It is an honour to be able to write the introduction to this important document. First Nations Coordinators within the British Columbia post-secondary system have wished for this kind of resource for many years. I need to start this by expressing thanks to the Aboriginal Special Projects Fund for making this a possibility and to researcher/coordinator Sandee Mitchell for making it a reality.

My work as a First Nations Coordinator goes back to September 1991. The previous year, the Report of the Provincial Advisory on Post-Secondary Education for Native Learners (soon and still known as the “Green Report”¹) had been presented to the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development and Technology (“the Ministry”). The report included some very disturbing information. At the time 80% of First Nations students enrolled in the K-12 system did not complete high school. 41% of First Nations people had less than a Grade Nine education. Only 3% had any university level education.

The majority of Aboriginal people who enrolled in post-secondary education did not complete. Many of the recommendations of the Green Report were acted upon. Among these was that the Ministry provide targeted funding for public colleges, university colleges, and institutes to establish First Nations Coordinator positions to support First Nations student success. A base of First Nations Coordinators was established fairly quickly. The first group of us met in Vancouver in October 1991 hosted by Shirley Joseph, then of Vancouver Community College.

From the first days, we realized that the position of First Nations Coordinator is a challenging one. It is one thing to say that these positions were supposed to support student success. It was quite another to define what that meant and develop ways to do it. We needed to examine the academic, financial, social, and cultural needs of the students we had been hired to support, and establish or learn ways to help them meet these needs. That was, and continues to be, an extraordinary challenge.

Another of the huge issues facing us was that we were working in institutions and within a system that was not designed for our people or communities. What did institutions need to do to support First Nations student success? What barriers had been erected that got in the way of First Nations student access? What systems had been established that supported First Nations student failure? What role did First Nations Coordinators need to play if these barriers were going to be taken down and replaced with something that worked for the students we serve?

Yet another major issue that we had to deal with was that many of our institutions had lost touch – or never established touch in the first place – with local First Nations or Aboriginal organizations that could supply institutions with students, fund those students, offer expertise to institutions about community education needs, and work together with institutions to provide student support. What did we, as First Nations Coordinators, need to do to establish these connections in order to promote student success?

Then there was programming and curriculum. For too long the majority of First Nations post-secondary students had been expected to thrive in classrooms that did not acknowledge their history, systems, current realities, or goals. First Nations Coordinators could not be said to be supporting First Nations student success if we did not establish influence in curriculum.

At that first gathering of First Nations Coordinators we talked about all of these things and we were also told that we needed to gather and present data to provide evidence that our positions were achieving results and needed to remain in place.

Finally, we knew that it would likely be necessary to bring additional resources into our institutions if we were to see our visions become realities. The job of First Nations Coordinator was, and continues to be, a daunting task.

Over the years we have evolved. There were only about nine of us at that first gathering. Now there are at least 52 people in the system who have official responsibility to promote First Nations student success. In the early 1990’s we formed a Council that would provide field-based input to the Ministry and ensure communication amongst ourselves.²

We have seen student numbers explode. Most institutions report that their First Nations populations have at least doubled over the past ten years. Many have quadrupled. We are seeing more and more evidence of student success. The First Nations contingent at graduation ceremonies keeps getting larger. Many of the Aboriginal students who have gone through the system over this time have become professionals, technicians, and tradespeople who are now involved in establishing self-determination and development for our communities.

Many of our institutions have altered their systems and ways. Most now have better ways of supporting First Nations students. Along with having a First Nations Coordinator on site, many institutions have established spaces for First Nations students, now welcome them with art and other demonstrations of culture, ask their communities what is needed and respond to the answers. Many have established Aboriginal admissions policies and practices that enable students to enroll. Many have devised sponsorship practices that work for the institutions, students, and their Bands. Many have developed and funded new positions to work with the Coordinator. Many have established First Nations Education as an institutional priority.

We have also seen many institutions develop good or at least better relations with community and other education providers. Most institutions and many programs have established First Nations Advisory Councils or Committees that ensure or assist community involvement in and direction to the institution. Many Affiliation Agreements have been negotiated and many community-based programs have been established. Most institutions supported having Aboriginal representation on their Boards.

We have seen a great deal of success in programming. Far more First Nations students now have access to relevant curriculum and career preparation. First Nations Studies has been established to the point that two provincial First Nations Studies articulation committees are now in process of being established. Choice and success has increased.

And many of us have learned a great deal about bringing in resources. We were right; it was necessary and the fruits of our labours and those who laboured with us are seen in the increased services, programs, and connections that we can now view.

But we are still left with the same responsibilities. We have a long way to go and much work to do before we are finished. Our communities are still in a place of healing and development. Many of our people are still crying. Many of our young people – and not so young people – still don’t believe that they can master education. Our programming is still vulnerable to being subsumed or abandoned. The system we work in, though improved, is still not geared to First Nations student success, and when it sees itself as threatened, it draws inward and puts us at risk of losing that which we have accomplished.

Our institutions and our communities are still learning to trust each other. We still need to work with both to build those things, which will result in authentic, integral education for our people. New challenges await us as we still work on the old ones.

This guide is for First Nations Coordinators and Advisors who work at the heart of all of this. It describes much of the work we do and contains suggestions about how to do that work. In order to gather the information that forms this guide, Sandee Mitchell met or talked with all of the Coordinators and Advisors listed on the acknowledgement page. She asked about what each of those people did, what knowledge they wished they had when they started their work, and what knowledge they would like to pass on to other Coordinators and Advisors. She compiled an enormous list of tasks and responsibilities performed and held by First Nations workers in the system and presented it to the Aboriginal Coordinators Training Session in May 2002. Delegates examined the list and talked about what it meant. From that this document was formed.

We know that there are many roles now played in First Nations Education. Some of this guide is directed at those who provide student support. We have called this the “Advisor’s role.” Some of it is directed at those who are responsible for systemic change and development. We called this the “Coordinator’s role.” We are perfectly aware that many individuals do both. We also know that it is not possible for any one person to do all the things that are outlined in this guide. Nevertheless it is crucial that student support and systemic change take place and continue to take place if we are to achieve the goals we started with. We need the support of our institutions and our communities to do this. We hope that this guide helps that process.

I acknowledge and honour each of you who are involved in this work. It is incredibly hard but also incredibly fulfilling and incredibly important. Thank you/miigwech to each of you for making things better for our children and grandchildren.

Health and Peace to every one of you,

Janice Simcoe, Chair, First Nations Education and Services, Camosun College
Past Chair, BC First Nations Coordinators Council

Advisor: Describes the position or role that provides direct student support services. In some institutions these positions are called Student Service managers or Student Development Workers.

Advisory Committee: Describes the groups or committees that provide information and direction to specific programs. Some Advisory Committees include membership from the institution; some are entirely community based.

Advisory Council: Describes the groups or councils that provide information and direction to institutions in regards to First Nations programming and/or services. Some Advisory Councils include membership from the institution; some are entirely community-based.

Coordinator: Describes the position or role that is responsible for establishing systemic change and Aboriginal program/service development and/or management within institutions. In many institutions these positions also provide student support services.

First Nations/Aboriginal: These terms are both used in this guide to refer to the descendents of the indigenous peoples of what is now called North America. We used both terms because they are both used by various institutions (we also are aware that there are institutions use the term “Indigenous”). “First Nations,” when used in our system, intends to reflect inclusiveness. The institutions that use it refer to the diversity amongst our peoples, including those who are called Indians, Métis, and Inuit. It reflects the sovereignty of our Nations, and primacy of our relationship with these lands. The institutions that use the term “Aboriginal” also use it to reflect inclusiveness, in the way that the Canadian Constitution defines Aboriginal peoples: Indian, Métis, and Inuit.

¹ For a history of the evolution of the Green Report to the Aboriginal Post-Secondary Education and Training Policy Framework see Appendix A p 46.

² For the BC First Nations Coordinators Council Terms of Reference see Appendix B, p 51.