April 5, 2006 Source: :
http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/april06/aboriginal-learning.html U of C helps shape new Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre The Canadian Council of Learning announced today that a new Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre will be established to conduct and disseminate research on enhancing educational opportunities for aboriginal people. The University of Calgary, together with the Calgary-based First Nations Adult Higher Education Consortium (FNAHEC) and the Saskatoon-based Aboriginal Education Research Centre, are leading the development of the new centre, which will be eligible for up to $1.5 million per year over five years. "The goal of the centre will be to carry out pure and applied research relating to aboriginal learning – from kindergarten to post-secondary education," says Dr. Jim Frideres, U of C sociologist and coordinating author of the proposal. "With nearly half the aboriginal population under 30 years of age, it is important that we ensure they have the adequate skills and expertise to enter the labour force." The U of C has been a major partner with FNAHEC over the past 18 months and developed a proposal that outlines the structure, organization and governance of the centre. Although it’s expected there will be joint headquarters in Saskatchewan and Alberta, their exact location is still to be determined. The centre’s mandate will be to serve the Prairies, NWT and Nunavut. It will work with community groups, government agencies and other post-secondary educational institutions across the country to improve knowledge and disseminate information about aboriginal learning. More than 50 groups are members of the consortium, including all of the major universities across the Prairies. "The efforts of the centre will give Aboriginal people the tools to identify and solve problems and make decisions using critical and reactive thinking, work with others as members of their community and allow Aboriginal people to increase their capacity to change their lives and better understand the world in which they live," Frideres says. The five-year initiative will draw upon the existing resources of schools, colleges, communities and universities to develop new knowledge and to ensure that existing knowledge is transferred to those constituents who are involved in aboriginal learning. The centre will have an advisory board made up of community representatives, academics, teachers and organizations that have a mandate related to aboriginal learning, and the board will guide the organization in terms of its short and long term goals. To speak to Dr. Jim Frideres, contact his office at 220-2554, or Greg Harris, media relations, at 220-3506. For the Canadian Council on Learning news release, see http://www.ccl-cca.ca/ __________ Gregory Harris
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