DanGreenUser

Recent studies have shown an appalling aboriginal high school dropout rate approaching sixty percent. Obviously more must be done to bring these numbers into line with Canadian averages. In the meantime, aboriginal leaders must provide encouragment and financial opportunities to the deserving forty percent who have made the grade. Instead of handing out royalty payments to eighteen year olds who have done nothing to deserve them, substantial monies should be earmarked to assist the high achievers in pursuing their educational goals. Generous scholarship incentives should be available to be “earned” by the best and brightest for both university and technical education and the success of these students should be widely publicized and rewarded to encourage up and comers to follow in their footsteps. If this can be done in the poverty zone of rural India, it surely can be done in Canadian aboriginal communities on an even more widespread basis.http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/asia-pacific/one-room-schoolhouse-fanatical-teacher-committed-students-freedom-from-a-life-of-poverty/article2105765/

The St. Eugene Hotel and Resort http://www.steugene.ca/resort and other similar well postioned aboriginal owned businesses could provide excellent academic and on-the-job educational experiences for deserving aboriginal youth. Competitive scholarship opportunities funded by the Assembly of First Nations and other aboriginal organizations should be made available to the most qualified candidates from all over North America. A one or two year program operated in association with post-secondary institutions would allow these young people to become proficient in areas like accounting, hotel management and other operations associated with the hospitality industry rather than just being relegated to jobs such as housekeeping and security which is now often the case.

This is an example where practical educational opportunities can be made available today for the kids who make the effort to qualify and who deserve the opportunity. They will have the great experience of learning along with others with similar backgrounds from all over North America and will reap the benefits of challenging and rewarding careers that will last them for a lifetime.

It’s a question that I’m often asked and at times during the book’s six year gestation, I sometimes wondered myself. There were many reasons, including being raised and educated within a Catholic environment where although fortunate to never have faced the abuse experienced by Blue, I was shocked by the revelations that began to surface concerning people I had been taught to trust and revere.

Everything on this subject that I read or watched on television was reported in a formal documentary fashion and although vivid and factual, the stories didn’t really have that much effect on me because like most white Canadians, I didn’t personally know any Indian/Aboriginal/First Nations people which made it difficult to internalize the issue. 

I felt that a gripping story about an empathetic protagonist with whom readers of all backgrounds could identify, would be a more effective means of raising public awareness and understanding about what actually happened to “real people” within the Indian Residential School System for almost a hundred years.

This is exactly what is happening. More and more readers are telling me that they have come to care about the book’s main character, Blue Saltwater, and that they found themselves wincing for him when things went bad and routing for him as he fought to overcome the challenges he faced. Some have said they felt sad for Blue and others have said they immediately think of him whenever there is something in the news about First Nations and the residential schools. This is what I call building awareness!

As an increasing number of Canadians begin to know and care about Blue the person, a more informed dialogue will emerge that will allow us to heal the wounds of the past and build a positive future for all our children.

Companies who are profiting from their operations in the Canadian oil patch must now take the lead and not wait for slow moving government programs before making significant investments in aboriginal youth employment, entrepreneurship and education. With the massive oil sands projects currently underway, this is an exceptional moment for social responsibility and a wonderful opportunity to help soften their oily image. With a youth unemployment level approaching twenty percent, private sector ingenuity that is inclusive to this rapidly growing youth population will insure that these long-term investments remain secure for years to come. Doing anything less will surely put them in jeopardy.

The Conservative government and first nation leaders have agreed to transform the schools, economies, and quality of life on reserves across Canada. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-native-leaders-commit-to-sweeping-overhaul-of-reserve-life/article2053099/

On the surface, it appears that a fresh cooperative approach is being taken by both the government and first nations to work as partners on these vitally important matters, rather than continuing with the one-sided approach that has been shoved down the throats of the aboriginal population for so many years.

However, the responsibility for success will rely on courageous leadership from both groups so that the fear and mistrust of the past are not allowed to hi-jack this initiative into another series of costly time wasting confrontations with personal agendas being put ahead of what is best for the aboriginal community and the youth in particular.

I congratulate both government and first nations leaders for embarking on this challenge, but I also warn them to be aware that time is of the essence. If, in the words of National Chief Atleo, significant change is not soon “felt, tasted, and experienced” by a young, restless, and growing aboriginal population, they may take things into their own hands and begin to agitate in unpredictable ways for an Aboriginal Spring just as their Arab counterparts are doing today.