ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

FORUM REPORT

First Peoples House

DIPLOMA IN FIRST NATIONS GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION A Report on the Indigenous Community Forum on

Program and Course Development February 2, 2015

Victoria BC

School of Public Administration University of Victoria

Diploma in First Nations Government and Administration: Indigenous Community Forum on Program and Course Development, February 2, 2015 First Peoples House, University of Victoria

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The School of Public Administration would like to express our sincere appreciation to the following people for their contribution to the Indigenous Community Forum: Elder Joyce Underwood Chief Andy Thomas Chief Herb George, Satsan Tsawout First Nation Esquimalt Nation Wet’suwet’en Nation Prayers and Welcome Song Welcome & Opening Remarks Keynote Speaker We would like to also acknowledge the community leaders, community partners, alumni, faculty and students who participated in the forum to provide advice, guidance and recommendations for the development of the Diploma program, we wish to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to travel to the forum: Bruce Parisian, Executive Director, Victoria Native Friendship Centre Bruce Underwood, Executive Director, Coast Salish Employment and Training Society Bud Hall, Co-Chair, UNESCO, School of Public Administration Dawn Williams, WILNEW, Coast Salish Employment Training Society Dawn Paul, AAG Alumna Dena Carroll, Director, Aboriginal Policy, Ministry of Children and Family Development Deb Foxcroft, President, Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council Georgina Martin, AAG Alumna Francine L’Hirondelle, Director of Education, Songhees Nation Herman Bakvis, Professor and Grad Advisor, School of Public Administration Jeneen Hunt, Band Administrator/Board Member, Kwikwasut’inuxw haxwa’mis / NVIATS Katharina Patterson, Executive Director, NILTU/O Child and Family Services Lisa Anwar, KDC Policy and Cultural Advisor, Community Support, Kwagiutl District Council Lynda Gagne, Assistant Professor, School of Public Administration Linda Gladstone, Post-Secondary Advisor, WSANEC School Board Lila Underwood, Executive Director, South Island Wellness Society Mike Mearns, General Manager, Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of B.C. Pam Sam, Job Coordinator, Coast Salish Employment and Training Society Priscilla Henderson, Director, North Vancouver Island Aboriginal Training Society (NVIATS) Paul Lacerte, Executive Director, BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres Sylvia Scow, a/Director, Aboriginal Education, Vancouver Island University Tara Nault, Director, Health Actions, Aboriginal Health Directorate, Ministry of Health Tara Ney, Associate Professor, School of Public Administration Thank you also to the following: Facilitator: Fran Hunt-Jinnouchi Angela Polifroni and Alana Sayers, Indigenous Student Support Centre Students: Erynne Gilpin, Rebecca Watts, Melina Allen and Shelby Blackjack Course Writers: Warren Weir, Dawn Smith, and Christa Williams Office of Indigenous Affairs for allowing us to use the First Peoples House for the Gathering

Diploma in First Nations Government and Administration: Indigenous Community Forum on Program and Course Development, February 2, 2015 First Peoples House, University of Victoria

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BACKGROUND

The School of Public Administration, with the financial

support received in 2014 - 2015 from Aboriginal Affairs

and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) Post-

Secondary Partnerships Program, is in the process of

developing a Diploma in First Nations Government and

Administration (DFNGA), a credit program suitable for

Aboriginal administrators and leaders. With a planned

implementation and delivery in the Fall 2015, the

School is committed to working with First Nations

communities and Aboriginal organizations to ensure

the delivery and curriculum of the DFNGA program is innovative, relevant, meaningful and

practical.

The very early predecessor of this program began in 1975 at the North West Community

College with Frank Cassidy and Herb George. When Frank began working at the School of

Public Administration as a faculty member, he had a vision to create a program at the

University of Victoria. The School has worked with First Nations communities and Aboriginal

organizations to offer access to higher education and provide professional training in public

administration for First Nations and Métis learners. A total of 105 students graduated from the

Certificate in Administration of Aboriginal Governments and Certificate in Administration of

Indigenous Governments offered by the University of Victoria.

In 2014, the University of Victoria approved a new Diploma in First Nations Government and

Administration which offers two workshops and 10 online courses which are transferable to

other University programs:

1. First Nations Governance 2. Communications in First Nations

Governments 3. Lands, Resources and Economic

Development 4. Strategic Planning and Implementation 5. Human Resource Management

6. Social and Community Development: Increasing Effectiveness and Managing Change

7. Financial Management 8. Leadership in Aboriginal organizations and

Governments 9. Intergovernmental Relations: Working with

other Governments and Organizations 10. Managing Initiatives: Project Management and

Organizational Effectiveness (capstone project)

Diploma in First Nations Government and Administration: Indigenous Community Forum on Program and Course Development, February 2, 2015 First Peoples House, University of Victoria

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On February 2, 2015, Aboriginal community leaders

from across Vancouver Island, as well as alumni of the

CAAG and CAIG programs gathered to provide advice,

guidance and recommendations in the development of

the Diploma program and curriculum content to ensure

its meaningfulness and relevancy to community.

Given the complexity of the issues and the diversity of

the communities and cultures, there is a considerable

gap and need for Indigenous content and resources for public administration for undergraduate

programs. The School is working with Aboriginal partners, community stakeholders and

scholars to forge and leverage innovative and progressive knowledge systems and pragmatic

tools designed to strengthen and enhance capacity building in the governance and

administration in Aboriginal environments and organizations.

This report outlines a summary of the discussions and recommendations from the day.

“The vision has to come from the people” Chief Herb George, Satsan, February 2, 2015

Chief Andy Thomas Chief Herb George, Satsan

Diploma in First Nations Government and Administration: Indigenous Community Forum on Program and Course Development, February 2, 2015 First Peoples House, University of Victoria

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COMMUNITY VOICES

STUDENT-CENTRED DELIVERY MODEL:

Face-To-Face: Echoed consistently was the need to develop a better balanced program delivery

model that is designed to ensure the success of student learners by using not only technology

but importantly bringing the students together in the classroom on a regular basis:

o Create a support system of learners – peer support

o Developing a professional network of colleagues

o Sharing and learning from each other

o In-person connection is critical to the success of students in the program

Community-based: Participants expressed the need for the delivery of the program to be

community-based where possible, where student learners are all from one region, recognizing

recruitment of the cohort will be provincial. However this would allow for the student learners

to:

o Remain in their community

o Not required to leave their families and workplace

o Reduce travel time and costs to the student

STUDENT SUPPORT

o Fundamentally important is the need for online and community-based tutors

o Technical support available in the community for the computer and on-line component

o Group assignments / Team assignments

o Organizational support for the employee/student be established and formalized e.g. a

signed agreement to allow work time for school

o Small group discussions of 5 people in on-line component

“Critical to student

success is to feel

like you are part of

something instead

of isolation”

“Community

Support is important

to learning…life

happens”

Diploma in First Nations Government and Administration: Indigenous Community Forum on Program and Course Development, February 2, 2015 First Peoples House, University of Victoria

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COMMUNITY VOICES

COMMUNITY CAPACITY BUILDING

o Opportunity for knowledge sharing among students to share best practices

o Leaders and influential people as guest speakers to mentor and learn from

o “Courses must be useful for the issues I am addressing in my workplace, there must be a

direct link”

CULTURALLY RELEVANT CONTENT and APPROACH

o Indigenous approaches e.g. oral tradition vs too much reading

o Elder involvement is important, how do you involve elders online?

o Cultural safety in sharing online e.g. issues in feedback, for example, it is not culturally

appropriate to be commenting online about someone else’s culture just to receive

marks for course work

o Evaluation approaches – culturally sensitive methods for evaluating the coursework and

assigning grades for sharing indigenous knowledge

o Immerse in traditional ways into face-to-face sessions and particularly online

BUILD ON EXISTING STRENGTH and RESOURCES

o Build on past CAAG/CAIG programs, build on what worked in the past,

o Don’t start from scratch, use existing resources

o No need to reinvent the wheel

o Collaborate with existing agencies such as the AFOA

Diploma in First Nations Government and Administration: Indigenous Community Forum on Program and Course Development, February 2, 2015 First Peoples House, University of Victoria

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NEXT STEPS

o Incorporate community feedback, advice and recommendations into the content

of the course curriculum.

o Review the proposed program and incorporate recommendations to develop a

delivery model that reflects the needs of the Aboriginal communities.

o Identify funding partners and community partners to support the delivery of the

Diploma program as well as for the recruitment of and support for students

o Report back to community from the forum

A MOMENT TO CONNECT

Diploma in First Nations Government and Administration: Indigenous Community Forum on Program and Course Development, February 2, 2015 First Peoples House, University of Victoria

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A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Alumni - former students of the AAG and CAIG program now leaders in community

Back Left: Tara Nault, Dawn Paul, Marcia Dawson. Front Left: Paul Lacerte, Deb Foxcroft, Dena Carroll

Back Right: Georgina Martin, Katharina Patterson, Sylvia Scow. Front Right: Herb George, Dawn Smith

Sylvia Scow, former Program Manager, AAG Graduates of the former AAG certificate program

Diploma in First Nations Government and Administration: Indigenous Community Forum on Program and Course Development, February 2, 2015 First Peoples House, University of Victoria

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A MOMENT TO CELEBRATE

Unveiling of the new logo for the Diploma in First Nations Government and Administration

Dylan Thomas, Artist Dylan Thomas, Artist and Evert Lindquist, Director

Hych’qu Kleco Kleco Gilakas’la Haa’mii’yaa Thank You

For more information about this forum or the Diploma in First Nations Government and Administration:

Marcia Dawson, Program Manager

Diploma in First Nations Government and Administration

School of Public Administration

PO Box 1700 STN CSC

Victoria BC V8W 2Y2 Tel: 250.472.4391 E-mail: marciad@uvic.ca or fnga@uvic.ca