History

Goal: To build spiritual, leadership, social, educational, and employment capacity for urban Aboriginal youth.

Project Objective: To provide accessible community-based, culturally relevant projects for Aboriginal youth designed to develop their skills and knowledge. This project is focused on: life skills, community involvement, personal, cultural and leadership development. This project offers Aboriginal youth a significant, positive impact in their lives to move forward in a number of realms including personal, educational, career, family, leadership and entrepreneurial.

ABORIGINAL FUTURES CAREER AND JOB FAIR 2011

This one-day event helps to guide the career paths of Aboriginal job seekers. It is an excellent opportunity to bring together businesses, educators, organizations, and government leaders to provide information and opportunities that will assist job seekers to understand what is required for specific career paths and show them the opportunities that exist. Individuals can take time to figure out what education path they may need to pursue to secure their job of choice and what supports are available in Edmonton. Our first year, 2010, had 200 job seekers and 18 exhibitors in attendance at the Airport Hangar on Kingsway. 2011 had 400 job seekers attend and 38 exhibitors at the Hangar.

FRUITSTAND PROJECT 2011

The downtown Edmonton Rotary provided start-up costs for a fruit stand.The purpose would be a fundraiser ran by volunteers to sell fruit on a stick and fruit drinks at outdoor events i.e. national aboriginal day.

VISION SPEAKERS INSPIRES (2010-2011) Continued from 2010

Goal: To prepare Aboriginal women for leadership in everyday life, with an aim to improve self-confidence, increase self-understanding and the understanding of others.

Project Objective: There are two aspects to good communication: being able to clearly express ideas and feelings in front of a group and being able to listen and hear the ideas of others' thoughts and feelings. By participating in this 30+ hour course, each person has the opportunity to develop skills and self-confidence that provides renewed meaning and purpose to life that can increase the possibility for happiness. The course was designed to prepare individuals for leadership in everyday life, aiming to improve self-confidence, increase self-understanding, and the understanding of others. In June 2012, we have scheduled a Train the Trainer Program of Vision Speakers Inspires so that we can continue this important program in the community.

2012

Goal: To have urban Aboriginal youth to reach their fullest potential and become positive role models and active contributing community members to society.

Project Objective: By having Aboriginal people mentor young Aboriginal people, there is greater likelihood of success for that individual. To provide training for the mentors and youth based in the teachings of the Medicine Wheel which lays the foundation for transformational change. They will go to the sweat lodge. They are matched with mentors that are committed to discussion around the youth's success.

STEP UP CHALLENGE WORKSHOP/SPADACIOUS DAY 2012

Goal: the Step Up Challenge Project is to support Aboriginal women wanting to make informed choices about lifestyles, diet or management options related to their health. Its goal is to promote healthy eating and physical activity among Aboriginal women. The statement of need is to reduce the incidence of the risk factors for health issues in the community including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and other diseases associated with limited participation in physical activities and unhealthy eating habits and food choices. AWPA intends to host a Spadacious Day scheduled on December 9, 2012 to celebrate healthy living and to recruit participants for the Step Up Challenge Project. Women will also have an opportunity to register for the next Step Up Challenge session scheduled in the New Year. It is expected that approximately 200 woman will participate in the Spadacious Day Workshop.

Objective: Spadacious Day is one of the ways we (AWPA) support healthy living and to promote Step Up Challenge. The scheduled Day will help Aboriginal women to complete all quadrants of the medicine wheel being physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health. We invite women in the community to gather and spend some personal time on their health and well being. We believe that women are the backbone to healthy families and communities and it is important to replenish our energy through self care to carry on this important effort.Many women that join us are of modest income and often without family supports but need this break not only to renew their spirit but to network and connect with other successful women in our community.AWPA brings together therapeutic practitioners such as reiki masters, manicurists, masseuses, hair stylists, reflexologists, and others to provide our important guests with services made to relax, entertain and assist them with rejuvenating their spirit and their health. Not only will this event provide a networking opportunity for women to connect with Aborignal women leaders in the community, it will also have a vendors market for Aboriginal women to sell their crafts.

CROSSROADS 2012

Goal: To enhance and develop strong leadership capabilities, individual and collective skills and talents, so that Aboriginal women can continue to play a central role in their communities as well as participate effectively in Canadian society.

Project Objective: Aboriginal Women's Professional Association (AWPA) coordinates a two-day activity where young, urban aboriginal women spent time with women of influence from the aboriginal and non-aboriginal community. This is a cultural exchange event. We invited women from the Somali community to exchange with us. Female Elders and Cultural Teachers will deliver the content. The Elders will be Métis, Inuit, and First Nation. Our interactive sessions included finger-weaving sashes and applique beading a fire bag. We learned various teachings around a traditional women's role, forgiveness, the circle, the drum, the round dance, the give away, and we will learn about Métis, Aboriginal, as well as Somali history. The learning over the two days would be transformational for each participant and reinforce a sense of pride in our culture. Additionally, when the participants return to their families, work and communities they will become "champions" for increased understanding and change.

2013

AWPA SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICES 2012-2013

Goal: To support urban Aboriginal women to further develop their artistic skills and business knowledge to produce and market their Aboriginal crafts.

Statement of Need: In the Edmonton area, women are often the bread winners in their single parent family homes. AWPA wants to reach out to those women and provide an opportunity where women can come together and learn about traditional native crafts, further develop their skill sets in crafting, business plan writing, and being connected to potential markets such as farmers market and the AWPA on-line store to sell their products.

Program Objective: AWPA's Small Business Support Services is a two-part program. Part 1 will provide Aboriginal women with a place to gather and work on sewing, beading, moose-hair tufting, quilting, or weaving projects. We will supply the location, tools, materials, and instruction on creating products for market. Part 2 will be training on small business set-up supports including business planning, marketing and financial management. We will establish a virtual marketplace for selling with a percentage of prices going towards material replenishment and labour transfer. Supports will be provided by way of a business mentor and the formation of a business women's support circle.

Outcome: Aboriginal women will fully contribute to the economy.

FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR ABORIGINAL ENLIGHTENMENT SERIES

Goal: Conduct research on the development of AWPA offer Aboriginal Enlightenment Workshop Series to government/corporations/organizations for a fee.

An AWPA Aboriginal Enlightenment Series Training Handbook would be developed. An on-line AWPA Aboriginal Enlightenment Training Catalogue would be developed. These modules could go from very basic to broadview to microview to complex, from history to modern day and could be gender specific or nation specific or could highlight different subjects like Artisans or the White Paper or the Red Paper as some examples. We would develop a catalogue and agencies, businesses, Corporate sector, government, educational institutions could pick and choose topics, instead of each party spending money and time developing and delivering their own.

AWPA would use graduates from their Vision Speakers Inspires Program and others to facilitate these workshops.

Outcome: Based on favourable findings, develop a Business Plan.

LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE

AWPA to deliver 'The Leadership Challenge' training series, based on the works of well known authors James Kouzes and Barry Posner who published "The Leadership Challenge." The target audience would be Board Members and Executive Directors of Aboriginal organizations, most of whom are female. The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen to Organizations, Fifth Edition, 2012 is evidence-based. The Leadership Challenge framework grew out of rigorous research that first began in 1982 when Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner set out to understand those times when leaders performed at their personal best. They conducted hundreds of interviews and reviewed hundreds of cases studies and survey questionnaires. What emerged were five fundamental practices common to extraordinary leadership achievements. Now known worldwide as the most practical model of leadership development, The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® continues to prove its effectiveness in cultivating and liberating the leadership potential in anyone—at any level, in any organization—who chooses to accept the challenge to lead. When leaders are at their personal best there are five core practices common to all: they Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart (J. Kouzes and B.Posner, 'The Leadership Challenge,' Jossey-Bass books, 2012 ).

AWPA HEALTH AND WELLNESS STEP UP CHALLENGE PROGRAM 2012-2013

Goal: To support Aboriginal women wanting to make informed choices about lifestyles, diet or management options related to their health. Its goal is to promote healthy eating and physical activity among Aboriginal women.

Statement of Need: To reduce the incidence of the risk factors for health issues in the community including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and other diseases associated with limited participation in physical activities and unhealthy eating habits and food choices.

Program Objective:

The program would challenge 200 Aboriginal women to participate. The objectives would be to increase the level of participation in physical activities to encourage and promote healthy eating habits in order to reduce the most prevalent risk factors for health and wellness including risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, obesity etc., to improve access to health information and resources and identify, design and implement physical activities and health eating.

Activities would include workshops on healthy eating and physical activities, community kitchen activities to demonstrate and train participants on how to prepare meals and diets for healthy eating, participation in physical /active living activities, field trips to local grocery stores, community gardens, recreational facilities and referrals to community health and physical activity resources.

Benefits and outcomes for Aboriginal women participating in the program include: increased knowledge of healthy eating practices, greater awareness of the risks associated with lack of physical activity, enhanced exposure to the health benefits of leading active lifestyles, enhanced awareness of cultural and attitudinal barriers to healthy eating and active lifestyles and an enhanced desire to change those attitudes. Other benefits to participation in the program include awareness of available community resources and enhanced access to those resources including community health and physical activity programs and enhanced long term health and wellness.

VISION SPEAKERS INSPIRES (2013)

Goal: To prepare Aboriginal women for leadership in everyday life, with an aim to improve self-confidence, increase self-understanding and the understanding of others.

Project Objective: There are two aspects to good communication: being able to clearly express ideas and feelings in front of a group and being able to listen and hear the ideas of others' thoughts and feelings. By participating in this 30+ hour course, each person has the opportunity to develop skills and self-confidence that provides renewed meaning and purpose to life that can increase the possibility for happiness. The course was designed to prepare individuals for leadership in everyday life, aiming to improve self-confidence, increase self-understanding, and the understanding of others. In June 2012, we have scheduled a Train the Trainer Program of Vision Speakers Inspires so that we can continue this important program in the community.

VISION SPEAKERS INSPIRES - TRAIN THE TRAINER (2013)

Goal: Through Vision Speakers Inspires – Train the Trainer, the Aboriginal Women's Professional Association will assist Aboriginal women to teach others public speaking using culturally-relevant content.We propose creating our own manual with a strong cultural component, based on Christopher Leadership and Toastmasters philosophy with an aboriginal twist. The Trainer will use tools that are easy to read and make sense. Public speaking is required in daily business dealings whether it is at the board room table or presenting/facilitating to groups, and this ability needs to be practiced and the skills honed in order for women to be successful.The AWPA believes strongly in women mentoring women and this project would support that important premise.

Vision Speakers give women an opportunity to:

·Relate what they have learned in their lives.

·Become more aware of our unique talents and gifts

·Enhance our understanding of ourselves and others

·Reflect on our responsibilities

·Be inspired with hope and courage