About:
The Aboriginal Youth Internship Program is a 12-month, paid internship ($1,564.13 Bi-weekly) for Aboriginal youth residing in BC. The interns are placed in provincial government ministries for nine months and then in Aboriginal organizations for the last three months of their internship. The program is designed to support Aboriginal youth in developing their leadership skills and encourage them to consider the BC Public Service or Aboriginal organizations as a place to pursue a rewarding career.

The program:

• Mirrors the school year and runs annually from September to the following August


• Provides professional experience


• Provides leadership development


• Provides cultural support


• Provides a professional, cultural, and social network through the intern cohort

Eligibility:
Applicants must be:

• Aboriginal (First Nations (status or non-status), Métis, Inuit)


• Residing in BC


• Age 29 or under as of September 5, 2011


• Have a minimum Grade 12 education combined with work and volunteer experience

Deadline:
Applications must be received by Friday May 13th, 2011

For more information, or to apply go to:
http://employment.gov.bc.ca/Aboriginal_Youth_Internship_Program

May 6-8th, 2012
Vancouver, BC

This is very advanced notice, but looks like an excellent conference.
The organizers have combined three conferences into one:

The First National Parental Mental Health Conference,
The First International Young Carers Congress and
The Third International World Congress on Children of Parents with Mental Illness

Description:
This conference brings together an interdisciplinary group of professionals working in the field of mental health with young people and parents and other stakeholders to share knowledge and experiences related to child and youth mental health. There are three themes woven through the conferences: Parental Mental Health, Children of Parents with Mental Illness and Young Carers.

This first ever gathering of this nature will provide a forum for focusing on the needs of young people and families as they struggle with issues related to mental health concerns across the generations. The overall goal of the concurrent conferences is help us develop a common language and understanding of the needs of young people and families. By bringing together people from diverse backgrounds we hope to enrich our collecective knowledge of mental health
strategies, best practices and the latest research in order to improve outcomes for young people and families. Our goal is to create at the conference a community of practice that spans the three themes where we can each share our knowledge and support while we discuss areas of mutual interest and concern.

Conference Objectives
• To improve our understanding of mental health needs across the generations
• To examine how to engage professionals, young people and families in the development and implementation of prevention, early intervention and treatment strategies
• To examine what supports, activities and policies are needed to ensure that young people, families and professionals are supported in their struggles and challenges
• To provide a forum for networking and collaborating among mental health, health, criminal justice, education and child welfare practitioners, educators, researchers, policy makers, students, young people, families and other stakeholders with an interest in mental health issues across the generations
• To establish “Canadian communities of practice” for each theme area

For more information, please visit: http://www.interprofessional.ubc.ca/ChildandYouthMentalHealth.htm

Hollow Tree: Fighting addiction with traditional native healing
by Herb Nabigon

Whitehorse—Yukon youth will have a new resource to help them discover their career options, Education Minister Patrick Rouble and Skookum Jim Friendship Centre President Nelson Lepine announced today.

“The Department of Education is proud to partner with Skookum Jim Friendship Centre to help youth across Yukon identify the right career choice, and realize their full potential,” Rouble said. “This three-year pilot program will open doors through education and awareness.”

The Youth Employment Centre, located in the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre, will provide employment services such as career planning, counselling, work placements and mentorships for youth aged 16 to 30. The centre will also co-ordinate with community partners to offer training in life skills, resume writing, job search and interviewing skills.

“Together with our partners, we will offer youth an opportunity to pursue the career of their dreams,” Lepine said. “To our communities, we offer a growing, vibrant and untapped workforce made up of Yukon youth—youth who will have the opportunity to show our communities that they can be successful when provided the tools and support to pursue their dreams.”

A key component of this project is outreach. Career counsellors will actively seek out youth to talk with them about career plans and life skills training. In addition to providing services in Whitehorse, the centre has a mobile component to serve communities across Yukon. There will also be subsidies available for employers matched with youth who are seeking to gain on-the-job experience.

The Education department is providing $300,000 per year for three years; $100,000 from the Canada-Yukon Labour Market Agreement and $200,000 from the department’s Youth at Risk fund. The Canada-Yukon Labour Market Development Agreement provides funding to support people who are often excluded from the labour force, including First Nation people, older workers, youth, social assistance recipients and people with disabilities.

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Contact:

Emily Younker
Cabinet Communications
867-633-7961
emily.younker@gov.yk.ca.

Michele Royle
Communications, Education
867-393-7102
michele.royle@gov.yk.ca.

The New Relationship Trust and the First Nation communities realize the importance of our youth. Accordingly, the NRT Board of Directors identified youth as a strategic priority. Our youth provide the key to a healthy and vital future. The ongoing support and participation of this group is essential to strong, healthy nations.

The New Relationship Trust allocated $250,000 for 2011 to assist British Columbia First Nation youth in their communities.

Who Can Apply?
The BC First Nations Youth Grant Initiative is available to all First Nation youth groups at the community level.

Maximum Initiative Contributions
The maximum amount available is $2,500 per First Nation/community.

Initiative Objectives
The purpose of this initiative is to provide incentive for First Nation youth groups to implement projects that promote capacity development.

For the purpose of this initiative, capacity building is defined as enhancing knowledge, abilities, skills and processes in such areas as: