Thought provoking and challenging, the Indigenous Community Advocacy Program is a rewarding experience for any post-graduate that wants to critically think about their relationships with Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and more importantly how they can make these relations right.
Why I Chose Confederation College
I chose Confederation College because it seemed like a small, tight-knit academic community that would help me not only get a good education experience, but provide me with opportunities to really get more involved in its community and Thunder Bay as a whole. The Indigenous Community Advocacy program in particular appealed to me because of this interest on my part - it seemed like an excellent way to follow up my bachelor degree with in-the-field, hands-on learning with a community focus.
How Confederation College Has Changed My life
If it weren’t for the Indigenous Community Advocacy program, I would not only not have the job I have now as an assistant to a Member of Parliament, but I would also not have the robust sense of justice that guides me in both my work in politics and my personal relationships. The Indigenous Community Advocacy (Accelerated) program gave me the opportunity to learn about Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations through my classmates and guest speakers’ lived experiences and by engaging in thoughtful dialogues about some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing Indigenous nations and Canada today. As a non-Indigenous person, I learned more about myself in the year I took this program, and how I needed to change how I approached my relationships with Indigenous communities than in the entire four years of my undergrad. As someone who works in Canadian politics, I can safely say that this type of self-reflection is an asset when working with all types of communities and peoples - and one that is often lacking.
My Most Positive Experience or Memory of Confederation College
A memory that stays with me from my time at Confederation College was when my class organized a walk in support of Barbara Kentner who was assaulted and later died of her injuries in a hate crime on Thunder Bay’s South Side. The walk was the brainchild of the Indigenous women in my class, and I was honoured to have helped plan it and to have taken part in it. Though the circumstances were incredibly tragic, the resilience I saw in my classmates (and in the larger community that turned it for that walk) in the face of such violence gave me hope that the moral arc of the universe really does bend toward justice.
My Recollection of a Funny Story, a Fond Memory, a Teacher Who Made a Difference,
If one teacher made a difference during my time at Confederation College, it would have to be Jana-Rae Yerxa. If there is one reason to take the Indigenous Community Advocacy program - and there are a lot - it would be to have her as your professor. During my four years of university, I was never challenged by an instructor at such a fundamental level, making me question so many beliefs that I had taken for granted, as I was by Professor Yerxa in my one year of college. Always thoughtful and often thought-provoking, her insights into colonialism, racism, and Canadian-Indigenous relations were almost always revelatory for me as a non-Indigenous person who “thought” he knew it all. If the measure of a teacher can be found in their impact on a student, then Professor Yerxa is one of the best teachers I have ever had. I’m intellectually richer because of her.
My Job & Job Responsibilities
Legislative Assistant to Don Rusnak, Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay-Rainy River (and former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services) Responsibilities: Speech writing, letter writing, policy research, stakeholder management (including First Nations and Indigenous organizations), Indigenous and Northern Affairs Standing Committee prep
What Brings Me the Greatest Satisfaction From My Job
Helping a community, be it a First Nation, municipality or organization access federal funding to get an important community projected done. How Confederation College Has Prepared Me for Work in the Field? The Indigenous Community Advocacy Program provided me with a strong base of knowledge regarding the legal, political and social issues that define Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations in Canada today, as well as skills for engaging with Indigenous communities in a self-reflective, respectful and reciprocal manner. As someone who works in politics, I can safely say these latter skills are incredibly important for much of the work I do with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, skills often lacking amongst many of my non-Indigenous colleagues.
My Advice for Someone Considering this Program or Career Path
My advice would for anyone who wants a career in politics would be to both get involved in your community in anyway you can, and to learn about yourself and your relationships with others. Politics has a tendency to attract the ambitious, often to the field’s detriment. I believe those who want to enter politics need to know what their core beliefs are and how these beliefs impact their broader community. Otherwise, they are liable to confuse personal expediency for justice. The Most Sought-After Qualifications & Talents That Employers are Currently Seeking in this Field of Work Reading and writing skills, organizational skills, and interpersonal skills. Knowledge about government and a cursory knowledge about politics is a must.
My Sense of the Current Job Market Conditions in my Field of Work
Federal political jobs depend on the electoral cycle. However, Indigenous organizations are always looking for talented Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to help them operate and serve their constituents.
My Personal Success Highlights
I organized and attended two trips to Washington, DC with my boss, MP Don Rusnak, to meet with Indigenous leaders in order to build stronger cross-border ties between Indigenous nations and organizations. I worked with Nishnawbe Aski Nation to organize meetings between their leadership and federal ministers for the purpose of promoting federal support for community based projects