Tag Archives: first nations

A message from NEC’s Early Childhood Educators

by admin | 1 Comment

Did you know that quality affordable Child Care is a right under the UN and Canada comes last in the World??

As students in Aboriginal Early Childhood Education at NEC Native Education College, we have learned so much about issues that are important to early childhood development. One of the most shocking things we have learned is that Canada has the most expensive child care in the world!

But change is under way. Here in British Columbia there is a legislative policy called “The Plan” that is working toward Universal Child Care. If the legislation passes it would include a ten dollar per day fee instead of the current hundreds of dollars per day that are paid now. It will create more jobs and child care services, better wages for those working in Early Learning settings, and an economic spike for our province.

With this plan Aboriginal communities would have the right to quality early care and learning services that work with their cultures and values. The Plan endorses full support for the rights of First Nations and Aboriginal communities to design and deliver services that meet their needs to provide culturally welcoming and affirming programs for all children.

Thanks to our training we have become informed and educated on this important issue and would like to make a difference by spreading the word! Please take a few minutes of your time and click on the link below to add your name to the list of people who want to see this plan in action. Child Care is a Right!

Click here to support this cause.

Endeavours in Entrepreneurship

by Sheena | 862 Comments

I attended an entrepreneurship program between October and December. The program is called the Aboriginal Business and Entrepreneurship Skills Training program or “Aboriginal BEST”. Once you get past the acronym, it’s a really good program. The program is funded by the federal and provincial governments, so it’s free for First Nation, Métis and Inuit people as part of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation policy.

The program is for people who have a solid idea and want to see it happen, and for those who have an interest in business but no specific idea as of yet, and to be honest, anyone in-between. This is the impression I got anyways, with the motivational instruction of Flavio Caron, who was one of the program coordinators for the Aboriginal BEST program.

There are twelve sessions, including the following topics :

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Research
  • Competitors, Competition and Competitive Advantage
  • Marketing
  • Laws and Insurance
  • Funding: Where will you get the Money?
  • Tax, Suppliers, the Hired Help, Production Process and Capability, Professional Advisors, Financial Institutions
  • Personal Budget and Net Worth
  • Costs and Pricing
  • Start Up and Cash Flow
  • Technology
  • Business Plan Executive Summary

The amount of material may seem intimidating, but it’s really not, because the coordinators are extremely friendly and accommodating and they allow you to go at your own pace.

Personally, I love learning about business and the aspects of running a business, but I have never had so much fun while soaking in so much information.  A lot of it had to do with the fact that I really enjoyed the topic, but a lot of it also had to do with just being around so many like-minded people.

If you’ve ever considered running a business , I would really encourage you to take a look at the Aboriginal BEST website and get a hold of the contact in your area. Best of luck!

Eating with our Ancestors in Mind

by Sheena | 687 Comments

My name is Sheena and I am halfway through the first year of Aboriginal Tourism Operations at NEC. I’m really enjoying it so far, the content is relevant, the staff and students are respectful, and the atmosphere at the school is simply beyond compare.

Eat Right for Your TypeIn the tourism industry, appearance is important, so I have started the Blood Type Diet for blood types O, in hopes to portray a healthy image. The blood type diet is a nutritional plan made famous by the book “Eat Right for Your Type.” It’s all about eating foods that are compatible with your blood type, for health and longevity.

These can be the same foods your ancestors ate or these can be exotic foods, metabolically similar to what your ancestors ate. According to your blood type, there are foods that work for you (which can have healing properties) or foods that work against you (which can have disease promoting properties).

If you’re anything like me, you’ve struggled to eat healthy, especially when pressed for time and faced with commitments like work or school.  This is my biggest dilemma, but I am finding ways to combat this issue and eat with my ancestor’s in mind, even in today’s fast paced times.  I am planning to share my favourite on-the-go recipes as well as my favourite quick and easy switches to the “Eat Right for Your Type” lifestyle.

So, if you’re blood type O and you’re interested in finding out what you can do to make a few simple changes towards a healthier you, take a look at my personal blog: http://wildflowerpetals.blogspot.com/ On there, I will have examples of what has worked for me, what hasn’t, what tasted good, what didn’t, detailed week-by-week meal plans, instructional videos and useful resources I’ve come across along the way.