It has helped give me a stronger voice...

why did you come to FNTI?

I decided to attend FNTI while I was working as an Aboriginal News reporter
for (Haliburton Broadcasting Group) in Parry Sound. I did not have an
education in the biz. And I did not like the way stories on Aboriginal
people were covered in mainstream media at large. I also had a one-hour
Aboriginal program to produce weekly, and had no clue what kind of content I
should include.

how has the FNTI/media program(Indigenous Communications Journalism) experience changed you?

It has helped give me a stronger voice to tell stories from my own
community. FNTI has also been a great source of support while I have
been in different work environments, and continues to be there for me!!!

My programs improved greatly at HBG while I was attending school
with more content and in-depth stories.

Also, during my time at FNTI, I have moved around quite a bit,
wanting to experience different types of media. I've since worked
for a private radio group in Kansas, U.S.A, as well as CBC radio
in Sudbury, and have written a few freelance print stories for
Aboriginal publications. Both of those experiences have been in
mainstream media. I covered mainstream news. In Kansas, I worked
in Hiawatha, where there were about 5 Indian Reservations in the
area. I ensured there was Native American Indian news content from
those communities in my news.

Talk about where you're working...

I have since returned to the hub of HBG in Parry Sound. I have
gone full-circle so to speak. I am currently the News Director
and Operations Manager in Parry Sound. I anchor the morning news,
as well as co-host with my buddy Dave Chisholm. I am having a
GREAT time. I make sure there is local news every day, with news
from local First Nations as well. It's not like work at all. So,
in essence, I get paid to have fun. I absolutely love radio!!!!!

Would like to know what its like for a mother to go back to school
and how you made it work?

Well, I always say, where there's a will, theres a way. It wasn't
hard for me to return to school. I have two absolutely terrific
teens, Dmitri and Deidre. I also have a very supportive extended
family, who helped keep an eye on my kids while I was away at
school. I missed them a lot while I was away, especially the first
session at school, which lasted six weeks. That seemed like an
eternity to me because I have never been away from them for that
long. It has all been worth it now, with my new position. My kids
are happy that I am happy, as well as proud of me.

and the wisdom that you have recieved through the years?

Wisdom throughout the years? I don't know about that. I just do
what I LOVE. Theres no time for anything else.
(make sure to wear clean underwear everyday! wear a bra that fits!
And laugh lots everyday!!!!)

come one come all

Renewable energy and First Nations:

What are the benefits and opportunities?

On Tuesday, June 5, Volker Thomsen and Dan Longboat will explain how renewable energy can benefit First Nations and their communities.

Volker Thomsen is the President of St. Lawrence College, near Akwesasne Mohawk Territory near Cornwall, Ontario. He is a visionary, actively promoting improved health for First Nations peoples, and a long-time supporter of FNTI. He is also the author of Canada: Enroute to Prosperity, an inspirational book advocating innovation and job creation through education and training, health and wellness. In particular, Mr Thomsen advocates for “green innovation.”

Dan Longboat is Director of the Indigenous Environmental Studies Department at Trent University, and a Faculty member with FNTI’s Indigenous Community Health Approaches Program.

This Open House will be of interest to those concerned with sustainable communities, First Nations peoples, and the general public.

Admission is FREE

When: Tuesday, June 5, 2007 7:00 pm

Where: Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Community Centre – 1807 York Road

Why: To discuss renewable energy options for First Nations territories


For more information, contact:

Christine Loft	Suzanne Brant	Merle Maracle
613-396-2122 ext 136	613-396-2122 ext 125	613-396-2122 ext 121
chrisl@fnti.net	suzanneb@fnti.net	merlem@fnti.net

Directions for community centre

I made many friends along the way...

Tell me about yourself?

My name is Victoria Lathlin and I am from the
Opaskwayak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba.

Why did you come to FNTI?

I came to FNTI to learn the skills that would enable me to succeed in mainstream and the aboriginal field of media.

Going to FNTI really changed my outlook in life. Not
only did I learn about other aboriginal cultures and issues, I learned what it takes to be in the field of media. I made many friends along the way.

So your working in a co-op placement in toronto? where abouts?

My placement at Omni has been fantastic! If anyone
wants to truly learn and be put to actual reporting
work, then Omni is for you. Because it is the
diversity channel, you learn so much about other
people and cultures in this world. It really is a
great eye opener.

Whats it like being a mother and a student?

As a mother, leaving my children to go to school has
been really difficult, the most difficult thing I have
ever had to do actually. But the staff at FNTI are
really supportive, and it's important for me to teach
my children and others who may be parents, that your
still capable of achieving your dreams, no matter your
circumstance.

What are you learning while being in Toronto?

Living in Toronto has been very different for me. From
living in a community of five thousand to a city of
millions, it can be a little intimidating! There are
many times I just wanted to throw in the towel, but
after over coming certain obstacles in life, you ask
yourself, if I did that - why should'nt I be able to
do this?

Can you talk about your support system?

Of course it helps to have a great support
system, and although my family and friends are in
another world far away it seems at times, they always
catch me and pull me back up when I start to fall.
I'm glad that I challenged myself and learned what I
have. It only encourages me to dream bigger and
achieve more in life. It also lays a foundation for my
children to dream from. Knowing that the stars in the
sky that seem so far from reach can be touched upon is
an amazing thing! Thank you FNTI for everything!

New Public Relations program at FNTI...

Indigenous Communications at First Nations Technical Institute on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, east of Belleville, Ont. and west of Deseronto is changing its three-year journalism diploma program and, in September, adding a new one-year public relations program.

“Both programs are about telling our own stories,” says new coordinator Dan David. “Both will have a strong new emphasis on delivering those stories on-line. As always, we’ll emphasize excellence and encourage students to take stories rooted in their own communities to the world at large.”

David says, “If you know prospective students…working adults who need credentials, or recent high school grads… who want hands-on Aboriginal journalism or public relations training with lots of internship time in real world media jobs…send them to us.”

Graduates receive credentials from FNTI’s partner institutions, a Journalism-Aboriginal Profile diploma from Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, or a Public Relations certificate from Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology.

“Our full-time programs, in which intensive class sessions alternate with internship placements, are ideal for people who don’t want to leave their home communities for a year or three at a time,” says David, whose background includes APTN, CBC and a wide variety of both public relations and reporting work.

Call Wendy Sero at 1-800-267-0637, ext. 160 or email wendyr@fnti.net to receive brochures for both programs and application forms. Prospective students are encouraged to check out Indigenous Communications at FNTI on line at www.fnti.net

The rewards are great...

My name is Colin French and I hail from the Anishnabek Nation of the Deshkun Ziibi. (or that's Chippewa of the Thames, for those who don't know) We are located on un-surrendered territory about 25 km southwest of London,Ontario. I chose to attend FNTI because I needed to sharpen my message. I have always been a believer in educating those who don't know the History of First Nations people in North America. And when I finally chose to pursue my post secondary education I came across the Aboriginal Media Program (now called Indigenous Communications - Journalism) at FNTI. The program is designed to bolster one's knowledge of Indigenous issues affecting all Indigenous people across North America. The experience I recieved at FNTI is one that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. The friends, the hardships, the suffering, the good times and the down right hilarious. My life has become more enriched specifically because of my experiences at FNTI. I am currently interning at Muchmusic in Toronto. The days are long but the rewards are even greater. Free movies, music and stationary equipment! lol jk The only other words of wisdom I can pass on to those who may follow the same path come from a leader who has long since passed, but I believe his words embody the struggle we all face.

"Will we let ourselves be destroyed in our turn without a struggle,
give up our homes, our country bequeathed to us by the Great Spirit,
the graves of our dead and everything that is dear and sacred to us?
I know you will cry with me, 'Never! Never!'"

Tecumseh, Shawnee war chief and uniter

Indigenous communications presents "Backwash on Ipperwash: Did the news media do its job?"

This is to let you know about the second in a series of workshops, or Open Houses, that FNTI will be hosting or co-hosting on issues in Indigenous communications.
The first workshop was held early January at the Community Centre on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. It featured a presentation by Rob Henderson, vice president of the CNW Group, on Improving Indigenous Communications internally to the community and externally to much broader audiences.
This time, as the attached news release and poster will attest, the workshop will be a panel discussion followed by questions and answers from the audience on the roles and responsibilities of the media in covering Indigenous issues before, during and after they reach the flashpoint. In this case, we will have our workshop coincide as close as possible to the public release of the Report of the Ipperwash Inquiry by Ontario Justice Sidney Linden. The panelists include:
Professor John Miller of Ryerson University's School of Journalism speaking on his analysis of media coverage on the Ipperwash standoff and aftermath; Peter Edwards, a Toronto Star reporter who had covered the story from the beginning and has written a book entitled "ONE DEAD INDIAN;" and Sam George, the brother of slain activist Dudley George, a family spokesperson who pushed hard for nearly ten years to get the Ontario government to call a public inquiry into the events of that tragic confrontation with the Ontario Provincial Police.
Ryerson's School of Journalism will be co-hosting the event. It is a free Open House. All are welcome to attend and to participate.
Pre-registration is NOT necessary. But contact us if you have questions.
The time and place of the workshops are below.

Link to Poster
Link to Press Release

Tuesday, March 6, 2007
3:30 pm - 6:30 pm
School of Journalism,
Ryerson University
80 Gould St.,
Room 204

For more information contact:
Dan David
Indigenous Communications Department
First Nations Technical Institute
18002670637 ext.130

danield@fnti.net

Sawen:na Aorihwa:ke

Sawen:na Aorihwa:ke is a weekly current affiars/news program that is broadcast on the Mohawk tv channel 4 and is produced by Regan Jacobs and her team at Loudspirit productions.

Learners from the Aboriginal Media Program were in Kahnawake Mohawk Territory, participating in a 2nd week long internship at Mohawk TV. New faces new stories take a few min and check it out.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Wendy Sero ext 160
wendyr@fnti.net

Media Program in Kahnawake

Learners from the Aboriginal Media Program were in Kahnawake Mohawk Territory, participating in a week long internship at Mohawk TV.

Sawen:na Aorihwa:ke is a weekly current affiars/news program that is broadcast on the Mohawk tv channel 4 and is produced by Regan Jacobs and her team at Loudspirit productions.

FNTI’s Indigenous Communications Department Presents

Improving Indigenous Communications

New and better ways to communicate with each
other, and generate more and more realistic stories by the news media.

Rob Henderson Vice-President of CNW Group, part of the world’s largest communications network. It is vital to improve communications given recent developments in land rights and other issues.

Question and answer period to follow.
Everyone is welcome

Wednesday, January 10, 2007
2 - 4 p.m.
Community Centre, Old York Road
(next to Mohawk Fair Grounds)
Refreshments provided

Ottawa cuts spending on Indigenous languages in Canada

BUS LEAVING MOHAWK COMMUNITY CENTRE
8:00am
Tuesday, December 5th, 2006

The demonstration will start at the Westin Hotel,
11 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario,
then will proceed to Parliament Hill.

For More Information:

Callie Maracle, Coordinator
(613) 396-3100 x 227


$5 per person to help with expenses

Funding cut story

Indigenous Community Health Approaches Program Graduation

Graduating class of 2006 included: Audrey Anderson, Wanda Antone, Cindy Carpenter, Cindy Ecker-Flagg, Kim Henry, Betty Maracle, Cindy Martin, Dawn “Bloss”, Shani Martin, Alberta Monture, Gail Whitlow, Shani Martin, Alberta Monture, Gail Whitlow, Amy Williams

First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) graduation was held on November 10, 2006 for Six Nations residents who successfully completed the Indigenous Community Health Approaches program that was delivered at the Grand River Territory over the last year. The learners were awarded an Indigenous Community Health approach Program (post-diploma) graduate certificate.

The Indigenous Community Health Approaches program explores Indigenous knowledge and philosophies as they relate to human health and the natural environment. The program is rooted in Indigenous knowledge and exposes First Nations health professionals to cultural teachings which broaden their understanding about health, health care and environmental and human health issues facing First Nations communities.

This one-year graduate certificate (post-diploma) program provided the First Nations health professional with the opportunity to acquire new skills and understandings. The program of study outlines how cultural knowledge can be applies in resolving health issues facing First Nations communities, while creating opportunities for enrichment of their own personal cultural knowledge.

The program consists of twelve courses totaling 600 hours of study. The program is offered through a partnership agreement between First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) and St. Lawrence College of Applied Arts and Technology.

Instructors for the course include: Suzanne Brant and Janice Brant, both from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory; as well as Norma General, Dan Longboat and Rick Hill, all from Six Nations.

The graduation ceremony took place Friday, November 10, 2006 at the Six Nations Community Hall.