodge within the Kla-how-eya Aboriginal Centre that will serve as a place of interaction between the elders and the larger Aboriginal population where cultural exchanges will be stimulated.
11) Kla-how-eya Aboriginal Centre of Surrey Aboriginal Cultural Society (SACS), Aboriginal Youth Learn and Earn Planning and Development Project ($39,880):
The goal of the SACS is to establish and operate an Aboriginal cultural centre within Surrey, providing information and referral services, a youth recreation program, a family support worker, and employment development activities.
SACS will prepare a detailed plan for implementing the learn and earn program, an alternative education program for Aboriginal youth in the Surrey area, developing working agreements with partners, develop, comparable curriculum and material for vocational preparation and cultural activities, as well as developing a management system for the program.
12) Arrows to Freedom Cultural Healing Society, Arrows Mentorship Program ($70,000):
Arrows to Freedom Cultural Healing Society is an organization committed to providing services to Urban Aboriginal Youth and Families.
With UAS funding, the organization will develop a structured program that provides a comprehensive foundation of skill development and support services for Aboriginal students to achieve their academic and personal goals. Youth will have an opportunity to learn leadership skills through outdoor adventure based education. Their leadership skills will then be put to use in a practical setting that will provide role modeling and support to younger youth in Burnaby high-schools. The Arrows mentorship program will use the skills of older Aboriginal youth to provide younger Aboriginal students with leadership and mentorship.
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