Centre enhances Aboriginal learning
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Updated: September 08, 2009 11:43 PM
Aboriginal students attending Okanagan College’s Salmon Arm campus this fall have a new space that celebrates their heritage and provides access to a variety of support services, says George Abbott, minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation.
Abbott says Okanagan College has done a remarkable job of making First Nations and Métis students welcome at all their campuses and the new Gathering Place in Salmon Arm will add to that experience.
“Last year there were more than 800 students that took courses at the college,” he says. “That is a testament to the good work they have done in encouraging aboriginal students.”
On hand for the centre’s grand opening last Friday, along with representatives of the Shuswap Tribal Council, Métis Nation BC and Okanagan College officials, Abbott described the celebration barbecue and tour of the new facility as a very happy event.
“The Gathering Place will make Okanagan College an even more welcoming place and I think that’s hugely important,” he says. “Education is one of the keys to improving the lives of First Nations people and it’s good to see an institution like Okanagan College working with those groups to build those opportunities.”
Adams Lake Band Chief Nelson Leon also approves of the opportunities the college and the new centre provide.
“I think it’s really good that colleges are realizing the need for aboriginal support and facilities,” he says, noting similar programs at UBC, Malaspina and TRU have proven to be successful. “It provides moral support and helps the aboriginal students to complete their programs and build a peer-to-peer network.”
He’s pleased too that aboriginal cultural beliefs and common values and are being honoured.
“Okanagan College’s recognition of an aboriginal component within the student support mechanisms, goes well in terms of creating positive networks,” he says. “They recognize, in a respectful way, that this helps aboriginal students be successful.”
The Gathering Place was made possible through a $253,000 grant from the province last spring. The space evokes a kekuli – a winter pit house – with its round construction, and a skylight where there would be an opening for smoke to escape the home.
Also on hand for the celebration, Advanced Education and Labour Market Development Minister Moira Stilwell told those in attendance her government remains committed to improving the quality of life and educational experiences of aboriginal students.
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