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Students graduate from First Nations Family Support Worker Training Program

Monday, 15 March 2021 14:56

Graduation class of the First Nations Family Support Worker Training Program (photo credit:markkelly.ca)

They are the first graduates of the program developed by the Council of Yukon First Nations and Camosun College

There are some happy graduates in the territory today.

The inaugural offering of the Yukon First Nations Family Support Worker Training Program has wrapped up.

The program was developed by the Council of Yukon First Nations and Camosun College. It builds on the college’s indigenous family support program, with the curriculum adapted to reflect the culture and needs of Yukon first nations communities. Dr. Norma Shorty is a Yukon first nations citizen, she developed the class by combining credited course material and cultural teachings delivered by local Yukon first nations including an elder in-residence component.

Shorty says a big part of the program was exploring cultural identity.

“I think it’s the content itself that was so powerful. It was the ability for our students to look and examine ‘who are we as indigenous people?’, to look at the pathway of colonization, to look to before colonization ‘who are we?’ and to reconnect to that. So, it’s really about re-connecting to our methodology, to our land-based programing, to reconciliation of our language, culture and land, within ourselves and in all of our programing” says Shorty.

The program is a part of the Council of Yukon First Nations efforts to improve outcomes for Yukon first nations families and to address the overrepresentation of Yukon first nations children in the child welfare system.

14 first nations from across the territory are graduating from the program. Lauren McGinty of Selkirk First Nation is one of them. McGinty says she is thankful to have participated in the course.

“It’s been an absolute honour. I feel quite privileged to have been able to take part in this program and I believe my classmates feel the same. It’s been bittersweet this week to feel it coming to and end, but we’ve gained strong relationships along the way.” Says McGinty

The completion of the program was marked with an official graduation ceremony this past Friday at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre.

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